Facilities and Lab Operations Manager

Exthymic is an early-stage deep-tech startup on a mission to prevent millions of cancer deaths by making curative cell therapies widely accessible. Our platform enables the manufacturing of patient-specific treatments at the point of care. Led by experienced industry pioneers, we blend hardware, software, and biochemical engineering to disrupt the status quo and democratize life-saving therapies. Join us to solve complex challenges and drive global healthcare innovation.

About You:

You are a highly organized and resourceful operator who thrives in fast-moving, hands-on environments. You take pride in keeping labs running smoothly and safely—and you understand that reliable infrastructure is what enables great science.

Ideally, you have experience managing both physical facilities and laboratory operations in a biotech or research setting, with practical experience for safety, compliance, and vendor coordination. You are comfortable working independently, building systems from scratch, and adapting quickly as priorities shift.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own day-to-day facility and lab operations—Serve as the primary point of contact for building management, landlord coordination, and all facility and lab infrastructure-related vendors. Oversee shipping and receiving, preventive maintenance schedules, utilities, and critical infrastructure to ensure uninterrupted operations across all lab, office, and shared common areas.
• Ensure safety and regulatory compliance—Own the EHS program and be proactive in chemical hygiene, waste disposal, fire safety, ergonomics, and emergency response procedures. Maintain compliance with applicable local, state, and federal regulations (EPA, Cal/OSHA, and fire marshal) and anticipate all regulatory inspections and audits.
• Qualify and maintain lab equipment—Coordinate equipment installations, maintain calibration schedules and preventive maintenance records, and manage vendor service contracts for bio lab and engineering equipment. Keep an accurate equipment register and ensure all instruments are properly qualified and operational.
• Build and enforce SOPs and lab governance—Author and maintain standard operating procedures for lab safety, access, cleanliness, equipment use, and consumable handling. Drive a culture of accountability and continuous improvement across all shared lab spaces.
• Manage lab consumables and inventory end-to-end—Establish and maintain systems for inventory management, reagent and consumable procurement, receiving, and storage. Ensure labs are fully stocked, organized, and ready to support R&D and development teams at all times, with minimal disruption to ongoing experiments.
• Drive space planning and support scale-up—Coordinate lab build-outs, equipment installations, and space reconfigurations to meet evolving team needs. Collaborate with scientists, engineers, and operations staff to ensure the lab, office, and shared spaces—including conference rooms and common areas—are functional, organized, and ready to support day-to-day work.

Requirements

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a scientific, engineering, or operations-related discipline, or directly relevant industry experience.
• 5+ years of experience in facilities management, lab operations, or a closely related role in a biotech, pharmaceutical, or research setting.
• Hands-on familiarity with EHS regulations (Cal/OSHA, EPA) and practical experience running safety programs.
• Strong vendor management skills with experience coordinating multiple service contracts simultaneously.
• Highly organized, with demonstrated ability to build and maintain inventory, calibration, and equipment management systems.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and display a high tolerance for ambiguity and incomplete requirements.
• Team player—collaborative, transparent, and mission-driven.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working in early-stage medical device startups and adapting to rapidly changing priorities and team structures.
• Familiarity with LIMS, ELN, or other laboratory information management tools.
• Experience supporting cGMP, ISO 13485, or similar quality management frameworks.
• Background in cell therapy, gene therapy, or advanced biologics is a plus.
• Experience with lab automation equipment or instrumentation is a plus.
• Experience evaluating and working with job-specific AI tools is a plus.

Benefits

We offer our employees comprehensive benefits, including medical, vision, and dental coverage, as well as retirement savings plans. Optional benefits include Accident and Term Life offerings.

AGENCIES: We work directly with candidates and do not accept unsolicited resumes or referrals from recruitment agencies, search firms, or staffing companies. Any resumes submitted by an agency without a signed agreement in place will be considered the property of Exthymic and no fee will be owed. If you are interested in partnering with us on a future search, please contact our HR team directly.