Lab Operations Specialist

Baltimore, MD · Full-time

The Specialist will play an important role within our client's team to cover a wide range of laboratory operations and support functions.

Our client seeks to catalyze the translation of groundbreaking research emerging from Baltimore’s premier research institutions, with the goal of developing new medicines and enabling technologies to improve the lives of patients living with diseases. Together with like-minded partners, they aim to bolster Baltimore’s forward momentum as a hub for innovative biotechnology businesses.

Description

Our client is a nonprofit life sciences incubator dedicated to transforming research breakthroughs into scalable, venture-ready biotech companies. They are committed to advancing a better future for patients with unmet medical needs and collaborate with scientists from world-class institutions and early-stage founders in the greater Baltimore region to transform innovative research into life-changing therapies through company creation.

Their BioHub is a +40,000 sqft world-class biotech incubator that opened in early 2026 on the Baltimore Peninsula that empowers early-stage life sciences startups by providing founders and their teams with top-of-the-line shared equipment, a collaborative infrastructure, and a community built for innovation.

Position Overview:

This role will play an important role within the team to cover a wide range of laboratory operations and support functions for the incubator. Duties for this position include all aspects of operations management. The ideal candidate will be experienced in operationalizing laboratory and technical environments and will work well in a team environment to support the need for redundancy in operations management. They will exercise good judgment in a variety of situations, with excellent written and verbal communication, administrative, and organizational skills.

This is an onsite role Monday – Friday with some flexibility in the hours. Occasional response to urgent matters outside normal work hours may be required. This role reports to the Director of Lab Operations.

Lab Operations Responsibilities:

• Be a steward of an incredible Resident experience. The BioHub aspires to deliver a space with first-in-class Resident support where the facility and all its amenities work 100% of the time. 
• Instrumentation & Maintenance Programs
• Supporting instrument selection/acquisition. Evaluating all new equipment purchases, weighing cost, technical specification requirements, and suitability for an incubator setting.
• Maintaining equipment service schedule, including PM record management and service documentation.
• Coordinating and documenting calibration of requisite BioHub equipment/instrumentation.
• Developing clear, concise tenant guides and/or training for tenants.
• Re-evaluating policies and procedures that do not deliver this objective and redesigning them.
• Familiarity with cytometers or high-content imaging systems would be a plus.
• Oversee login and access configuration for shared lab computers and instrumentation workstations.
• General BioHub Workflow
• Support onboarding/offboarding of both Resident companies and individual resident employees
• Inventory and restock common spaces for supplied consumables
• Prepare and maintain common-use solutions, buffers, and media, as needed.
• Support resident scientists with general cell culture workflows, cryogenic storage, and mycoplasma testing programs.
• Environmental Health & Safety
• Maintain and update SDS, chemical inventories, & biological use inventories
• Support hazardous waste disposal
• Maintain emergency response readiness, including spill kits, weekly testing of eye wash stations, and monthly testing of safety showers.
• Develop/co-develop safety and disinfectant protocols for common equipment.

Facility Operations Responsibilities:

• Support (document, respond, resolve, follow-up) for day-to-day facility requests
• Coordinate with other operations team members to ensure failure mitigation plans and redundancy for all aspects of BioHub operations (Office & Lab).
• Apply a hands-on approach to common facility and lab problems: assembling and mounting equipment, minor plumbing fixes, managing cabling and utility organization, and coordinating more major facility issues with external support.
• Set up and break down equipment for new resident move-ins and move-outs.
• Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency, reduce waste, and enhance the resident experience
• Collaborate with Operations personnel to provide back-up and cross‑functional administrative support as needed.
• In coordination with the managed services provider and Lab Ops team, develop a device management strategy that supports data management needs of Residents and allows for siloing of proprietary data analyses.
• Support maintenance of clean, organized, functional shared spaces; enforce lab housekeeping standards.
• Other operational support, as required by the role.
• Support planning/construction process for any facility modifications/upgrades required by Blackbird Laboratories.

Skills/Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 3-5 years of hands-on laboratory experience, preferably in the molecular biology, biochemical, virology, or immunology space. Preferred: 1-2 years of experience in a lab management, lab coordinator, or senior research support role.
• Understanding of EHS regulations applicable to biological (and chemical) laboratories (OSHA, EPA, CDC/NIH biosafety guidelines) and BSL2 requirements.
• Proven ability to troubleshoot and resolve equipment and facility issues with minimal supervision.
• Exceptional communication, organizational, and prioritization skills
• Ability to analyze risk and make informed operational decisions based on risk assessments and impact analysis.
• Flexibility to work as part of a team or independently to meet goals.
• Strong Microsoft Office skills are required: specifically, Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Candidates must be comfortable with personal protective equipment (PPE), occasional lifting of up to 50 lbs, and performing tasks that require manual dexterity and attention to safety protocols.

Excellent benefits with a generous Paid Time Off policy plus additional leave. Eligible for family health, dental, and vision coverage on date of hire. 401k Plan with 5% Safe Harbor Match.