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.