Lab Manager

Helaina is a team brought together by the belief that health and developmental outcomes of all infants can be improved  through nutritional options closest to breast milk. Our team is revolutionizing the infant nutrition space by developing a food product meant to uniquely support babies in their earliest stages. Helaina’s R&D ecosystem harnesses the power of naturally occurring biological processes in tandem with modern advances in the space of synthetic biology, fermentation, and improved industrial processing. We are a fast-paced startup looking for our next team member who is intensely passionate about advancing synthetic biology for food and beverage products.

In this role, you will work in our NYC lab to support the experiments performed by the R&D teams, supervising and performing technical and administrative tasks in a fast growing laboratory. The successful candidate will be a hands-on, motivated self-starter with a strong sense of initiative. You will be responsible for contributing directly to Helaina’s company milestones by supporting all functions for the R&D team. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who is hungry to work in a startup environment and ready to do the best work of their career.

Primary Responsibilities – Lab Management

• Purchase laboratory reagents and services; monitor consumable spending, providing spending reports to project manager
• Maintains inventory of supplies, equipment and/or reagents. Receives supply orders and confirms accuracy of delivery
• Manages relationships and negotiates with external vendors for the purchase of lab equipment and bulk quantity items
• Coordinate lab utilities maintenance and deliveries
• Develop and implement quality assurance programs for maintenance and calibration of key equipment
• Ensures that facilities and equipment are in optimal and proper working condition
• Coordinates preventative maintenance and repairs as needed. May perform minor repairs if qualified and as needed. May advise on upgrades for performance enhancements
• Must be familiar with the operation of standard lab equipment and with lab safety and biosafety procedures

Primary Responsibilities – Lab Safety

• Develops, implements and enforces policies and procedures to support laboratory safety, efficiency and quality control
• Communicates and schedules with external EHS consulting services on behalf of Helaina
• Support external EHS, including but not limited to managing hazardous waste storage, handling, and removal
• Manage ordering, receiving and distribution of research materials
• Coordinate shipment of research materials to collaborators, including hazardous shipments in compliance with all relevant laws and regulations
• Provides orientation, training and supervision of staff, students, visiting scientists and new lab members in the application and use of new equipment, maintaining and following the standard operating procedures for laboratory activities, and proper lab conduct
• Ensures that necessary education, certification, and training requirements are met for all lab personnel
• Act as liaison between lab and host safety and regulatory offices to ensure compliance with all applicable regulations
• Assure all lab operations are in compliance with prevailing regulations including but not limited to OSHA, CDC, NIH, FDNY mandates at all times

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s of Science degree in Life Sciences or a related field and/or minimum 5-8 years related facility operations experience in the pharmaceutical industry, biotech industry, or life sciences industry
• Strong communication skills and ability to work effectively on a team
• Must be able to effectively communicate with all levels of the organization
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work in a fast-paced, collaborative team environment
• Proficiency of MS Office (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook) skills for communication and organization
• Ability to work in a fast paced environment
• Must possess or obtain a Certificate of Fitness (NYC Fire Department)
• Willing to work flexible hours when needed
• Experience with BSL-2 laboratory operations

Bonus points

• Occasionally lifts and/or carries objects weighing up to 20 pounds
• Assist in laboratory space and facilities planning; make recommendations for changes; maintain inventory of laboratory furniture, equipment, and supplies
• Experience with LIMS/ELN systems like Benchling, SciNote, Quartzy etc.
• Preferred Credentials: Registered Biosafety Professional (RBP) or Certified Biological Safety Professional (CBSP)
• Previous experience working at an early stage startup

Helaina is an Equal Opportunity Employer

For more information, please contact careers@myhelaina.com