Lab Support Specialist

Hourly Rate: $28 - $30

Location: Novato, CA

Shift: Monday - Friday, 8 am - 4:30 pm

Benefits:

• Health and Wellness: Medical, Dental, Vision and Wellness programs (eligible for medical coverage on day 1)
• Time Off: Paid Time Off (PTO), Company paid holidays, Choice holidays etc.
• Financial Well Being: Spending Accounts: Flexible Spending Account (FSA), Health Savings Accounts (HSA), commuter benefits, 401(k), tuition assistance, employee stock purchase plan discount
• Added Protection Coverage: To include critical illness, hospital indemnity, accident, legal, identity theft protection, pet, auto and home insurance
• Recognition: Celebrate your peers and earn points to redeem on gifts and products

What we’re looking for 

• Education: High School Diploma or GED is required; Associate’s degree in Biology, Chemistry, Biotech, or a related field is preferred
• Experience: 1+ year of laboratory, manufacturing, research, or laboratory support experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Collaboration Tool: Microsoft Office experience
• Experience with purification and chromatography systems, especially ÄKTA, highly preferred.
• Knowledge of scientific products and services is a plus.
• Effective communication and teamwork in a lab environment
• Laboratory equipment maintenance and calibration
• Buffer and reagent preparation
• Chromatography techniques (column packing, gradient elution, buffer exchange, endotoxin testing)
• Operation and troubleshooting of ÄKTA systems (UNICORN software)
• Ability to lift, move, push, or pull up to 25 pounds with or without accommodation
• Regular use of PPE including safety glasses, lab coats, gloves, and other site-required protective equipment
• Ability to handle laboratory materials, containers, and equipment safely
• Inventory and supply chain management
• Laboratory safety and chemical hygiene
• Data recording and documentation best practices
• Strong organizational and multitasking skills

How you will thrive and create an impact 

Avantor’s Lab and Production Services team is a crucial part of the Avantor Services group serving over 500 customers in biopharma, pharmaceutical, educational, industrial, and high-tech industries with customizable, flexible solutions and end-to-end laboratory operations support.

In this role you will:

• Prepare buffers, media, reagents, solvents, and chemical solutions according to approved procedures, scientific protocols, and customer requirements.
• Perform routine laboratory support activities including weighing materials, pH adjustments, conductivity testing, filtrations, dilutions, and solution preparation.
• Support scientific operations by preparing materials, equipment, and laboratory workspaces required for research and development activities.
• Perform routine calibration, verification, cleaning, preventative maintenance, and basic troubleshooting of laboratory equipment, including pH meters, conductivity meters, balances, pipettes, sonicators, peristaltic pumps, and other laboratory instrumentation.
• Execute Clean-in-Place (CIP) procedures, sanitization protocols, preventative maintenance activities, endotoxin testing, and performance verification of AKTA chromatography systems, columns, sample loops, and associated purification equipment.
• Support AKTA system readiness by preparing maintenance solutions, replacing filters and consumable components, performing equipment cleaning, documenting maintenance activities, and escalating equipment issues when necessary.
• Monitor, maintain, label, and replenish laboratory inventories including chemicals, reagents, consumables, glassware, maintenance solutions, and compressed gas cylinders.
• Manage material receipt, storage, distribution, and disposal activities while ensuring compliance with laboratory safety and environmental requirements.
• Utilize electronic inventory, procurement, and laboratory management systems to support purchasing, material tracking, inventory control, and documentation activities.
• Maintain accurate laboratory records, logbooks, worksheets, inventory databases, and electronic documentation in accordance with Good Laboratory Practices (GLP), Good Documentation Practices (GDP), Standard Operating Proc