Senior Lab Operations Associate

Title:                   Senior Lab Operations Associate

Location:           Cambridge, MA

Reports to:        Head of Facilities

 

About Vedanta Biosciences:

Vedanta Biosciences is a late-stage biopharmaceutical company developing medicines for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. The company’s lead assets include potential first-in-class oral therapies, VE303, a Phase 3-ready candidate for recurrent C. difficile infection, and VE202, in a Phase 2 trial for ulcerative colitis. Vedanta’s pipeline has been built using the company’s industry-leading product engine for the development of therapies based on defined consortia of bacteria grown from pure clonal cell banks. The product engine, supported by foundational IP, includes one of the largest libraries of bacteria isolated from the human microbiome, vast clinical datasets, proprietary capabilities in consortium design, and end-to-end CGMP manufacturing capabilities at commercial launch scale.

The Role:

The Sr. Lab Operations Associate will oversee the daily operations of the laboratory, providing essential support to our research team by partnering with them to optimize processes, increase efficiency, and anticipate and solve problems. The successful candidate is highly organized, comfortable working in a fast-paced environment, and an integral part of a highly collaborative and interdisciplinary team. Excellent communication, record-keeping, and teamwork will be critical.

Here’s What You’ll Do:

• Collaborate with research team to identify and address any operational workflow bottlenecks, inefficiencies, opportunities for process improvement, and logistical or administrative issues in the lab.
• Oversee lab safety and regulatory compliance, including tracking of biologics, chemicals, and hazardous materials, and enforcing PPE policy and lab safety rules.
• Establish and maintain lab processes and procedures including documentation, equipment calibrations, asset management and annual laboratory cleanouts.
• Oversee and manage laboratory supply inventory including compressed gas management.
• Lead oversight of lab equipment management, monitoring services, regular maintenance, and troubleshooting.
• Coordinate annual laboratory permits and license renewals.
• Support and track waste management (i.e., collection of biowaste, chemical waste and sharps containers)
• Perform scheduled, routine lab activities such as removal of biological waste bins, emptying of tissue culture waste traps, glass washing/autoclaving, defrosting freezers, sanitization of equipment, monitoring of compressed gas supply, and general upkeep of all lab instrumentation.
• Support sample management including inventory and storage both onsite and at offsite suppliers.
• Anticipate, troubleshoot, and resolve problems associated with work within the laboratory setting, including occasional off-hours responses to laboratory emergencies.
• Assist in aspects of EHS corrective and preventative action program to ensure that identified improvements are followed to completion.
• Assist in accident and incident investigations with the purpose of identifying root cause and corrective actions.

Requirements:

• Associate or bachelor’s degree in science or engineering fields, or related and equivalent experience
• 4+ years of experience in laboratory operations; preferably in a biotech or pharmaceutical setting.
• DOT Hazardous Waste Shipment Certification or ability to obtain within the first 3 months of onboarding.
• Familiarity with GLP, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), regulatory requirements, and vendor management
• Familiarity with the regulations and interactions with various state and federal agencies including EPA, OSHA, DOT, MA DEP, MA DPH, and others.
• Ability to perform the physical demands of the role, including lifting moderately heavy boxes and office equipment (up to 50 pounds) and trash, prolonged standing, moving gas tanks, etc.

 

Our Vision: Pioneering microbiome therapeutics by using Defined Bacterial Consortia to transform the live