Senior Facilities Lab Engineer

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative was founded by Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg in 2015 to help solve some of society’s toughest challenges — from eradicating disease and improving education to addressing the needs of our local communities. Our mission is to build a more inclusive, just, and healthy future for everyone.

The Team

CZI supports the science and technology that will make it possible to help scientists cure, prevent, or manage all diseases by the end of this century. While this may seem like an audacious goal, in the last 100 years, biomedical science has made tremendous strides in understanding biological systems, advancing human health, and treating disease. 

Achieving our mission will only be possible if scientists are able to better understand human biology. To that end, we have identified four grand challenges that will unlock the mysteries of the cell and how cells interact within systems — paving the way for new discoveries that will change medicine in the decades that follow:

• Building an AI-based virtual cell model to predict and understand cellular behavior
• Developing state-of-the-art imaging systems to observe living cells in action
• Instrumenting tissues to better understand inflammation, a key driver of many diseases
• Engineering and harnessing the immune system for early detection, prevention, and treatment of disease

CZI’s work in science includes grantmaking programs, open-source software development, and close collaboration with the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Network. The CZ Biohub Network includes the San Francisco, Chicago, and New York Biohubs as well as the Chan Zuckerberg Imaging Institute. CZI also collaborates with institutional partners like the Kempner Institute for the Study of Natural & Artificial Intelligence at Harvard University. 

Our Central Operations & Partners team provides the support needed to push this work forward.  Central Operations & Partners consists of our Brand & Communications, Facilities, Finance, Infrastructure/IT Operations/Business Systems, Initiative Operations, People, Real Estate/Workplace/Facilities/Security, Research & Learning, and Ventures teams. These teams provide the essential operations, services, and strategies needed to support CZI’s progress toward achieving its mission to build a better future for everyone.

The Opportunity

The Senior Facilities Lab Engineer will be responsible for maintaining and optimizing the building infrastructure and laboratory equipment in a cutting-edge scientific research institute, and ensuring compliance with strict regulations and proper functionality of critical systems like HVAC, electrical, and other utilities while supporting research and production operations safely and efficiently. 

What You'll Do

Facilities Operations:

• Serve as the primary point of contact for all day-to-day facilities operations in the research institute, ensuring a safe, efficient, and well-maintained environment including BSL 1/2 laboratories.
• Maintain, operate, and repair all building and laboratory systems including HVAC, electrical, plumbing, DI/RO water, compressed air, vacuum and Building Management Systems (BMS), with expertise in Schneider and Sunbelt BMS platforms.
• Ensure building systems are optimized for energy efficiency, reliability, and staff comfort.
• Conduct routine visual inspections of facilities and grounds to proactively identify and resolve maintenance issues.
• Develop and maintain SOPs, equipment manuals, and operational protocols for facility systems
• Work closely with scientists, researchers, and operations teams to identify and support facility needs.
• Communicate effectively with management and stakeholders regarding facility status, maintenance updates, and project progress.
• Provide technical support and safety training to facility personnel as needed.

Preventative Maintenance & Repairs:

• Perform scheduled preventive maintenance and repairs on mechanical, electrical, plumbing systems, and selected laboratory equipment to ensure minimal staff impact, continued operation and reliability.
• Develop and refine preventative maintenance programs, and provide feedback to improve equipment lifecycle and reduce downtime.
• Maintain accurate records of completed work, and report facility conditions with actionable recommendations.

Vendor & Contractor Oversight:

• Supervise, schedule, and coordinate vendors and contractors to ensure work is completed safely, efficiently, and in accordance with performance specifications.
• Escort vendors as needed to ensure worksite safety and compliance.