Director of Operations
***Local applicants only. No relocation assistance provided. Must be authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship.***
Job Summary:
The Director of Operations is responsible for the overall operation and administration of the laboratory in accordance with Standard Operating Procedures and ISO 9001 standard for quality management. This role will be accountable for the employment and leadership of personnel who are competent to execute biomaterial production protocols, record keeping, and the prompt reporting of accurate experimental data. This individual will also ensure compliance with all applicable policies and regulations. The successful candidate will set a clear direction and vision for future success in the lab and will provide robust leadership to enable the team with best practices to continue to support our customers’ work in a multitude of research, development, and sales efforts. The candidate will integrate and collaborate with other members of Athens’ leadership team to expand the capability of the lab, as well as represent Athens within the Life Sciences community and in strategic partnerships.
Leadership Responsibilities:
• Provide leadership, technical guidance, and mentorship to Athens’ team of Protein Chemists (PC), Protein Lab Technicians (PLT) and operations support staff. Define and communicate team and individual objectives.
• Communicate production expectations daily through different means (in meetings, one on one, verbal and written, etc.).
• Deliver on commitments and drive continuous improvements through cost reductions and process optimization initiatives.
• Develop and implement production plans that ensure resources are available when needed without burdening Athens with non-productive costs.
• Develop talent internally to ensure Athens has the bench strength to fill critical positions and support our growth.
• Work with each individual team member to create a development plan that establishes the technical skills and leadership competencies they need to develop to achieve their career goals. Working with each employee, establish their goals and objectives to help them develop their skills and competencies as they achieve those objectives.
• Set and communicate expectations for the team regarding safety. Establishes and participates in safety training and discussions. Embeds safety into all activities, tasks, and discussions.
• Enable an environment that fosters individual accountability, open communication, personnel development, and continuous improvement.
• Additional responsibilities may include Facilities, OSHA, ISO, Capital Equipment acquisition and maintenance, QC/QA, production planning.
Technical Responsibilities:
• Technical Leader in the Lab, ensuring purification processes are capable of meeting quality and production yield targets.
• Drive innovation, best practices, and solutions for Athens’ lab; ensure analytical methods are being designed and implemented according to contemporary standards (technical, operational, and compliance).
• Establish and implement training for team members with the goal of utilizing systematic troubleshooting and root cause analysis to drive continuous improvement. Guide the development of Project Management skills in the team. Guide team and hold them accountable to utilize systematic approaches to problem resolution for continuous improvement and project management.
• Work cross functionally with the regulatory team to ensure compliance with all applicable regulations, including ISO and OHSA.
• Work with clients on custom projects to develop Statement of Work (SoWs) and project timelines.
Education and Experience:
• Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences, Biochemistry, Biomanufacturing or related field, with 8+ years of relevant experience with a focus on small scale production, process scale-up, validation and product characterization.
• MS in Biomedical Sciences, Biochemistry, Biomanufacturing with 10+ years of relevant experience with a focus on small scale production, process scale-up, validation and product characterization.
• Leadership: 8+ years of direct people leadership experience within a lab or production facility, with experience leading directly and indirectly across as well as leading without authority.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
• Demonstrated track record of successful leadership, management, and development of multi-disciplinary teams. Strong judge of talent with the ability to make tough talent decisions.
• Proven experience in building, leading, and developing high-quality, high-performance teams of scientists, technicians and support staff of diverse academic backgrounds and skill levels.
• Experience with affinity methods.
• Unmatched sense of urgency. Optimistic and innovative; solution oriented.
• Proven ability to manage difficult situations involving direct reports or others in a professional manner.
• Values, communicates, and interacts with others with high levels of transparency and respect.
• Thorough knowledge of biological, biomedical and biotechnology processes.
• Strong computer skills with ability to onboard new software and database programs.
• Authorization to work in the United States without sponsorship.
Biotechnology Research
Management and Manufacturing
Full-time