Director of Facilities, Laboratory Operations and EHS

Olema Oncology•San Francisco, CA

13h•Onsite

About The Position

Olema Oncology is seeking a Director of Facilities, Laboratory Operations and EHS to provide strategic leadership, operational oversight, and long-term planning for facilities and laboratory environments across three locations. Reporting to the Chief Legal Officer, this role owns the full lifecycle of facilities and lab operations, from daily execution through major initiatives such as laboratory buildouts, office and lab relocations, and real estate transitions. The locations include BSL-2 laboratory environments and corporate office space. The role is based in Olema’s San Francisco office and requires 15% travel. The Director leads facilities, real estate, capital projects, laboratory operations, and the company’s Environmental Health and Safety program. Responsibilities include maintaining facilities and critical laboratory systems, supporting research infrastructure, managing vendors and workplace services, overseeing shipping and receiving, and ensuring safety and regulatory compliance. The position partners with Research, IT, Real Estate, Finance, and Executive Leadership, and combines strategic planning with hands-on execution in a fast-paced laboratory environment where uptime, safety, compliance, and responsiveness are critical.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
At least 12 years of experience, including at least 5 years of facilities management experience with oversight of laboratory environments.
Must have created and run an EHS program for a BSL-2 laboratory.
Proven track record of successful facilities leadership.
Expert-level knowledge of facilities, laboratory operations, and EHS in biotech or life sciences.
Demonstrated ownership of laboratory buildouts, relocations, and real estate execution.
Hands-on facilities, laboratory operations, and leadership experience, with the ability to shift between strategic planning and tactical execution.
Experience working in demanding, fast-paced laboratory settings where uptime, safety, compliance, and responsiveness are critical and priorities may compete.
Strong project management, planning, organization, and time-management skills.
Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to adapt communication to varied internal and external partners.
Highly organized, detail-oriented, clear, and accurate.
Solutions-oriented and proactive, self-motivated, and results-oriented, with a bias for action.
Collaborative and effective in cross-functional environments.
Flexible and adaptable to changing business needs and technology trends.

Nice To Haves

Strategic Facilities Manager (SFM) certification.
Certified Safety Professional (CSP) certification.

Responsibilities

Lead day-to-day facilities operations, upkeep, maintenance, and physical infrastructure across Olema’s locations.
Execute real estate strategy, including site readiness, lease transitions, expansions, consolidations, and exits.
Plan and lead office and laboratory moves, relocations, and buildouts from programming and design through permitting, construction, commissioning, and occupancy.
Execute capital projects in active laboratory environments while maintaining safety, compliance, and continuity of scientific operations.
Develop and enforce facilities standards, policies, procedures, and SOPs.
Own physical security programs, including access control, badging, alarms, vendor oversight, and incident response.
Manage facilities operating and capital budgets, including forecasting, spending, and cost accountability.
Lead emergency planning and response across all facilities.
Direct shipping and receiving, including hazardous materials and dangerous goods compliance, inventory management, packaging, and transportation logistics.
Oversee workplace services across locations, including office supplies, food and beverage programs, janitorial services, and waste management; manage vendor performance, costs, and service quality.
Support research infrastructure needs, including vendor management, scientific equipment service and maintenance, hazardous waste management, cell culture support, and sample inventory and vendor management.
Monitor critical systems and provide 24-hour on-call support in case of system failure.
Manage and maintain cryo storage, liquid nitrogen, compressed gas, emergency generator, vacuum, and compressed air systems.
Manage critical laboratory systems, including HVAC, monitoring systems, and equipment maintenance, to support reliable performance.
Lead laboratory operations to provide uninterrupted, compliant research support.
Design, implement, enforce, and continuously improve EHS policies, procedures, training, and compliance programs.
Lead regulatory inspections, audits, and agency interactions; own hazardous waste permitting, reporting, corrective actions, and compliance documentation.
Integrate EHS requirements into laboratory design, construction, moves, and daily operations.
Direct EHS consultants and contractors and maintain, train, and scale EHS programs supporting BSL-2 laboratory environments.
Promote awareness of health and safety issues, ensure compliance with company policies through employee training, and manage safety consultants.