Manager, Laboratory Operations & Technical Affairs

Acorn Biolabs•Irvine, CA

7d•$100,000 - $120,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Manager, Technical Affairs – USA is a hands-on technical and people leader responsible for overseeing day-to-day laboratory operations at Acorn’s Irvine, CA facility while helping drive quality, operational excellence, team development, and scientific innovation. Reporting to the Senior Director of Operations, this role leads a team of Lab Technicians and plays a critical role in ensuring that our laboratory operations are safe, efficient, compliant, and consistently deliver the highest standards of quality. This person will balance the immediate needs of a growing laboratory with longer-term process improvement and team development. The ideal candidate is an effective people leader who thrives in ambiguity and change. As Acorn continues to grow, processes, priorities, teams, and responsibilities will continue to evolve. This person must be comfortable navigating uncertainty, creating structure where it does not yet exist, making thoughtful decisions with incomplete information, and helping their team adapt while maintaining a high bar for performance and quality. This is an opportunity for a leader who wants to be close to the science and operations while also building a strong, accountable, collaborative, and high-performing team.

Requirements

Demonstrated experience directly managing and developing employees, ideally within a laboratory, biotechnology, life sciences, healthcare, or similarly regulated environment.
Strong coaching and feedback skills with the ability to develop employees with different experience levels and learning styles.
Ability to establish clear expectations, hold people accountable, and address performance issues constructively.
Experience supporting performance reviews, development planning, and employee growth.
A collaborative leadership style that builds trust while maintaining high standards.
Strong laboratory operations experience with an understanding of sample processing, analysis, manufacturing, quality control, cryopreservation, and/or related laboratory workflows.
Experience with SOPs, quality systems, audits, deviations, corrective/preventive actions, validations, and/or verifications.
Strong attention to detail and commitment to quality, safety, and compliance.
Demonstrated ability to identify inefficiencies and implement practical process improvements.
Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, evolving environment with changing priorities.
Demonstrated ability to lead effectively through ambiguity and organizational change.
Able to create clarity and structure without needing every answer or process to be fully defined.
Strong judgment and problem-solving skills, with the ability to balance immediate operational needs with longer-term improvements.
Naturally curious and willing to ask questions, challenge assumptions, and find better ways of working.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Strong cross-functional collaboration skills and the ability to influence without relying solely on authority.
A team-first mindset and a genuine interest in helping others succeed.

Responsibilities

Oversee and manage daily laboratory production and operations, including sample processing, analysis, manufacturing, quality control, cryopreservation, packaging, and distribution of client samples.
Lead, support, and develop Lab Technicians as direct reports, creating a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous learning, and operational excellence.
Manage staff scheduling and resource allocation to ensure appropriate laboratory coverage and efficient execution of daily priorities.
Set clear expectations and priorities for the laboratory team and ensure work is completed accurately, efficiently, and on time.
Provide ongoing coaching, feedback, and support to Lab Technicians to help them build technical capabilities and grow in their careers.
Partner with senior lab leadership and People Operations on performance management, goal setting, development planning, and annual performance reviews.
Recognize strong performance and address performance or conduct concerns proactively and consistently.
Build team capability through cross-training, continued education, and thoughtful delegation of responsibilities.
Foster a positive team environment where employees feel supported, challenged, and accountable for their contributions.
Provide steady and effective leadership in a fast-growing environment where processes, priorities, and organizational needs may evolve quickly.
Translate changing business and operational priorities into clear direction and actionable plans for the laboratory team.
Create structure, clarity, and accountability when processes or ownership are not yet clearly defined.
Help the team navigate changes to processes, systems, staffing, priorities, and organizational structure while maintaining engagement and performance.
Identify potential operational challenges before they become larger issues and proactively develop solutions.
Make sound, timely decisions while balancing competing priorities, including product quality, operational efficiency, employee capacity, and customer experience.
Serve as a calm and constructive leader during periods of uncertainty, modeling adaptability, transparency, and resilience.
Encourage a culture where employees are comfortable asking questions, identifying problems, and proposing better ways of working.
Continuously evaluate laboratory workflows, systems, and processes to identify opportunities for greater efficiency, consistency, scalability, and quality.
Assist senior lab leadership in writing, reviewing, and improving SOPs and other operational documentation.
Coordinate the training and implementation of new and updated SOPs and ensure ongoing adherence.
Ensure continued technical education and training across the operations team.
Partner closely with Commercial and Operations Client Solutions teams to understand business and customer needs and identify opportunities to improve the overall client experience.
Work cross-functionally to develop solutions that balance operational efficiency with product quality and customer satisfaction.
Partner with the Operations Manager on procurement and planning for laboratory supplies, equipment, and other operational needs.
Ensure appropriate upkeep, functionality, and readiness of laboratory equipment and facilities.
Ensure adherence to applicable health and safety requirements and laboratory best practices.
Partner closely with the Quality Manager to maintain and continuously improve laboratory quality standards.
Analyze and approve quality control results accurately and in a timely manner.
Monitor activities across laboratory processes to ensure adherence to established quality standards and applicable regulatory requirements.
Assist with regular audits of client laboratory records, facilities, and the Quality Management System (QMS).
Partner with the Quality Manager and senior laboratory leadership to investigate and address deviations, non-conformances, and corrective actions.
Execute and implement preventive action plans as necessary.
Communicate process changes, audit findings, quality concerns, and corrective actions to senior leadership in a timely and effective manner.
Assist senior laboratory leadership with writing and/or conducting validations and verifications as needed.
Prepare and/or present laboratory data and quality metrics during quarterly quality meetings.
Champion adherence to the QMS across the laboratory and identify opportunities to strengthen quality systems, documentation, and processes.
Reinforce a culture where quality, accuracy, safety, and integrity are non-negotiable.
Support the Product Development & Improvement (PDI/R&D) team in advancing innovation in the fields of hair follicular and stem cell research.
Participate in weekly PDI team meetings and contribute meaningfully to scientific and strategic discussions.
Actively participate in science teams’ strategic planning, experiment analysis, and reporting.
Partner cross-functionally to translate scientific and technical insights into practical improvements to products, processes, and laboratory operations.
Encourage a culture of curiosity, experimentation, and continuous improvement within the laboratory team.
Build strong working relationships across Operations, Commercial, Client Solutions, Quality, PDI/R&D, and other internal teams.
Serve as a technical and operational resource for cross-functional partners.
Communicate laboratory priorities, capacity, challenges, and opportunities clearly to stakeholders and senior leadership.
Help connect technical decisions to broader business, operational, and customer objectives.
Collaborate effectively across teams with different priorities, perspectives, and areas of expertise.