Lab Manager I - Traverso Lab

The Laboratory for Translational Engineering is seeking a highly organized, proactive, dependable, and service-oriented Lab Manager to lead and support laboratory operations at the Broad Institute. This is a 50% part-time, primarily in-person position focused on ensuring that the laboratory research environment operates efficiently, safely, compliantly, and at a high operational standard across multiple functional areas.

The successful candidate will serve as a central operational resource for the laboratory and will oversee day-to-day laboratory operational activities including procurement and vendor coordination, ordering and receiving workflows, shipment management, inventory systems, freezer and storage oversight, laboratory organization, safety coordination, onboarding and offboarding logistics, equipment and infrastructure coordination, operational documentation, and support for laboratory planning activities.

This role requires a candidate who can independently manage complex operational workflows, identify and resolve operational challenges, improve processes, coordinate across multiple institutional teams, and support the evolving needs of a multidisciplinary biomedical engineering and translational science laboratory.

The position will work closely with laboratory leadership, the Director of Operations, scientific staff, administrative personnel, Broad operational teams, vendors, collaborators, and institutional support groups.

About the Laboratory

The Laboratory for Translational Engineering, led by Prof. Giovanni Traverso, develops technologies at the interface of mechanical engineering, medicine, materials science, and translational biomedical research. The lab's work includes drug delivery systems, ingestible and implantable devices, oral delivery of biologics and small molecules, ultra-long-acting delivery platforms, physiological sensing, electroceuticals, biomaterials, and ex vivo/in vitro models for studying tissue transport and device performance.

The lab operates across several sites, including MIT, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and the Broad Institute. This role will focus on supporting laboratory operations at the Broad Institute while interfacing closely with cross-site operational activities.

Key Responsibilities

Laboratory Operations and Infrastructure Management

Core Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day operational support of Broad-based laboratory spaces, shared equipment areas, freezers, refrigerators, storage rooms, benches, and research support infrastructure.

• Coordinate and maintain organized, efficient, compliant, and safe laboratory spaces in accordance with Broad policies and laboratory operational expectations.

• Oversee freezer organization, storage systems, labeling standards, sample logistics, inventory structures, and shared-space coordination.

• Monitor operational readiness of laboratory spaces and proactively identify infrastructure, organization, equipment, storage, or workflow issues.

• Coordinate laboratory setup activities for new personnel, rotating students, visitors, and collaborators.

• Support onboarding and offboarding logistics including space readiness, equipment coordination, supply allocation, access coordination, freezer/storage assignments, and operational orientation.

• Coordinate routine laboratory maintenance requests and interface with facilities, environmental health and safety teams, operational support teams, and external vendors.

• Maintain operational records related to laboratory organization, storage, inventory systems, equipment coordination, and shared resource management.

• Support the implementation and improvement of laboratory operational processes and organizational systems

Procurement, Ordering, Inventory, Shipment Management, and Vendor Coordination

Core Responsibilities

• Independently coordinate procurement activities for laboratory materials, consumables, supplies, equipment, and operational resources through Broad procurement systems.

• Monitor inventory levels and proactively coordinate ordering and restocking activities for commonly used laboratory materials and operational supplies.

• Track purchase requests, deliveries, vendor communications, backorders, and procurement-related issues.

• Coordinate incoming deliveries including receiving, unpacking, labeling, organizing, and distribution of laboratory materials and equipment.

• Lead routine shipment coordination activities including preparation, documentation, tracking, pickup scheduling, packaging logistics, and shipment recordkeeping.

• Coordinate outgoing shipments through FedEx, institutional courier systems, and approved carriers in accordance with institutional and regulatory requirements.

• Maintain organized shipment documentation including tracking information, shipment records, packing slips, inventory movement records, and delivery confirmations.

• Coordinate with vendors, receiving teams, procurement personnel, operational staff, and laboratory members to resolve ordering, receiving, shipment, delivery, or storage issues.

• Escalate and help coordinate complex shipment-related questions involving biological materials, chemicals, dry ice, hazardous materials, temperature-sensitive materials, regulated items, or international shipments.

• Support implementation and improvement of procurement, inventory, storage, shipment, and operational tracking systems.

Safety, Compliance, and Laboratory Readiness

Core Responsibilities

• Support and help coordinate laboratory safety activities, operational compliance processes, cleanliness standards, and routine laboratory readiness efforts.

• Assist with chemical inventory systems, labeling, storage coordination, inventory tracking, and organizational compliance.

• Coordinate periodic laboratory cleanups, storage reviews, operational walkthroughs, and preparation activities for inspections.

• Help maintain laboratory operational compliance with Broad institutional expectations and laboratory safety standards.

• Coordinate with Environmental Health and Safety personnel, operational staff, and laboratory leadership regarding operational and safety-related issues.

• Monitor shared spaces, storage areas, shipment materials, and operational workflows to ensure safe and organized laboratory environments.

• Identify and communicate operational, organizational, inventory, cleanliness, shipment, or safety concerns to laboratory leadership and appropriate institutional teams.

Meeting, Visitor, and Operational Coordination

Core Responsibilities

• Coordinate operational logistics for laboratory meetings, seminars, collaborator visits, vendor meetings, scientific visitors, recruiting activities, and laboratory events.

• Support guest visitors with arrival logistics, room reservations, directions, operational coordination, and laboratory access processes.

• Assist with scheduling coordination, meeting preparation, room bookings, catering logistics, and operational readiness for laboratory activities.

• Interface with administrative personnel, operations teams, and institutional support groups to coordinate laboratory operational activities.

• Support operational coordination for external visitors, collaborators, trainees, and institutional interactions.

Process Improvement and Team Support

Core Responsibilities

• Identify opportunities to improve laboratory operational efficiency, organization, tracking systems, and workflow coordination.

• Help develop and maintain operational documentation, organizational standards, tracking systems, and laboratory operational procedures.

• Serve as a resource for junior operations personnel, laboratory assistants, rotating students, and laboratory members regarding operational processes and systems.

• Coordinate multiple operational priorities simultaneously across laboratory functions.

• Support laboratory leadership with operational planning and execution of evolving laboratory needs.

• Contribute to a collaborative, professional, respectful, and service-oriented laboratory environment.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree preferred; Associate's degree or equivalent relevant experience considered.

• Typically requires 5+ years of related experience in laboratory operations, research operations, scientific operations, biomedical research support, laboratory management support, academic research environments, hospital research operations, or related operational environments.

• Demonstrated experience supporting laboratory operations, procurement workflows, inventory systems, shipment coordination, laboratory organization, or research operational support.

• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.

• Ability to independently manage multiple operational workflows and priorities.

• Ability to identify operational issues and coordinate solutions across multiple teams.

• Comfort working in laboratory and research-support environments.

• Ability to work effectively with scientific staff, operational teams, administrative groups, vendors, and external collaborators.

• Ability to work on-site at the Broad Institute in alignment with the operational needs of the laboratory and the expectations of a 50% part-time role.

• Ability to lift, unpack, organize, and move laboratory supplies and operational materials consistent with institutional safety guidelines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in academic, biomedical, biotechnology, hospital, engineering, or translational research laboratory environments.

• Familiarity with laboratory procurement systems, inventory systems, shipment documentation, chemical inventory systems, or operational coordination platforms.

• Experience coordinating laboratory shipments, receiving operations, freezer organization, or operational infrastructure.

• Familiarity with institutional laboratory safety and operational compliance expectations.

• Experience improving operational workflows, organizational systems, or laboratory coordination processes.

• Experience supporting multidisciplinary or fast-paced research environments.

Work Environment

This position is based at the Broad Institute and requires regular in-person presence consistent with the responsibilities of a 50% part-time operational role. The role involves work in and around laboratory spaces, shared research areas, storage rooms, freezers, equipment areas, shipping and receiving locations, operational support areas, and administrative spaces.

The position may require standing, walking between laboratory areas, organizing supplies, unpacking deliveries, coordinating shipments, moving operational materials, coordinating courier pickups, and interfacing with multiple institutional operational teams.

The Broad Institute will not offer visa sponsorship for this position.