Biobank Operations Lead

About the role

The Biobank Operations Lead drives the day-to-day operation and continuous improvement of the Clinical Research Biobank, with ownership of biospecimen management, inventory systems, repository organization, data integrity, process standardization, and training. This is a full-time, onsite position reporting directly to the Biobank Manager. The role is a key operational and technical resource connecting Biobank Operations with Sample Acquisition, Discovery, New Product Development, Assay Dx, Reference Laboratories, and other Research groups.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily Biobank activities including specimen receipt, processing, storage, retrieval, transfer, distribution, shipment, and disposition, while prioritizing workload against research timelines, operational capacity, and urgency.
• Maintain specimen identity, integrity, and traceability, including accurate alignment between physical inventory and associated data.
• Serve as system administrator and subject matter expert for the Biological Sample Inventory (BSI) system, including workflow development, configuration, troubleshooting, reporting, imports, and user support.
• Safeguard data quality through validation, reconciliation, standardized identifiers, and inventory audits; support barcode and labeling workflows, including BSI/BarTender integration.
• Manage freezer, refrigerator, archive, and staging-area organization, including repository mapping, storage-capacity planning, and legacy sample integration.
• Coordinate incoming and outgoing specimen logistics, including manifests, shipment reconciliation, inter-facility transfers, and domestic and international shipping.
• Support research programs through specimen selection, preparation, pooling, and retrieval, in coordination with research and instrument-development teams.
• Identify and implement process improvements that reduce turnaround time, improve traceability, and standardize operations; monitor capacity, volume, and workflow performance to inform planning.
• Develop and maintain SOPs, work instructions, training materials, and other operational documentation.
• Train and support employees and collaborators on Biobank systems, workflows, specimen-handling practices, and data standards.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives, including system implementation, repository improvements, legacy inventory, workflow standardization, and resolution of operational issues spanning multiple teams, systems, or locations.
• Serve as the primary business-hours contact for freezer emergencies and specimen-storage events, coordinating response, relocation, communication, and business continuity; promote safe specimen handling and laboratory safety.

Requirements

BS in a life science with 5+ years of biorepository or laboratory operations experience, or equivalent, preferred. BA with comparable experience will be considered.

Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of biospecimen handling, storage, traceability, repository management, and research-support workflows.
• Experience administering laboratory or biological inventory management systems; proficiency with BSI, Excel, and barcode and labeling tools.
• Strong data-management skills, including validation, reconciliation, import preparation, inventory tracking, and large dataset organization.
• Ability