Manager, Lab Operations & Safety

About BIIE

The Botnar Institute of Immune Engineering (BIIE) is a new interdisciplinary research institute dedicated to innovation in immune engineering. Founded in 2025 through a generous endowment from Fondation Botnar, the BIIE supports scientists in taking on some of the world’s most challenging problems in immunology and global health. The institute unites experts across immunology, biomedicine, bioengineering, computational biology, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, creating a unique multidisciplinary environment with a mission to make a lasting impact and to train future leaders in immune engineering. BIIE’s cutting-edge research spans systems immunology, synthetic biology, and computational immunology – all underpinned by advanced scientific computing and data analysis.

Position Overview

The BIIE is seeking a Manager in Lab Operations & Safety to establish and oversee the institute's research support operations in its new state-of-the-art facility in Allschwil. Reporting to the Director of Research Operations, this role will be critical in two distinct phases : (1) supporting facility commissioning and laboratory relocation planned in Q1 2027, and (2) managing day-to-day research support services that unburden researchers from technical and organizational tasks. As BIIE's certified Lab and Safety Manager (Sicherheitsbeauftragter), you will ensure full compliance with Swiss safety and environmental regulations. This is an excellent opportunity for a service-oriented, hands-on laboratory professional to implement research support infrastructure and safety protocols in a new research institute.

Tasks

Key Responsibilities

• Lead laboratory commissioning and relocation into BIIE’s new Allschwil facility, including equipment installation, validation, and operational readiness.
• Establish and manage shared laboratory operations, SOPs, and interfaces with landlord-provided services.
• Build, supervise, and develop a small lab operations and safety support team (e.g., autoclaving, consumables ordering and stocking, internal logistics).
• Oversee equipment and infrastructure lifecycle management, including procurement, maintenance, calibration, asset tracking, and cold storage systems.
• Manage laboratory consumables, internal logistics, and cost-effective inventory operations.
• Serve as BIIE’s certified Lab and Safety Manager (Sicherheitsbeauftragter), ensuring compliance with Swiss safety, biosafety, and environmental regulations.
• Implement laboratory safety programs, training, inspections, incident response, alarms, and waste management.
• Act as the central operational liaison between scientists, facilities, EHS, purchasing, and external vendors.

Requirements

Education & Experience

Regulatory & Safety Expertise

Preferred Technical Skills

Joining BIIE as the Manager for Lab Operations & Safety offers a unique opportunity to have a profound impact on a growing institute at the forefront of biomedical innovation. You will be a key contributor to groundbreaking research in immune engineering, directly enabling discoveries that could transform healthcare and save lives.

If you are experienced with lab operations and safety with a passion for science and innovation, we encourage you to apply and join us in building a world-class computing environment at BIIE. Together, we will empower researchers to push the boundaries of immune engineering and make a real difference in the world.

The Botnar Institute of Immune Engineering is a newly founded non-profit research organization aiming to become a world leading research institute for the advanced study of immunological systems with a mission to develop translational solutions for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease.

The scientific foundation of the BIIE is based on the intersection of three interdisciplinary subdomains : (i) systems immunology, (ii) synthetic immunology and (iii) computational immunology. The BIIE will serve as a hub for multidisciplinary science, by uniting people with diverse expertise in immunology, biomedicine, bioengineering, systems and synthetic biology, computational biology, artificial intelligence and machine learning. As part of the mission of BIIE to make a lasting impact, it will dedicate significant efforts in training early-stage researchers in this unique multidisciplinary environment, thus enabling them to become future leaders in Immune Engineering.