Laboratory Operations Lead

This competition is open to all applicants; however, internal applicants will be given priority consideration based on minimum qualifications, or a combination of experience, skills, and abilities before external applicants are considered. Location - This role is in-person. Work primarily takes place at North Campus Edmonton. The Laboratory Operations Lead is a senior operational, technical, and leadership role within the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, supporting biomedical sciences departments. Reporting directly to the Academic Department Manager, this position serves as the operational backbone for departmental research, academic instruction, and scientific engagement. The incumbent spearheads all phases of laboratory facility setup, infrastructure planning, equipment lifecycle management, vendor negotiations, and procurement alignment while ensuring strict compliance with regulatory standards. Beyond facilities management, the role lynchpins undergraduate and graduate education by coordinating experimental setups, preparing specialized specimens, and supporting course delivery. As the departmental Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) lead, the position oversees WHMIS, biosafety, chemical waste management, and emergency response protocols. Crucially, the Lead also support departmental scientific communication, working closely with the Knowledge Mobilization team—translating complex biomedical research for public, donor, and recruitment channels—and support academic event strategies by curating seminar programming, drafting briefing materials, and operating audio-visual infrastructure. The Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry is one of the world’s top academic health science centres. With 21 departments, multiple research institutes and centres, and a focus on excellence in education, research, and clinical care, the faculty trains outstanding medical and dental professionals and drives global health innovation in collaboration with partners across sectors. Laboratory Infrastructure & Setup : Orchestrate the planning, design, construction, and installation of new and existing research laboratories across medical science departments, acting as the primary liaison between researchers, faculty administration, contractors, and university facilities. Equipment Lifecycle & Resource Management: Manage departmental asset inventories, oversee service contracts and warranties, coordinate routine and unscheduled maintenance for core equipment (freezers, centrifuges, incubators), and establish user fee structures to fund ongoing repairs. Instructional & Research Technical Support : Collaborate with faculty to design, set up and execute undergraduate and graduate laboratory courses, including buffer preparation, instrument calibration, surgical specimen prep, animal handling, and real-time experimental troubleshooting. EH&S, Biosafety & Regulatory Compliance : Administer departmental safety programs as the designated officer for WHMIS, biosafety, radiation safety, chemical spill response, and transportation of dangerous goods (TDG), ensuring full compliance with university and government guidelines. Specialized Facility Administration : Direct the operations of specialized units, such as the Pharmacology Department Animal Facility, overseeing procurement, animal care compliance, billing, user training, and sanitation standards. Support to Knowledge Mobilization : Working closely with the Scientific Educator and the Research and Education Coordinator, the position contribute to scientific writing by drafting and editing scientific news, research briefs, and web content, contribute to the intellectual planning of departmental seminars and symposia by researching potential speakers, proposing scientific themes, curating session topics, drafting agendas for visiting scientists, and evaluating post-event feedback. Education : Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree required; Master of Science (M.Sc.) in a biomedical discipline stron…

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