Laboratory Manager, Ottawa Health Innovation Hub Incubator

Position purpose

Manages the scientific and operational aspects of a specialized research facility providing analytical, equipment access or advisory services to a range of internal and external clients, acting as liaison between incubator tenants and the university. In addition to overseeing laboratory operations and serving incubated companies, the incumbent is responsible for planning the deployment of the laboratory's human, technical and support resources as needed to ensure that the research can be performed, including ensuring the availability of well-maintained and operationally ready equipment when needed.

Typical tasks and duties

Laboratory and Operations Management

• Oversees the incubator's laboratory activities, including office operations, and ensures that experiments are appropriately supervised and supported.
• Responsible for maintaining quality data collection, data entry and analysis and oversees the operation of the laboratory's physical and information systems.
• Oversees the operation, maintenance, and management of the laboratory's research equipment.
• Oversees the operation, maintenance, and management of the incubator space.

Financial Operations

• Tracks expenditures against project budgets.
• Assures that all incubator financial operations comply with university and sponsor requirements.
• Minimizes the risk of financial losses by integrating and synthesizing financial data from different projects, verifying that expenses have been correctly charged to different projects in compliance with differing sponsor requirements, making corrections as necessary, and assuring that all expenses are correctly charged to each project.

Personnel supervision and management

• Ensures that personnel are competent to perform analytical procedures and record and to report test results promptly and accurately.
• Supervises activities of workers in the laboratories. Supervises orientation and training of new project staff.
• Provides expert training and advice to staff, students, and researchers on all operational, technical, safety and regulatory compliance matters within the incubator laboratories.
• Monitors operations to ensure compliance and ensures that all non-compliant activities are stopped until compliance is assured.

Scientific Operations and Management

• Ensures that results are recorded, analyzed and disseminated in a timely fashion.
• Ensures that appropriate quality control and quality assurance procedures are established and maintained to assure the quality of laboratory operations and to identify problems as they occur.
• Identifies and troubleshoots problems which affect incubator operations and provides leadership in resolving the situation.
• Prepares external communications and presentations.
• Participates in identifying and applying for additional funding.
• Liaises with OHIH partners, network participants, sponsors, government and external agencies, etc. on behalf of the incubator.
• Conducts experiments requiring advanced scientific methodologies or the use of highly sophisticated equipment.

Regulatory Management

• Ensures awareness of and adherence to all applicable regulatory requirements by all technical and operational staff, students and authorized equipment users, including regulations applying to human and animal subjects, hazardous materials, radiation, controlled goods, etc.

Other

• As assigned and under the direction of the Senior Director, independently conducts more complex research activities in support of short- and long-term laboratory operational requirements.
• Establishes and maintains lines of communication with internal and external customers in order to assure high quality client interaction and service.
• Any other related duties required by the research projects or management of the research laboratory or analytical facility.

Knowledge, skills, education and experience

• M.Sc. in a relevant discipline and three to five years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of experience and educational qualifications.
• Three to five years of progressive experience in management and supervision of research and laboratory operations.
• Knowledge of policies and procedures and regulations regarding laboratory operations.
• Knowledge of supervisory principles and practices.
• Demonstrated leadership, self-directed and rational problem-solving skills.
• Ability to effectively delegate authority.
• Excellent interpersonal, technical, scientific and communication skills (written/oral).
• Advanced written and verbal skills in English or French.
• Preferred: French and English bilingualism, spoken and written.
• Preferred: Experience working in an industry/private research laboratory.
• Preferred: Start-up research experience.
• Preferred: Mammalian tissue culture research experience.

Key Competencies at uOttawa

Planning: Organize in time a series of actions or events in order to realize an objective or a project. Plan and organize own work and priorities in regular daily activities.

Initiative: Demonstrate creativity and initiative to suggest improvements and encourage positive results. Is proactive and self-starting. Show availability and willingness to go above and beyond whenever it is possible.

Client Service Orientation: Help or serve others to meet their needs. This implies anticipating and identifying the needs of internal and external clients and finding solutions on how to meet them.

Teamwork and Cooperation: Cooperate and work well with other members of the team to reach common goal(s). Accept and give constructive feedback. Able to adjust own behaviour to reach the goals of the team.

Diversity and Inclusion

The University of Ottawa embraces diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We are passionate about our people and committed to employment equity. We foster a culture of respect, teamwork and inclusion, where collaboration, innovation, and creativity fuel our quest for research and teaching excellence. While all qualified persons are invited to apply, we welcome applications from qualified Indigenous persons, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, women and LGBTQIA2S+ persons. The University is committed to creating and maintaining an accessible, barrier-free work environment. The University is also committed to working with applicants with disabilities requesting accommodation during the recruitment, assessment and selection processes. Applicants with disabilities may contact hrtalentmanagement@uottawa.ca to communicate the accommodation need. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Employment details

Location: Advanced Medical Research Centre (AMRC), 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa

Hours per week: 35

Duration: 29 months

Salary Grade: Non-Union Grade NR8 - 35 hrs