Head of Laboratory Operations

GOURMEY is a leading European cultivated meat company (Bloomberg, Forbes). We create delicious and sustainable restaurant-grade meats directly from animal cells.

We are looking for an experienced and passionate Head of Lab Operations to manage GOURMEY’s lab facilities in which a wide variety of R&D activities occur (from cell biology to food science, from small bioreactor runs to pilot scale).

Reporting directly to the Chief Innovation Officer, you develop and maintain the tools, processes, and training that ensure a high-quality, safe, well-maintained R&D environment at GOURMEY. You will also build, develop and support laboratory/ pilot facilities and (physical/ digital) infrastructure projects as we grow our team and expand or improve our operations. You will act as a critical strategic liaison between Laboratory Operations and other departments such as Quality Assurance (QA), Regulatory, Legal, and Finance.

Requirements

What will you be responsible for?

• Ensure compliance of our R&D facilities and activities with all applicable quality standards, laws, and regulations (develop and implement policies, standards, and procedures).
• Support QA in the completion of lab gap assessments and lab audits.
• Develop and maintain a strong culture around Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) in all R&D and pilot facility activities.
• Oversee and manage maintenance programs and service vendors for equipment and systems (i.e., inventory management, waste management, cleaning services, pest control, fire and building security, equipment maintenance, chemical storage, biological samples storage, etc.)
• Ensure the maintenance, safety & hygiene, monitoring of laboratories’ infrastructure, and the sourcing and quality of utilities (e.g., water, air, gas) in Gourmey’s R&D facilities.
• Responsible for responding to lab incidents, correct reporting and troubleshooting, and implementing preventive and corrective actions.
• Develop, plan, and recommend a budget for lab equipment, workspace, and staffing while developing, organizing, and conducting training programs for the R&D team (e.g., chemical/biological safety training, fire safety training, first aid, liquid nitrogen training, etc.).
• Direct R&D facilities planning, design, maintenance, and construction programs, leading facilities-related projects, specifications, request for proposals and quotation, contracting, project management, and execution.
• Contribute to short and long-term planning and implementation of digital systems and processes, including R&D information management, traceability, and lab digitalization/automation strategies.
• Hire, lead, develop, and empower a diverse and inclusive Lab Operations team.

Benefits

What we offer?

• A competitive salary and participation in Gourmey’s ESOP (Employee stock option plan).
• Plenty of room for personal and professional development in a fast-growing startup, building the future of food through cutting-edge technologies and entering its next phase of growth.
• A dynamic, caring company culture and a fantastic work environment with our labs located in Paris.

Apply for this job