Facility Operations Manager Jobs in Riverside, CA

Job Title: Manager, Facilities & Laboratory Operations
Location: Onsite, Irvine, California
Employment Type: Full-Time, Exempt
Reports To: Manufacturing Manager

 About AIVITA Biomedical

AIVITA Biomedical is a fast-growing biotechnology company advancing personalized vaccines for the prevention of infectious disease and treatment of cancer. Our autologous cell therapy platform, built on cutting-edge immunology and stem cell science, is driving multiple clinical programs and innovative vaccine technologies. We operate in a dynamic, collaborative environment where every team member directly contributes to product quality, patient safety, and our mission to transform lives through science.

 About the role

AIVITA Biomedical is seeking a hands-on, onsite Manager, Facilities & Laboratory Operations to own facility operations across GMP and non-GMP spaces and help ensure the site remains safe, reliable, inspection-ready, and prepared for growth. This role is ideal for someone who understands that in a regulated biotech environment, facility operations are not just about maintenance—they directly affect manufacturing continuity, laboratory readiness, audit posture, and scaling capacity.

This person will serve as the central point of ownership for shared facility-operational needs that cut across Manufacturing, Quality, R&D, and other departments. The role requires a practical operator who can manage infrastructure, vendor activity, and site coordination while working effectively in controlled environments and GMP-adjacent spaces.

 Why this role matters

This hire will bring much-needed ownership to cross-functional site responsibilities that do not fit neatly within one department today. Success in this role will improve uptime, strengthen audit readiness, reduce operational friction, and help the company scale its site capabilities more effectively.

 What you’ll do

• Own day-to-day facility operations across laboratories, manufacturing areas, support spaces, and offices.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for facilities-related vendors, contractors, building management, and service providers.
• Support GMP and laboratory operations through infrastructure readiness, environmental support, room readiness, and utility reliability.
• Coordinate maintenance, repairs, shutdown planning, and site work in a way that minimizes disruption to regulated operations.
• Oversee vendor and contractor activity in laboratory and controlled environments with strong attention to compliance, communication, and execution quality.
• Act as the central owner for shared facility-operational needs across Manufacturing, Quality, R&D, and other departments.
• Help resolve competing site priorities by coordinating stakeholders, clarifying tradeoffs, and driving practical execution.
• Support equipment installation readiness, layout changes, expansion planning, and facility impacts associated with growth.
• Maintain facility-related documentation, records, and operational readiness in support of audits and inspections.
• Identify infrastructure risks, readiness gaps, and capacity constraints before they become operational problems.

 What success looks like

In this role, success means the site runs more reliably, departments have a clear owner for facility-operational coordination, and infrastructure issues are addressed with urgency and sound judgment. A strong hire will help improve uptime, support audit readiness, and create better site readiness for future changes in equipment, layout, and capacity.

 What we’re looking for

Required

• Bachelor’s degree and 3+ years of relevant experience in facilities, site operations, infrastructure support, or related technical operations in biotech, pharmaceutical, or regulated laboratory environments.
• Direct experience supporting GMP operations and controlled or cleanroom environments.
• Strong working knowledge of how facility decisions affect regulated laboratory and manufacturing operations.
• Experience with site infrastructure support, utilities maintenance coordination, contractor oversight and vendor management.
• Ability to work cross-functionally in a fast-paced, hands-on environment where priorities must often be coordinated across multiple departments.
• Strong organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work onsite full-time.

Preferred

• Engineering background, with experience in a growth-stage biotech or similarly dynamic regulated environment.
• Experience supporting expansion planning, reconfiguration, equipment installation readiness, or capacity planning.
• Familiarity with maintenance tracking or facilities management systems.
• Working knowledge of OSHA, Cal/OSHA, and regulated waste coordination.

 Who will thrive here

The strongest candidates will be hands-on operators who are comfortable on the floor, in labs, and in active site environments—not just behind a desk. This role is well-suited to someone who can coordinate across functions, manage vendors effectively, understand cleanroom and controlled-space constraints, and bring structure to operational responsibilities that might otherwise fall through the cracks.

 What We Offer

• High visibility and direct impact, working closely with leadership and cross-functional teams.
• Competitive compensation package commensurate with experience, plus equity participation in a pre-revenue, high-growth biotech.
• Group Anthem medical, dental, and vision coverage, with 85% of premiums paid by AIVITA.
• Company-paid basic life and AD&D insurance, plus short- and long-term disability coverage.
• 401(k) with company match up to 6% of eligible compensation.
• Flexible Unlimited Time Off (UTO) designed for responsible use, supporting work-life balance while meeting team and business needs.
• Professional development support, including conferences, courses, and internal training aligned with your role and the company’s growth.
• A highly collaborative culture and a famously well-stocked snack cabinet to keep you energized.

 Work environment

This is a full-time onsite role based in Irvine, California. The position requires regular presence in laboratory, manufacturing, office, and controlled areas, as well as occasional responsiveness to urgent site issues outside normal business hours.