Lab Manager Jobs in Santa Cruz, CA (NOW HIRING)

About Arc Institute

Arc Institute is an independent nonprofit research organization at the interface of artificial intelligence and biology, working to accelerate scientific progress and understand the root causes of complex diseases. Founded in 2021 and based in Palo Alto, Arc partners with Stanford University, UC Berkeley, and UC San Francisco.

Unlike academia, our scientists have long-term funding and industry-like resources. Unlike industry, they're free to pursue high-risk, long-term research without commercial pressures. Arc's Technology Centers and Core Investigator labs work side by side, integrating experimental and computational biology under one roof to tackle problems neither could solve alone.

Our two Institute Initiatives reflect this model in action:

• Virtual Cell Initiative: Building a full-stack virtual cell model to identify disease mechanisms and nominate drug targets,  accelerating the path from biological insight to clinical trials.
• Alzheimer's Disease Initiative: Mapping the genes, pathways, and environmental factors behind Alzheimer's disease to develop drug candidates that address root causes.

More than 300 Arconauts work together at our Palo Alto headquarters, backed by substantial long-term philanthropic funding.

About the position

The Hie Lab and Pluvinage Lab at the Arc Institute are seeking a joint Lab Manager to keep two fast-moving research groups running smoothly. The Pluvinage Lab studies the role of autoimmunity in neurodegeneration and brain aging, combining molecular biology, immunology, and functional genomics. The Hie Lab develops generative AI models for biology, designing proteins, genes, and genomes to counteract evolving threats and accomplish useful new functions. This is a largely operational role and the organizational backbone shared across both teams: you will manage ordering and inventory, organize reagents and protocols, and support data management so that scientists can focus on discovery. You will partner closely with researchers, vendors, and Arc's operations and technology teams to continuously optimize how the labs run day to day.

About you

• You are an organizational superstar who takes real satisfaction in bringing order to complexity and helping a team run smoothly and efficiently.
• You love to optimize processes-you naturally spot bottlenecks, streamline workflows, and put systems in place that make everyone around you more productive.
• You are proactive and service-oriented, actively looking for ways to support others before being asked.
• You are reliable and detail-oriented, the kind of person teammates trust to keep track of the things that matter.
• You thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative research environment and enjoy working at the interface of people, science, and logistics.
• You are excited to support both hands-on wet-lab science and computational, data-driven research.

In this position you will

• Manage purchasing and ordering across both labs: place orders, track shipments, process invoices, and serve as the main point of contact with vendors and Arc procurement.
• Own lab inventory by receiving, labeling, and stocking reagents and consumables, tracking stock levels, and setting up reorder systems so the labs never run out of critical materials.
• Organize and maintain shared reagents, equipment, and physical lab spaces, including freezers, chemical and sample storage, and common areas.
• Maintain and standardize protocols, SOPs, and lab documentation, keeping them organized, version-controlled, and easy for the team to find and follow.
• Support data management and organization, helping maintain shared drives, electronic lab notebooks, sample and metadata tracking, and consistent file and naming conventions across experimental and computational work.
• Serve as the main point of contact for institutional EH&S and SciOps and as a liaison between the labs and the greater Arc ecosystem.
• Coordinate lab logistics and operations, including onboarding new members, scheduling shared equipment, arranging maintenance and service, and supporting compliance with safety and institutional requirements.
• Continuously identify and implement process improvements that help both labs run more efficiently.

Requirements

• A Bachelor's degree or higher (Bachelor's, Master's, PhD, or equivalent professional research experience) in a life sciences or related field
• 5+ years of experience as a lab manager, research associate, or in research operations
• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail, with a proven ability to manage multiple priorities and keep complex operations on track.
• A proactive, service-oriented mindset and genuine enthusiasm for helping teams work efficiently.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to coordinate across scientists, vendors, and institutional teams.
• Comfort with digital tools for organization and data management (e.g., spreadsheets, shared drives, inventory or lab-management software).
• Ability to work independently, take ownership of responsibilities, and follow through reliably in a fast-paced research environment.
• Work onsite in our Palo Alto office 5 days per week. Occasional weekend work may be required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Basic molecular biology experience.
• Basic mammalian cell culture experience.
• Familiarity with electronic lab notebooks (e.g., Benchling) and/or inventory management systems.
• Experience with ordering and procurement systems and managing vendor relationships.
• Comfort supporting data organization for computational research (e.g., file management, basic command line, cloud storage).

The base salary range for this position is $104,500 to $128,750. These amounts reflect the range of base salary that the Institute reasonably would expect to pay a new hire or internal candidate for this position. The actual base compensation paid to any individual for this position may vary depending on factors such as experience, market conditions, education/training, skill level, and whether the compensation is internally equitable, and does not include bonuses, commissions, differential pay, other forms of compensation, or benefits. This position is also eligible to receive an annual discretionary bonus, with the amount dependent on individual and institute performance factors.