Research Operations Director Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Anthropic's Life Sciences team is building a world-class research group focused on making fundamental biological discoveries. The team combines cutting-edge AI with hands-on biological research, positioning Anthropic at the forefront of AI-accelerated scientific discovery.

We are hiring a Research Operations Lead to be the operational backbone of our team: the person who makes sure scientists can walk in every morning and get straight to science. You'll take on the operational systems we've started - procurement, inventory, safety, equipment, space - make them better, and scale them as the lab and its needs grow. We're hiring for trajectory as much as for what you've already done: the scope of this role will grow with the size of the team, and we want someone who's excited by that. This role is a rare opportunity to build the operational foundation of Anthropic's biology team and to grow with it. The systems you put in place will shape how a frontier AI company does experimental biology for years to come. If you're energized by high-ownership operational work in the service of ambitious science, we'd love to hear from you.

• Own day-to-day operations end to end: ordering and inventory, equipment scheduling and upkeep, consumables, shipping and receiving, and general space organization
• Build on and extend the operational systems a growing group needs: procurement workflows, inventory and sample tracking, equipment maintenance and calibration schedules, onboarding and training, SOPs
• Manage facilities and space: coordinate buildouts, moves, and equipment installs; act as the primary interface to building management, contractors, and Anthropic's central Workplace and IT teams
• Own the operating budget: track spend against plan, run the capital equipment purchasing process, and partner with Finance on forecasting and reporting
• Manage vendor and supplier relationships: including contract research organizations: source and qualify vendors, negotiate quotes and service contracts, schedule preventive maintenance and field-service visits, and hold suppliers to their commitments

• Have managed the day-to-day operations of a life sciences lab - equipment, inventory, ordering, safety, space, and scheduling
• Have hands-on procurement and vendor management experience: sourcing suppliers, negotiating quotes and service contracts, and coordinating field-service and maintenance technicians
• Have tracked and managed an operating budget: purchase orders, invoices, spend-vs-plan, and capital requests

• Are the person everyone in your group already comes to when something is broken, missing, late, or unclear - and you like being that person
• Enjoy engaging with scientists on the science itself - you want to understand what's happening at the bench well enough to anticipate needs
• Are results-oriented and practical and pick up slack even when it goes outside your job description
• Enjoy a role that stretches from the hands-on to the strategic, and are comfortable when priorities shift quickly and feedback is direct
• Lab operations or lab management experience in a biotech, pharma, diagnostics, or life-sciences startup environment, including exposure to how those organizations build new functions and processes end to end
• A degree in the life sciences and prior research experience at the bench
• People-management experience: hiring, onboarding, and supervising operations or facilities staff
• Experience supporting a team through significant growth in headcount, footprint, or capability, including utilities, permitting, and equipment
• Familiarity with liquid-handling platforms, including their service, calibration, and consumable needs
• Experience selecting and administering inventory management, sample tracking, equipment scheduling, or ELN systems
• Capital equipment lifecycle management experience - evaluation, purchase, qualification (IQ/OQ/PQ), service contracts, and decommissioning
• Experience with regulated shipping and receiving of biological materials, including import/export, permits, and material transfer agreements
• Experience using AI tools for efficient team and process management (e.g., Claude Cowork)