New

Lab Operations Manager - Center for Protein Design

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
$86,320 - $154,960
parental leave, tuition reimbursement, retirement plan
United States, Tennessee, Memphis
262 Danny Thomas Place (Show on map)
Apr 23, 2025
Be at the forefront of the AI and protein design revolution (recognized by the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry) and contribute to developing next-generation therapies for children. Top-tier compensation and benefits, supportive and collaborative team environment with strong mentoring opportunities, and exciting potential for career advancement. The World's Brightest Minds Always Innovate At St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, we know what can be achieved when the brightest scientific minds face the fewest barriers. That's why we provide world-class facilities. State-of-the-art technologies. Extraordinary support. And a collaborative, bench-to-bedside environment where you can see, firsthand, how your science translates into survival for the children we serve. Quite simply, at St. Jude, we encourage you to dream big and stop at nothing when it comes to finding cures and saving children. Are you passionate about innovative research that has the potential to dramatically improve patients' lives and change the world? Are you excited to push the envelope in what AI-guided protein design can do in medicine? Are you naturally organized and structured? Do you enjoy creating processes that improve efficiency and productivity? Are you motivated by "Team"? Is your success your colleague's success? Is open communication one of your strengths? Do you proactively address issues head-on? If you've answered "yes" to all of these, we'd love to meet with you! But first, here are more details about the role. Overview The Center for Protein Design at St. Jude seeks a proactive and organized lab manager with strong communication skills to build and maintain lab operations, ensuring they run smoothly while fostering an inclusive, supportive, and welcoming environment for all Center members. Attributes of successful candidates: A proactive, fast learner who can operate independently and possesses strong communication skills. A leader with a contagious 'can-do' attitude. Excellent organization skills and a collaborative attitude. Strong biochemistry technique with experience performing recombinant protein production, low and high-throughput enzyme assays, protein-protein binding measurements, and standard molecular cloning procedures (or equivalent). Experience with cell-free expression, deep sequencing (NGS), FACS, liquid handling (Biomek or equivalent), and lab automation is a plus. Responsibilities: Scientific Operations (70%): Work to build up lab operations for the Center for Protein Design through assisting with equipment purchase, installation and maintenance, and hiring processes related to lab operations. Develop and establish strategies and processes to streamline lab organization, inventory, and ordering while developing and maintaining standard lab operation protocols and procedures. Maintain and operate the Center for Protein Design lab equipment The lab manager may be asked to mentor technicians and junior scientists. Scientific Research (30%): Lead new research directions in in vitro and in vivo assays for protein design. Record experimental observations, present results, and collaborate with multiple computational and experimental scientists in the Center for Protein Design. Opportunities for Professional Growth You will have the opportunity to help build the lab for the Center of Protein Design, as well as develop and optimize lab workflows and define exacting lab standards. As an integral and critical member of the Center for Protein Design at St. Jude, you will also be able to participate in internal meetings and interact with other groups and faculty at St. Jude to advance applications of protein design. You will be working alongside internationally recognized scientists who are leaders in such disciplines as AI/machine learning (Dr. M Madan Babu), NMR (Dr. Charalampos Kalodimos), cryo-EM/ET (Dr. Elizabeth Kellogg and Dr. Georgios Skiniotis), single-molecule experiments (Dr. Scott Blanchard), and more. You will also collaborate with the broader community at St. Jude (such as the Departments of Immunology, Host-Microbe Interactions, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Chemical Biology and Therapeutics), which is full of very smart, helpful, and fun individuals with unique and diverse scientific strengths. The candidate will be given opportunities to develop new skills, including but not limited to machine learning, AI, and translational aspects of protein design. The candidate will be given opportunities to participate in interdisciplinary scientific research and be mentored in developing leadership skills. You will have opportunities to attend scientific conferences surrounding the fields of protein design and biochemistry techniques. About the Center for Protein Design The Center for Protein Design is a new institutional center established in November 2024 and housed in the Center of Excellence for Data-Driven Discovery within the Structural Biology department at St Jude. The Center is led by Dr. Alexandre Zanghellini, Executive Fellow at St. Jude. Dr. Zanghellini has 20 years of experience in protein design; his seminal contributions to the field of enzyme design were cited more than 3000 times. The Center for Protein Design's mission is to advance our understanding of protein structure-function relationships to design proteins and cell therapies that restore hope against catastrophic pediatric diseases. We use cutting-edge deep-learning, biophysics, and experimental approaches to develop new functional proteins for protein and cell therapies, including enzyme therapeutics, gene editing systems, and CAR-T cell engineering. The Center is also pushing the boundary in new methodology development in computational protein design, leveraging the large amount of data generated by various groups and departments at St. Jude. As an institutional center, the Center for Protein Design collaborates across many departments at St. Jude, such as Structural Biology, Immunology, Host-Microbe Interactions, and Pharmacology. The Center for Protein Design is a highly interdisciplinary environment that marries basic science with a strong translational component, leveraging St. Jude Research Hospital cGMP manufacturing and clinical expertise. About St Jude St Jude Children's Research Hospital is consistently named as one of Fortune magazine's "Best Companies to Work for" and top 10 "Best Places to Work in Academia" by the Scientist Magazine. St Jude is located in Memphis, Tennessee, the 28th most populous city in America. Memphis is a historic city with an affordable cost of living along with world class dining and strong cultural tradition in music and theater. Memphis enjoys a mild, sunny climate year-round and has some of the largest outdoor green spaces of any big city. St. Jude Employees receive: Your health and well-being are important to us. That's why St. Jude Children's Research Hospital provides employees with high-quality benefits choices. We are committed to ensuring our benefits are competitive and affordable. St. Jude continues to cover medical premiums for employees and offers low additional costs for dependents. St Jude offers a well-definedcareer ladderwith potential for growth and advancement. Industry-competitive salaries are based on your degree and years of experience. Excellent healthcare plans with zero to low health premium costs. Generous retirement benefits with contributions from St. Jude. Onsite health clinic, pharmacy, and exercise facilities. Paid parental leave and adoption assistance. Immigration services. Tuition reimbursement. View all the benefits offered including Medical & Prescription Drug Plans, Dental Plan, Vision Plan, Financial Security, Retirement Plan, Living Well - Employee Wellness Program, Time Off Programs, Educational Benefits, Family Friendly Benefits, and Benefits Unique to St. Jude. The Center for Protein Design is committed to building a lab culture that is rooted in respect, diversity, and inclusion. This foundation promotes a dynamic, innovative, and impactful scientific environment driven by empathy and intellectual curiosity. Minimum Education and/or Training: Bachelor's degree in relevant scientific area is required. Bachelor's degree in biochemistry, protein engineering, synthetic biology, molecular biology, bioengineering, or related discipline preferred. Minimum Experience: 8+ years of research experience is required with a Bacehlor's degree. 6+ years of research experience is required with a Master's degree. 3+ years of research experience is required with a PhD. Prior experience in relevant lab techniques preferred. Experience in lab and scientific project coordination, maintenance, and other research support activities preferred. Demonstrated understanding of the field and related trends. 3 years of relevant professional experience in biochemistry, protein engineering, high-throughput methods, or related disciplines preferred. Ideal Candidate: PhD degree in biochemistry, molecular biology or related discipline with experience working in a protein engineering environment. Experience in biotechnology industry and with lab automation a strong plus. An outstanding academic and professional track record of achievement. Experience with managing and mentoring wet lab-oriented researchers. This Position May be Suitable For: Graduates with strong biochemistry research experience and leadership qualities looking for growth opportunities. Experienced protein engineers or synthetic biologists passionate about lab operations. Protein engineering or synthetic biology professionals interested in switching from industry to an academic environment focused on curiosity driven science and interdisciplinary research. Have More in Memphis Get the best of big-city amenities mixed with all the charm of a small-town feel when you live in Memphis. From our world-renowned music scene to our eclectic mix of food and people. Memphis is a place our employees are proud to call home. Our region enjoys a cost of living more than 20% lower than the national average and our state places no personal income tax on wages. Plus, Memphians spend five hours less per year in their daily commute compared to the national average. Learn how you can "Have More in Memphis." Better at Work. Better at Life. When you work at St. Jude, you'll join a highly collaborative work culture that inspires you every day to be your best. With opportunities for learning and growth, you can shape a career path that is right for you while also enjoying all the benefits and stability of working for a world-class institution. This includes work-life balance with generous paid time-off and on-campus conveniences that make life a little easier. Join us and you'll quickly see why St. Jude is consistently ranked by our employees on Glassdoor as a "Best Place to Work." Compensation In recognition of certain U.S. state and municipal pay transparency laws, St. Jude is including a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role. This is an estimate offered in good faith and a specific salary offer takes into account factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the salary range and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current salary range is $86,320 - $154,960 per year for the role of Lab Operations Manager - Center for Protein Design. Explore our exceptional benefits! St. Jude is an Equal Opportunity Employer No Search Firms St. Jude Children's Research Hospital does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. Please do not call or email. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee or other representative at St. Jude via email, the internet or in any form and/or method without a valid written search agreement in place and approved by HR will result in no fee being paid in the event the candidate is hired by St. Jude.