Director of Facilities, Laboratory Operations and EHS

Role Summary

The Director of Facilities, Laboratory Operations and EHS is responsible for strategic leadership, operational excellence, and long-term planning of Olema’s facilities and laboratory environments across multiple sites. This role owns the full lifecycle of facilities and lab operations, including laboratory buildouts, office and lab relocations, and oversees three locations with BSL2 laboratories and corporate office space. It serves as a senior partner to Research, IT, Real Estate, Finance, and Executive Leadership, based in San Francisco with 15% travel.

Responsibilities

• Lead and execute all facilities operations and physical infrastructure activities across Olema’s locations
• Own the execution of Real Estate strategy, including site readiness, lease transitions, expansions, consolidations, and exits
• Lead office and laboratory moves and building relocations, with planning, execution, risk management, and stabilization
• Direct laboratory and office buildouts end-to-end, from programming and design through permitting, construction, commissioning, and occupancy
• Execute capital projects in active lab environments while maintaining safety, compliance, and continuity of scientific operations
• Develop and enforce facilities standards, policies, procedures, and SOPs
• Own physical security programs, including access control, badging, alarms, vendor oversight, and incident response
• Control facilities operating and capital budgets, including forecasting and cost accountability
• Lead emergency planning and response across all facilities
• Direct shipping and receiving operations, including Hazardous Materials and Dangerous Goods compliance
• Own workplace services across all locations, including office supplies, beverage/food programs, janitorial services, and waste management, with vendor performance oversight

Laboratory Operations

• Support the research team with infrastructure needs, vendor management, service and maintenance of scientific equipment, hazardous waste management, and cell culture support
• Monitor critical systems and provide 24-hour on-call support for system failures
• Develop and maintain health and safety awareness, ensure policy compliance through training, and manage safety consultants
• Manage Cryo storage, liquid nitrogen, compressed gas systems, emergency generator systems, vacuum and compressed air systems
• Manage critical laboratory systems (HVAC, monitoring, maintenance) to ensure uninterrupted functionality
• Oversee shipping and receiving operations, including inventory management and logistics
• Lead and execute laboratory operations to ensure uninterrupted, compliant research support

Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) Ownership

• Accountable owner of Olema’s Environmental Health and Safety program
• Design, implement, enforce, and improve EHS policies, procedures, training, and compliance programs
• Lead regulatory inspections, audits, and agency interactions
• Own hazardous waste permitting, reporting, corrective actions, and compliance documentation
• Embed EHS requirements into lab design, construction, moves, and daily operations
• Direct EHS consultants and contractors with clear accountability for outcomes
• Maintain, train, and scale EHS programs supporting BSL-2 laboratory environments

Qualifications

• Knowledge
• Required: Bachelor’s Degree
• Required: Strategic Facilities Manager (SFM) and Certified Safety Professional (CSP) certifications
• Required: Proven facilities leadership experience
• Required: Expert-level knowledge of facilities, laboratory operations, and EHS in biotech or life sciences
• Required: Strong project management, planning, organization, and time management skills
• Experience
• Required: Minimum of 10+ years of experience with at least 5 years of facilities management including oversight of lab environments
• Required: Created and ran an EHS program for a BSL-2 Lab
• Required: Demonstrated ownership of lab buildouts, relocations, and real estate execution
• Required: Hands-on facilities, lab operations, and leadership experience in challenging laboratory settings requiring sound judgment and operational discipline
• Required: Experience in a fast-paced lab environment with uptime, safety, compliance, and responsiveness as priorities
• Attributes
• Highly organized with attention to detail and accuracy
• Solutions-oriented with meticulous attention to detail in a fast-paced environment
• Proactive, self-motivated, and results-oriented with a bias for action
• Collaborative team player in a cross-functional environment
• Flexible and adaptable to evolving business needs and technology trends
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree required

Additional Requirements

• Travel: 15% travel required