Location: London
Working Pattern: On-site / hybrid depending on business needs
Reports to: Senior Scientific Leadership
An early-stage biotechnology company is looking for a Lab & CRO Operations Manager to support the buildout of its internal operations while managing external research partnerships, particularly with China-based CROs.
This is a highly practical, cross-functional role suited to someone with a strong scientific background, excellent project management skills, and the ability to coordinate complex external studies across different time zones, languages and technical teams.
The successful candidate will help establish core laboratory operations, manage vendors and suppliers, and act as the key operational link between the internal scientific team and external CRO partners. The role requires someone organised, proactive and scientifically credible, who can keep studies moving, spot risks early, and ensure outsourced work is delivered to the required quality, timeline and budget.
Responsibilities
• Manage relationships with external CRO partners, particularly China-based providers, across preclinical research activities.
• Coordinate outsourced studies across areas such as cell biology, animal models, biodistribution, toxicology and related preclinical workflows.
• Act as the day-to-day project manager between CROs, internal scientists and senior leadership, ensuring timelines, data, samples and reports are delivered as agreed.
• Provide quality oversight of outsourced studies, ensuring protocols, milestones, data packages and reporting standards are clearly followed.
• Support CRO/vendor evaluation, selection, onboarding and contract negotiation.
• Track CRO budgets, timelines and deliverables, proactively flagging delays, risks or cost variances.
• Coordinate sample shipment, data transfer, documentation and reporting between external partners and the internal team.
• Support the setup and smooth running of internal laboratory operations, including equipment, reagents, consumables and inventory.
• Assist with equipment procurement, maintenance, calibration and service contracts.
• Help establish and maintain SOPs for laboratory and operational workflows.
• Support health, safety, biosafety and compliance requirements, including BSL-2 laboratory operations where relevant.
• Manage vendor relationships, procurement processes, shipping/receiving logistics and operational documentation.
Requirements
• M.S. or Ph.D. in biology, biochemistry, pharmacology, biotechnology or a related life science discipline.
• Fluent Mandarin and English, written and spoken.
• Strong project management skills, with proven ability to coordinate multiple concurrent studies, vendors or workstreams.
• Experience working with CROs, external research vendors or outsourced preclinical studies.
• Solid scientific understanding of molecular biology, cell biology, pharmacology, gene therapy, gene editing or related preclinical research areas.
• Comfortable reviewing protocols, study plans, timelines, reports and scientific data packages.
• Experience managing budgets, procurement, vendors and operational timelines.
• Highly organised, detail-focused and able to operate independently in a fast-moving environment.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to bridge technical teams across different geographies and working cultures.
Preferred
• Experience working with China-based CROs or biotech vendors.
• Experience overseeing preclinical animal studies, biodistribution, toxicology or cell-based studies.
• Previous experience in a start-up, early-stage biotech or fast-moving R&D environment.
• Familiarity with gene therapy, gene editing, oncology or advanced therapeutic platforms.
• Awareness of GLP, study monitoring practices or preclinical development standards.
• Experience helping build or scale laboratory operations.
• Understanding of China-facing biotech operations, regulatory expectations or NMPA-related considerations would be beneficial.
Ideal Profile
The company is particularly interested in someone who is a strong scientific project manager rather than purely a lab manager. The ideal candidate will speak fluent Mandarin, understand how to work effectively with CROs, and have enough scientific depth to manage preclinical studies confidently, challenge timelines or data when needed, and keep external partners aligned with internal objectives.
…