What are the responsibilities and job description for the Lab Support Specialist position at Avantor?
The Opportunity
In this role, you will report to the Site Supervisor and will work closely with the Avantor’s Lab and Production Services professionals to serve our customers by performing customized, mission-based lab work and research protocols that help return time back to science.
Hourly Rate: $28 - $30
Location: San Rafael, CA
Shift: Monday - Friday, 8 am - 4:30 pm
Benefits
Avantor’s Lab and Production Services team is a crucial part of the Avantor Services group serving over 500 customers in biopharma, pharmaceutical, educational, industrial, and high-tech industries with customizable, flexible solutions and end-to-end laboratory operations support.
In This Role You Will
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of employees assigned to this position. Avantor is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.
Why Avantor?
Dare to go further in your career. Join our global team of 14,000 associates whose passion for discovery and determination to overcome challenges relentlessly advances life-changing science.
The work we do changes people's lives for the better. It brings new patient treatments and therapies to market, giving a cancer survivor the chance to walk his daughter down the aisle. It enables medical devices that help a little boy hear his mom's voice for the first time. Outcomes such as these create unlimited opportunities for you to contribute your talents, learn new skills and grow your career at Avantor.
We are committed to helping you on this journey through our diverse, equitable and inclusive culture which includes learning experiences to support your career growth and success. At Avantor, dare to go further and see how the impact of your contributions set science in motion to create a better world. Apply today!
Pay Transparency
The expected pre-tax pay for this position is
$49,000.00 - $79,350.00
Actual pay may differ depending on relevant factors such as prior experience and geographic location.
EEO Statement
We are an Equal Employment/Affirmative Action employer and VEVRAA Federal Contractor. We do not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected Veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state/province, or local law.
If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact us by email at recruiting@avantorsciences.com and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Requests for accommodation will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please note that only inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this email address.
For more information about equal employment opportunity protections, please view the Know Your Rights poster.
Privacy Policy
We will use the personal information that you have submitted to us in order to consider your application for the relevant role.
Your privacy is important to us. Please click here for our Privacy Policy which explains the purposes for which we will use your personal information and the ways in which we will handle and retain your information. It also explains the rights you have in relation to your information, and how to contact us with any queries or requests.
3rd Party Non-Solicitation Policy
By submitting candidates without having been formally assigned on and contracted for a specific job requisition by Avantor, or by failing to comply with the Avantor recruitment process, you forfeit any fee on the submitted candidates, regardless of your usual terms and conditions. Avantor works with a preferred supplier list and will take the initiative to engage with recruitment agencies based on its needs and will not be accepting any form of solicitation.
In this role, you will report to the Site Supervisor and will work closely with the Avantor’s Lab and Production Services professionals to serve our customers by performing customized, mission-based lab work and research protocols that help return time back to science.
Hourly Rate: $28 - $30
Location: San Rafael, CA
Shift: Monday - Friday, 8 am - 4:30 pm
Benefits
- Health and Wellness: Medical, Dental, Vision and Wellness programs (eligible for medical coverage on day 1)
- Time Off: Paid Time Off (PTO), Company paid holidays, Choice holidays etc.
- Financial Well Being: Spending Accounts: Flexible Spending Account (FSA), Health Savings Accounts (HSA), commuter benefits, 401(k), tuition assistance, employee stock purchase plan discount
- Added Protection Coverage: To include critical illness, hospital indemnity, accident, legal, identity theft protection, pet, auto and home insurance
- Recognition: Celebrate your peers and earn points to redeem on gifts and products
- Education: High School Diploma or GED is required; Associate’s degree in Biology, Chemistry, Biotech, or a related field is preferred
- Experience: 1 year of laboratory, manufacturing, research, or laboratory support experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience
- Collaboration Tool: Microsoft Office experience
- Experience with purification and chromatography systems, especially ÄKTA, highly preferred.
- Knowledge of scientific products and services is a plus.
- Effective communication and teamwork in a lab environment
- Laboratory equipment maintenance and calibration
- Buffer and reagent preparation
- Chromatography techniques (column packing, gradient elution, buffer exchange, endotoxin testing)
- Operation and troubleshooting of ÄKTA systems (UNICORN software)
- Ability to lift, move, push, or pull up to 25 pounds with or without accommodation
- Regular use of PPE including safety glasses, lab coats, gloves, and other site-required protective equipment
- Ability to handle laboratory materials, containers, and equipment safely
- Inventory and supply chain management
- Laboratory safety and chemical hygiene
- Data recording and documentation best practices
- Strong organizational and multitasking skills
Avantor’s Lab and Production Services team is a crucial part of the Avantor Services group serving over 500 customers in biopharma, pharmaceutical, educational, industrial, and high-tech industries with customizable, flexible solutions and end-to-end laboratory operations support.
In This Role You Will
- Prepare buffers, media, reagents, solvents, and chemical solutions according to approved procedures, scientific protocols, and customer requirements.
- Perform routine laboratory support activities including weighing materials, pH adjustments, conductivity testing, filtrations, dilutions, and solution preparation.
- Support scientific operations by preparing materials, equipment, and laboratory workspaces required for research and development activities.
- Perform routine calibration, verification, cleaning, preventative maintenance, and basic troubleshooting of laboratory equipment, including pH meters, conductivity meters, balances, pipettes, sonicators, peristaltic pumps, and other laboratory instrumentation.
- Execute Clean-in-Place (CIP) procedures, sanitization protocols, preventative maintenance activities, endotoxin testing, and performance verification of AKTA chromatography systems, columns, sample loops, and associated purification equipment.
- Support AKTA system readiness by preparing maintenance solutions, replacing filters and consumable components, performing equipment cleaning, documenting maintenance activities, and escalating equipment issues when necessary.
- Monitor, maintain, label, and replenish laboratory inventories including chemicals, reagents, consumables, glassware, maintenance solutions, and compressed gas cylinders.
- Manage material receipt, storage, distribution, and disposal activities while ensuring compliance with laboratory safety and environmental requirements.
- Utilize electronic inventory, procurement, and laboratory management systems to support purchasing, material tracking, inventory control, and documentation activities.
- Maintain accurate laboratory records, logbooks, worksheets, inventory databases, and electronic documentation in accordance with Good Laboratory Practices (GLP), Good Documentation Practices (GDP), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and customer requirements.
- Ensure laboratory readiness through routine housekeeping, glassware processing, equipment organization, stock replenishment, and workspace maintenance.
- Follow all site safety policies, laboratory procedures, quality standards, and regulatory requirements while promoting a safe and compliant work environment.
- Provide responsive customer service and operational support to scientists, researchers, and laboratory personnel by addressing service requests and supporting laboratory workflows.
- Support special projects, continuous improvement initiatives, audits, inspections, and other laboratory operational activities as assigned.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of employees assigned to this position. Avantor is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.
Why Avantor?
Dare to go further in your career. Join our global team of 14,000 associates whose passion for discovery and determination to overcome challenges relentlessly advances life-changing science.
The work we do changes people's lives for the better. It brings new patient treatments and therapies to market, giving a cancer survivor the chance to walk his daughter down the aisle. It enables medical devices that help a little boy hear his mom's voice for the first time. Outcomes such as these create unlimited opportunities for you to contribute your talents, learn new skills and grow your career at Avantor.
We are committed to helping you on this journey through our diverse, equitable and inclusive culture which includes learning experiences to support your career growth and success. At Avantor, dare to go further and see how the impact of your contributions set science in motion to create a better world. Apply today!
Pay Transparency
The expected pre-tax pay for this position is
$49,000.00 - $79,350.00
Actual pay may differ depending on relevant factors such as prior experience and geographic location.
EEO Statement
We are an Equal Employment/Affirmative Action employer and VEVRAA Federal Contractor. We do not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected Veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state/province, or local law.
If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact us by email at recruiting@avantorsciences.com and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Requests for accommodation will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please note that only inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this email address.
For more information about equal employment opportunity protections, please view the Know Your Rights poster.
Privacy Policy
We will use the personal information that you have submitted to us in order to consider your application for the relevant role.
Your privacy is important to us. Please click here for our Privacy Policy which explains the purposes for which we will use your personal information and the ways in which we will handle and retain your information. It also explains the rights you have in relation to your information, and how to contact us with any queries or requests.
3rd Party Non-Solicitation Policy
By submitting candidates without having been formally assigned on and contracted for a specific job requisition by Avantor, or by failing to comply with the Avantor recruitment process, you forfeit any fee on the submitted candidates, regardless of your usual terms and conditions. Avantor works with a preferred supplier list and will take the initiative to engage with recruitment agencies based on its needs and will not be accepting any form of solicitation.
Salary : $49,000 - $79,350