Chief Operating Officer

About Gift of Life Biologics

Gift of Life Biologics (GOLB) supplies high-quality human starting materials that enables the acceleration of development and commercialization of next generation cell and gene therapies. GOLB is uniquely positioned in the market as the only true end-to-end provider with access to Gift of Life Marrow Registry of over 500,000 well characterized healthy donors, an off-registry donor pool (NexGen), and operates within fully integrated ~50,000 SQFT facility in South Florida that includes, apheresis, cell processing, isolation, and two ISO Class 7 GMP clean rooms.

About the Role

We are seeking a Chief Operating Officer to lead all operational functions across Gift of Life Biologics. Reporting directly to the CEO, the COO will be responsible for working closely with our service providers to scale our operations to meet growing demand for our products, ensuring the highest standards of quality and regulatory compliance, and overseeing the strategic management of the NexGen donor pool.

This is a unique opportunity for a scientifically grounded operations leader to shape the operational backbone of a mission-driven company at the intersection of donor services and advanced therapeutics. The ideal candidate brings deep domain expertise in cellular starting materials for cell and gene therapy, a track record of scaling regulated lab or manufacturing environments, and the leadership presence to build and develop high-performing technical teams.

Key Responsibilities

Operations & Manufacturing Leadership

• Lead all day-to-day operational functions including working with direct reports and service providers to ensure seamless production and distribution of cellular material products.
• Lead and grow team with a fit for purpose mindset. Current oversight of the following functions includes operations, donor coordinators, NexGen, and regulatory and compliance.
• Accountable for establishing and continuously improving SOPs, process controls, and operational KPIs across all direct oversight functions.
• Partner with finance to manage operational budgets, capital expenditures, and capacity planning.
• Serve as the deep subject matter expert across all operations — apheresis collections, advanced laboratory services (cell processing, cryopreservation, and moderate-to-high complexity testing including flow cytometry), regulatory, and logistics.
• Engage directly with customers during business cultivation and scoping discussions, ensuring every customer commitment is technically sound, operationally feasible, and deliverable.
• Serve as the day-to-day point of contact between Gift of Life Biologics and Gift of Life Marrow Registry across all shared services and customer orders.

NexGen Donor Pool Management

• Own end-to-end strategy and operational management of the NexGen donor pool, ensuring it remains a competitive differentiator for the company.
• Accountable for developing and overseeing the execution of NexGen strategy to ensure ongoing donor recruitment, qualification, retention that supports projected product order growth.
• Ensure donor data integrity, consent, and HLA/genetic diversity profiles meet the evolving needs of cell and gene therapy customers and regulatory agencies (FDA, EMA, TGA).
• Develop forecasting and allocation models to match donor availability with customer demand for starting materials.
• Drive continuous improvement in NexGen donor experience, collection workflows, and chain-of-custody from donor to delivery.

Scientific & Technical Strategy

• Serve as a scientifically credible voice with customers, partners, and regulators—able to engage substantively on cell biology, collection methodologies, and downstream therapeutic applications.
• Partner with service providers on regulatory and quality to evaluate and implement new technologies, assays, and processing capabilities that expand product offerings.
• Stay ahead of the evolving cell and gene therapy landscape and translate market signals into operational and product strategy.
• Support business development by participating in technical due diligence and customer evaluations.

Leadership & Strategy

• Serve as a trusted thought partner to the CEO on company strategy, growth planning, and major business decisions.
• Hire, mentor, and develop staff; contribute to building a culture of accountability, scientific rigor, and mission focus.
• Represent the company to investors, board members, regulators, and key industry partners.
• Drive cross-functional alignment between operations and commercial.

Qualifications

Required

• Prefer Ph.D. in a relevant scientific discipline (cell biology, immunology, biochemistry, biomedical engineering, or related field) strongly preferred; relevant degree with deep industry experience will be considered.
• Direct experience in the cellular starting materials space—apheresis products, leukopaks, PBMCs, bone marrow, cord blood, or other human-derived materials used as inputs to cell and gene therapy.
• Demonstrated track record of scaling a laboratory or biomanufacturing operation, including capacity expansion, facility build-out, and team growth.
• Working knowledge of the regulatory framework for HCT/Ps, including FDA 21 CFR Part 1271, cGMP, GTP, and applicable AABB and FACT standards.
• 10 years of progressive operational and scientific leadership experience, including at least 5 years in senior leadership roles.
• Strong commercial acumen and experience working with cell and gene therapy customers, CDMOs, or biopharma partners.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate complex scientific and operational topics for boards, investors, and customers.

Preferred

• Experience with donor-derived material supply chains
• Experience navigating quality audits, regulatory submissions (e.g., supporting customer INDs/BLAs), and/or international regulatory frameworks.
• Background contributing to the launch of novel cell-derived products or services.

What We Offer

• The opportunity to build the operational engine of a mission-driven company that directly enables life-saving cell and gene therapies.
• Competitive executive compensation including base, performance bonus, and meaningful equity participation.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage.
• Flexible time off and a culture that values both excellence and balance.