Senior Laboratory Manager (m/f) -Biopolis2025-33-H2020 Teaming Vila do Conde

Senior Laboratory Manager (m/f) -Biopolis2025-33-H2020 Teaming
Vila do Conde
Vila do Conde, Portugal

Organisation/Company ASSOCIAÇÃO BIOPOLIS Research Field Biological sciences » Biology Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions Research Support Positions Country Portugal Application Deadline 10 Aug 2025 - 23:59 (Europe/Lisbon) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 1 Oct 2025 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon 2020 Reference Number 857251 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Job: Senior Laboratory Manager

Reference:BIOPOLIS 2025-33

Senior Laboratory Manager for the Ancient and Environmental DNA Unit at the BIOPOLIS Centre of Excellence

• Summary

A position is open for a Senior Laboratory Manager at BIOPOLIS, integrated into the new Ancient and Environmental DNA Unit. BIOPOLIS is a Centre of Excellence in Environmental Biology, Ecosystem Research and Agrobiodiversity located in Portugal, created through a H2020 Teaming project involving CIBIO – Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, Porto Business School, and the University of Montpellier. BIOPOLIS is a private,
- profit scientific association with an overall budget of around 130 million euros for 10 years funded by the European Commission, national structural funds, and private partners. The post holder will be integrated into the new
- edge Ancient and Environmental DNA unit, the first of its kind in Portugal. This unit will undertake research and services in ancient, historical, degraded, and environmental DNA. The post holder will be responsible for supporting the establishment of the operations in the newly built laboratory facilities, coordinating the lab's daily operations and managing the lab’s technical team.

• Background

BIOPOLIS is a highly ambitious Centre of Excellence in the north of Portugal committed to
- edge research in environmental biology, ecosystem, agrobiodiversity and the significant challenges confronting the environment and society. BIOPOLIS emerges from a successful H2020 Coordination and Supporting Action (Reference 857251) funded by the European Commission, which involves Porto Business School, the University of Montpellier and CIBIO (Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources). The main objective of BIOPOLIS is to upgrade CIBIO, a private and independent research institution hosting 40 multidisciplinary research groups, around 200 Ph
D level researchers and over 130 MSc and Ph
D students from across the world, conducting
- class research in biodiversity and evolution, and elevate it to a Centre of Excellence by integrating new and innovative strands of research in the fields of environmental biology, ecosystem research and agrobiodiversity. The Centre has
-
-
- art ecology and molecular laboratories, and it conducts research projects at a global scale. The institute operates in English, offering a vibrant, multicultural, and enthusiastic working atmosphere.

BIOPOLIS is opening a new Ancient and Environmental DNA unit, the first of its kind in Portugal. The unit has
-
-
- art facilities distributed across three different areas (Sample Lab, Clean Lab and Molecular Lab) that were purposefully built to undertake research and services in ancient, historical, degraded and environmental DNA. Drawing on international best practices and insights from leading global institutions, the new facility integrates rigorous contamination prevention measures and operational workflows. This laboratory is designed to cater to the molecular analysis of archaeological samples, museum specimens, and other degraded or challenging biological and
- biological materials that require specific and highly sophisticated protocols.

• Senior Laboratory Manager at the Ancient and Environmental DNA Unit

BIOPOLIS seeks to appoint a Senior Laboratory Manager (SLM) to integrate the new Ancient and Environmental DNA Unit. This role is crucial in establishing and managing the lab as a
- edge research facility of national significance, ensuring it aligns with BIOPOLIS' objectives and supports its
- term growth and impact.

The selected candidate will manage the technical team, coordinate the laboratory's daily operations and assist with planning the unit's
- term strategy. The post holder is expected to be experienced with
- generation sequencing (NGS) technology and a wide range of laboratory techniques, from DNA extraction to library preparation and sequencing. It is also expected that they will become thoroughly familiar with new protocols.

They will be responsible for training the technical team, assisting lab technicians with troubleshooting, and introducing new protocols to the lab. Once appointed, the post holder will work with the coordination team and the relevant BIOPOLIS units to establish operations in the newly built facilities. The selected candidate is also expected to undertake a
- month internship at the Wellcome Trust Palaeogenomics and Bio-Archaeology Research Network's Ancient DNA facilities at the School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, to become familiar with the
-
-
- art laboratory's organisational system and protocols. BIOPOLIS will cover the travel and accommodation costs.

The SLM will be responsible for setting up laboratory operations, including, among other tasks, developing frameworks for lab use, identifying the necessary consumables and reagents, and establishing, testing and optimising laboratory protocols. The placeholder will work closely with the existing laboratory units and other staff members at BIOPOLIS to ensure integration with existing operational guidelines. They will manage a
- time dedicated laboratory technician who will assist the SLM in these tasks.

Once the laboratory is ready to receive researchers, the SLM will be responsible for managing user access, training new users on the protocols, and maintaining equipment, consumables and reagent stocks. The SLM is also expected to help establish the provision of external molecular services in the areas of Ancient and Environmental DNA and assist in the identification and operational aspects of new strategic partnerships with companies and other academic institutions.

Overall, the primary responsibilities of the post holder will include:

Planning, implementation and operations management:

• Develop and implement operational strategies for opening the laboratory.
• Oversee the setup and maintenance of laboratory protocols, processes and systems.
• Manage laboratory space allocation and coordinate access to the facility.
• Coordinate and ensure the acquisition, management and maintenance of lab inventory.
• Monitor expenses, ensure
  - efficiency and identify funding opportunities. Help develop the lab’s budget, reporting on financial performance when required.
• Ensure that the laboratory practices comply with all relevant safety, environmental and ethical regulations.

Science, training and troubleshooting

• Support researchers in expanding the scope of ancient/environmental DNA research.
• Identify and implement
  - edge laboratory protocols and techniques.
• Provide scientific expertise and troubleshooting laboratory work and protocols.
• Ensure appropriate training for students, researchers and technical staff on procedures and laboratory protocols.

Team management and coordination with other units and researchers:

• Lead and manage the technical team of the unit.
• Oversee recruitment and training of additional staff as the unit grows.
• Coordinate policies, processes and knowledge exchange with other units at BIOPOLIS.
• Liaise with researchers to understand their needs and provide support from the lab.

Service and infrastructure development:

• Help identify and draft grants to expand the lab's capability and infrastructure.
• Coordinate with external academic and industry institutions that use the unit and identify opportunities for innovation and expansion of the lab’s services.
• Help to develop and oversee external services, leading contacts with customers and external users.
• Help develop a plan to ensure the unit becomes a recognised national infrastructure for ancient and environmental DNA research.

Requirements

Essential requirements for this position include:

• A Ph
  D or an MSc in Genetics, Molecular Biology or a related field, which involved a substantial component of laboratory work.
• For candidates without a Ph
  D, a minimum of 10 years of work experience in a laboratory setting is required.
• Experience with DNA extraction and library preparation protocols
• Experience with DNA quantification methods, including Qubit and Tape
  Station.
• Experience with quantitative PCR (q
  PCR).
• Experience with Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS).
• Experience in managing people, including a successful track record of training and supervising students and/or technical staff.
• Experience managing projects and resources.
• Fluency in English and Portuguese or Spanish.

The following elements will also be valued:

• Experience working in clean room environments.
• Experience working with DNA of ancient, degraded or museum samples.
• Experience working with sedimentary or environmental DNA.
• Experience with DNA extraction protocols across multiple tissues/materials.
• Experience with capture enrichment protocols.
• Experience with lab management or setting up laboratories.
• Experience and familiarity with bioinformatics analysis.
• Experience working across different countries and institutions.
• Demonstrable capacity to work at pace, effectively delivering multiple tasks under pressure and working to tight deadlines.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, capacity to work collaboratively within and across teams, developing relationships and managing conflicts.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with demonstrable capacity to build and manage relationships and establish new partnerships.
• Excellent
  - solving skills, with the capacity to work independently, assess risks and challenges, develop adequate solutions to complex challenges, and know when to escalate decisions.
• Being motivated,
  - driven and passionate about adopting new processes and starting new projects and partnerships.
• Demonstrating excellent planning and organisation skills and attention to detail.

Exceptional conditions will be offered to the
Senior Lab Manager:

• A
  - fixed term contract with an initial duration of 24 months. The contract is renewable and may be converted into a permanent appointment, subject to a favourable performance review and institutional needs.
• Internationally competitive salary between 2297. 32€ and 2568. 39€ (TRU 32-37), commensurate with qualifications and experience.
• Opportunity to work across institutions associated and collaborating with BIOPOLIS.
• Possibilities of career progression upon evaluation of performance and achievements.
• Personal statement(Up totwo A4 pages) detailing the candidate’s vision for achieving the Ancient and Environmental DNA unit’s goals, including expected opportunities and challenges, and demonstrating how the candidate’s past achievements and experience provide excellent qualifications to fulfil this role.
• Applicant’s CV (Up tofour A4 pages), providing concrete evidence that theapplicantcomplies with all essential requirements for this position.

Reference letters and contacts of referees: Provide two reference letters and the contacts of the referees who might be contacted as part of the evaluation process.

• Evaluation

The evaluation process and subsequent recruitment will follow the principles of the Code of Conduct for Recruitment of Researchers established by the European Commission. These principles ensure the observance of values such as transparency and equal treatment of all applicants, particularly regarding the development of an attractive, open, and sustainable European labour market for researchers. They complement those outlined in the European Charter for Researchers.

Applicants will be evaluated by a selection panel composed of:

• Chair: Joel Alves (Head of Strategic Projects and Innovation Unit at BIOPOLIS).
• Members João Teixeira (Researcher and Group Leader of the ADNA group at BIOPOLIS CIBIO) and Raquel Godinho (Researcher and Group Leader of the ECOGENOMICS group at BIOPOLIS)
• Alternate Members: Pedro Beja (Associate Director of BIOPOLIS/CIBIO)

The evaluation process will include:

• Assessment of the evidence provided by the candidates regarding their suitable qualifications and experience through the applicant’s CV (70%).
• Assessment of the candidates’ vision, motivation, and suitability for the goals and requirements of the post through the applicant’s submitted personal statement (30%).

Based on these elements, candidates will be ranked, and a short list of suitable candidates will be produced. Members of the selection panel may invite the
- ranked candidates for a subsequent interview. The jury reserves the right not to select any candidate if none are deemed suitable for the position.

Admitted and rejected candidates will be notified by
- mail.

After notification, candidates have 10 working days to comment to the email hru@biopolis. pt.

The jury's final decisions will be made within 90 working days of the deadline for submitting applications.

• Employer and workplace

The Associação BIOPOLIS ( https://www.biopolis. pt/en/ ) is the employer for this position. The work will be carried out at the BIOPOLIS-CIBIO – Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto (Campus Agrário de Vairão, Rua Padre Armando Quintas, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal).