Senior Cell Culture Ops Specialist - Contract

Contractor, Senior Research Associate, Cell Culture Operations Cambridge, MA USA The Senior Research Associate, Cell Culture Operations will be responsible for the day-to-day execution and maintenance of mammalian cell culture activities that support LILA's research programs. This is a highly hands‑on role focused on reliability, consistency, and operational excellence. The ideal candidate brings strong bench fundamentals, meticulous documentation habits, and the ability to support the translation of manual workflows into automation-compatible processes as LILA's capabilities evolve. What You'll Be Building Perform routine and advanced mammalian cell culture (maintenance, expansion, passaging, cryopreservation, thawing) across a range of cell lines and cell types; monitor cell health and proactively resolve culture issues. Manage and maintain cell banks (inventory, quality checks, documentation) and oversee reagent/consumable procurement to ensure uninterrupted cell supply. Perform flow cytometry / FACS acquisition and data analysis to support cell characterization, quality checks, and downstream research needs. Author, maintain, and improve SOPs for cell culture workflows; identify opportunities to streamline operations and improve consistency. Support adoption of automated or semi-automated cell culture workflows, including protocol translation, run execution/troubleshooting, and performance verification. Coordinate with research and platform teams to align on cell supply needs, timelines, and specifications; support onboarding of new cell types and protocols as programs evolve. Maintain a clean, organized, and safe laboratory in accordance with biosafety guidelines (e.g., BSL‑2). What You’ll Need to Succeed B.S. or M.S. in Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Bioengineering, or related discipline. 3+ years (B.S.) or 2+ years (M.S.) of relevant experience with a strong focus on mammalian cell culture. Demonstrated expertise in aseptic technique, routine and advanced cell culture, cell banking, and culture troubleshooting. Hands‑on experience with cell culture liquid handling techniques. Experience with flow cytometry / FACS acquisition and data analysis. Bonus Points For Experience culturing primary human or animal cells (e.g., PBMCs, T cells, tissue‑derived primary cells). Experience with iPSC culture and maintenance (e.g., feeder‑free systems, passaging techniques, pluripotency monitoring). Experience with cell engineering approaches such as lentiviral vector (LVV) transduction or CRISPR‑based editing. Familiarity with inventory/LIMS platforms. Lila Sciences is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. Information you provide during your application process will be handled in accordance with our Candidate Privacy Policy. #J-18808-Ljbffr Lila Sciences