Vivarium Operations Manager

Position Summary

Astera Neuro is a neuroscience research company building the tools and infrastructure required to understand how the brain works at scale. We are bringing online a new rodent vivarium in Emeryville to support our in vivo neuroscience programs, including a substantial optogenetics and advanced imaging portfolio, and we need an experienced operations leader to take the facility from where it is today to a fully running, inspection-ready environment our scientists can rely on.

This role spans two phases. In the spin-up phase you will secure our site permits and regulatory registrations, qualify vendors, develop SOPs, and operationalize the facility under Astera Neuro's program. Once running, you will manage the vivarium day to day, including husbandry oversight, supplies and inventory, vendor relationships, training, ongoing permit maintenance, and the systems that keep our scientists productive. The right person treats safety and compliance as the foundation for ambitious science, not as an obstacle to it.

About Astera Neuro

Astera Neuro is a neuroscience research company building the tools and infrastructure required to understand how the brain works at scale. We develop cutting-edge hardware and recording systems, with the goal of enabling the next generation of discoveries about neural circuits, cognition, and behavior.

What You'll Do

Spin-up phase

• Secure Astera Neuro's site permits and regulatory registrations including USDA APHIS Class R, PHS Assurance through OLAW, and the path to AAALAC accreditation.
• Stand up the IACUC infrastructure with the attending veterinarian and external regulatory consultants.
• Develop the SOP library covering husbandry, sanitation, biosecurity, environmental monitoring, emergency response, and occupational health.
• Source and qualify vendors for caging, feed, bedding, enrichment, animal supply, waste handling, and equipment service.
• Verify that facility systems and equipment meet program requirements and arrange any commissioning or qualification needed before animals arrive.

Ongoing operations

• Oversee daily husbandry, sanitation, environmental monitoring, and animal health programs in coordination with the attending veterinarian.
• Manage rodent colony tracking, breeding records, and census reporting.
• Own ordering, inventory, and budget tracking for animals, supplies, and equipment.
• Maintain all site permits, registrations, and accreditations on a current basis, including renewals, annual reports, and program-change notifications.
• Run the occupational health and safety program and maintain continuous readiness for IACUC, USDA, and AAALAC inspections.
• Coordinate with PIs and research staff on protocol scheduling, procedure room access, training, and support for specialized experimental setups.
• Hire, train, and supervise a small husbandry and technical team as the program scales.
• Build the records and reporting that give scientific and executive leadership clear visibility into facility operations.

What We're Looking For

• Five or more years of progressive experience in vivarium or laboratory animal facility operations, including time in a supervisory or lead role, with prior experience standing up or significantly reorganizing a vivarium program strongly preferred.
• Hands-on knowledge of rodent husbandry, breeding, and colony management.
• Working familiarity with the regulatory landscape: USDA APHIS, PHS Policy and OLAW, the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, AAALAC standards, and IACUC processes.
• AALAS LAT certification required at hire, with LATG either held or in progress.
• Demonstrated commitment to animal welfare and occupational safety, with a track record of building safety culture rather than enforcing it from above.
• Strong project and operations management skills. You can hold a permit timeline, a vendor quote, an SOP review, and a husbandry roster in your head and move all of them forward at once.
• Comfort in an early-stage environment where the playbook is still being written.
• Excellent communication skills with researchers, vendors, regulators, and senior leadership.

Bonus

• AALAS certification at the LAT or LATG level.
• Experience standing up a vivarium or securing USDA, OLAW, or AAALAC registrations for a new program.
• Familiarity with optogenetics and in vivo imaging workflows, including laser safety, light-tight rooms, care of animals with chronic optical or electrode implants, and supporting researchers running two-photon or holographic stimulation experiments.
• Experience with non-rodent species or NHP facilities.
• Familiarity with vivarium management or colony tracking software.

Education

Backgrounds in animal science, biology, veterinary technology, or related life sciences are welcome. No specific degree is required. We value demonstrated skill and relevant experience as much as formal credentials.

Schedule and Working Conditions

• On-site role at our Emeryville facility, with on-call rotation and periodic weekend or holiday coverage required to maintain animal health and facility operations.
• Comfort working in a vivarium environment, including the use of PPE, regular exposure to laboratory animal allergens (mouse and rat dander), and the ability to lift up to 50 pounds and stand or walk for extended periods.

Compensation

The base salary range for this role is $140,000 to $180,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications. Compensation also includes a comprehensive benefits package.

• Benefits summary