Operations Specialist/Associate

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  • Project/Division: Operations
  • Start date: As soon as possible
  • Status: Full-time employee
  • Starting compensation: $80,000 to $95,000 (Specialist) or $95,000 to $110,000 (Associate), depending on experience
  • Visa sponsorship available: No
  • Work location: In-person in Cambridge, MA

The role

SecureBio is a pioneering biosecurity research nonprofit, dedicated to protecting society from catastrophic biological risks. We collaborate with leading experts across academia, industry, and government to develop novel technologies and forward-thinking policy proposals to delay, detect, and defend against the most dangerous biological agents, both natural and engineered. Our key programs include the Detection for early warning of catastrophic biothreats and our AI and Biotechnology Risks effort. Both programs are expanding rapidly, and we are growing the organization as a result.

In this position, you will play a vital connective role across the organization: the person who ensures our office space runs and grows flawlessly, that our people feel supported, and our culture is vibrant and welcoming. You’ll partner closely with our small operations team, enable our scientific and program teams to do their best work, and shape the experience of working at SecureBio from day one.

If you are someone who takes pride in making complex systems feel effortless, loves building environments where people thrive, and finds deep satisfaction in behind-the-scenes excellence, this role is designed for you. This role involves some unglamorous but essential and valued work, so it’s important that you’re willing to roll up your sleeves to make SecureBio a productive and joyful place to work.

We’re hiring for this role at two levels: Specialist and Associate. The appropriate level will depend on your experience. Both roles involve the responsibilities listed below, while the Associate role includes greater ownership of larger projects and a higher degree of autonomy.

Responsibilities

Across both levels, we’re seeking someone flexible and enthusiastic about providing essential operational support wherever it’s needed.

  • Office Operations & Facilities Keep our offices running smoothly and look for ways to make them run better, from managing vendor relationships to setting up workspaces to keeping the kitchen and pantry stocked.
  • Special Projects & Continuous Improvement Own projects that improve how the office works as we grow, like revamping how new hires onboard to the equipment and tools they need or reworking how a shared space functions. Day to day, you’ll bring the same critical eye to smaller wins: streamlining a recurring workflow, improving a vendor arrangement, or introducing a tool that saves the team time.
  • People & Culture Help create a warm, organized, and welcoming workplace for staff, visitors, and external partners. Coordinate onboarding logistics for new hires, support team events and recurring office gatherings, and look for ways to make the in-office experience smoother, more connected, and more energizing.
  • Administrative & Executive Support Support our team and leadership (managing calendars, triaging tasks, drafting communications, and handling travel logistics). You will also handle day-to-day administrative work, including routing mail, managing software subscriptions, and serving as the primary point of contact for visitors.
  • IT, Systems, and Documentation Coordinate lightweight IT and systems administration in partnership with vendors or internal owners. This may include administering SaaS accounts, maintaining tech inventory, supporting office AV, documenting recurring workflows, and flagging risk areas before they become problems.
  • Purchasing & Spend Handle purchasing for business needs via Amazon and other vendors, ensuring appropriate tracking and accountability. Look for opportunities to reduce costs or consolidate vendors.

At the Associate level

The Associate role covers everything above, with greater emphasis on project ownership, independent problem-solving, and building systems that scale. If you join at this level, you’d also:

  • Help drive major operational projects from start to finish, like supporting the wet lab buildout or assessing our space needs as headcount grows. This includes organizing and supporting large team events, like our org-wide or team retreats and events with external collaborators.
  • Take on more analytical and people operations work, like running employee satisfaction surveys, conducting staff interviews to surface needs and pain points, and synthesizing what you learn into clear recommendations we can act on.
  • Operate with a high degree of autonomy and serve as a resource for the rest of the operations team, problem-solving and providing coverage when needed.

Experience & Skills

  • Specialist: Bachelor’s degree OR 2+ years of work experience in a similar role.
  • Associate: At least 3 years of relevant experience, ideally in an operations or project-management role.
  • Experience coordinating admin tasks for a team, preferably in tech or biotech.
  • A clear, concise communicator. You write emails and messages that are easy to read and get to the point.
  • Proactive and improvement-oriented. You don’t wait to be asked: you notice what’s not working and take initiative to fix it, seeking out opportunities to improve organizational performance at the operational level.
  • Highly organized and focused. You can juggle diverse daily tasks, keep nothing from falling through the cracks, and communicate your priorities clearly to colleagues.
  • Warm and professional. You bring a friendly, welcoming energy to interactions with teammates, visitors, and vendors while maintaining a polished, professional presence.
  • Autonomous and dependable. You operate independently, take full ownership of your workstreams, and follow through without needing close supervision.
  • Technologically capable. You are comfortable learning and using common workplace tools such as Slack, Asana, Google Workspace, and AI tools to improve day-to-day workflows
  • Discreet and trustworthy with confidential or sensitive information.
  • Ability to occasionally lift and carry items up to 35 lbs.
  • Preferred: experience using AI tools or automation to streamline administrative or operational workflows.

For the Associate level in particular, we’re looking for strong project-management instincts (you can take a loosely scoped problem, break it down, and find solutions), comfort with spreadsheets and automation, and good instincts for stakeholder management and keeping multiple workstreams on track.

Salary & Benefits

Your starting salary range is $80,000 to $95,000 for the Specialist level and $95,000–$110,000 for the Associate level.

Our employee benefits reflect our belief in investing to build the strongest possible team, in which everyone receives the trust and support they need to excel. In addition to the below, our benefits package includes:


Comprehensive healthcare

Comprehensive healthcare coverage, including health, dental & vision insurance, as well as a yearly mental health allowance for every employee.

Flexible work schedule

Flexible work hours; unlimited paid time off (PTO) for all employees; and minimum 12 weeks fully-paid parental leave.

Development opportunities

Generous professional development opportunities, including fully-paid conference sponsorships and a yearly development allowance for every employee.

401(k)

Employer 401(k) match up to 4% of total salary.

Excellent offices

Superb working environments in our Kendall Square offices, including high-quality ergonomic office equipment, snacks, and daily catered lunches.

Relocation & commuter support

Free commuter benefits up to $250/month, plus a generous relocation allowance for employees who move to the Boston area.


Application process

We will review applications on a rolling basis and are looking for someone to start as soon as possible. After considering your written application, we will invite select candidates to a 30-minute work test. High-performing candidates may be invited to further interviews and/or paid trial tasks. We will also require up to two reference checks, and our final offer is conditional on passing a background check.

We’re committed to fostering a culture of inclusion, and we encourage individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences to apply. We are an equal opportunity employer.

If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, or have any other questions about applying, please contact careers@securebio.org.

Referral bonus

We offer a referral bonus of up to $3,000 to individuals who refer successful candidates for this position:

  • If you refer a candidate that completes an onsite work trial, you will receive $400;
  • If the candidate accepts a job offer, you will receive a further $1,100, for a total of $1,500;
  • If the candidate is still working with us after the six months from their start date, you will receive a further $1,500, for a total of $3,000.

To receive these bonuses, we must reasonably believe that you were responsible for referring the candidate to us (e.g. due to you introducing them to us when we didn’t previously know them, or them mentioning you on their application as the reason they heard about the position).