Lab Technician - Biotech Startup

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NKA Bio

Lab Technician - Biotech Startup

Baltimore, MD
Full Time
Paid
  • Responsibilities

    Position Summary

    NKA Bio is seeking a motivated and detail-oriented Lab Technician to join our antibody engineering and assay development laboratory. This role reports directly to the CTO and is designed for an individual who can reliably execute laboratory work, maintain lab readiness, and support ongoing R&D efforts in a fast-paced startup environment.

    We are a mission-driven biotech company focused on solving critical problems in critical care medicine. The pace is fast, expectations are high, and autonomy is real. This is not a role for someone seeking rigid structure or narrow task lists. It is a role for someone who can take responsibility for routine laboratory execution, exercise sound judgment, and know when to ask for guidance.

    Key Responsibilities

    • Safely handle and work with biohazardous materials, including bacteria, fungi, mammalian cells, and blood, in compliance with laboratory safety and regulatory requirements.
    • Prepare physiologic buffers, reagents, and growth media using established internal SOPs or widely accepted common protocols.
    • Independently execute routine laboratory tasks (e.g., media and buffer preparation, autoclaving, sterile technique, bacterial culture setup) by referencing reputable sources such as manufacturer documentation, institutional SOPs, or standard molecular biology resources.
    • When procedures are not yet documented internally, draft a clear execution plan or SOP and review it with the team before first-time execution.
    • Support antibody expression, purification, and downstream processing activities.
    • Support molecular cloning workflows, including routine DNA handling and basic molecular biology techniques.
    • Perform basic laboratory operations, including cleaning and sterilizing glassware, inventory management, equipment upkeep, and general lab organization.
    • Maintain clear documentation in lab notebooks and internal records.

    Skills & Requirements

    • Prior hands-on laboratory experience in a biology, biochemistry, or related lab setting.
    • Demonstrated ability to follow established protocols precisely and independently execute standard laboratory procedures using common, well-documented methods.
    • Strong judgment around escalation: understands what constitutes a routine task versus a change that requires approval.
    • Comfortable sourcing and validating protocols (e.g., "how to make LB media") from reliable references and executing them correctly with appropriate authorization.
    • Organized, detail-oriented, and dependable in a laboratory environment.
    • Authorized to work in the United States without current or future employer sponsorship and able to meet eligibility requirements for handling export-controlled materials (e.g., ITAR or EAR compliance).

    Don't think you qualify? Tell us why we should hire you in a cover letter.

    This Role Is Not For You If…

    • You are primarily looking for stability, predictable hours, or tightly bounded responsibilities.
    • You are uncomfortable making decisions on routine tasks without step-by-step instructions.
    • You expect a manager to define your daily priorities or closely supervise execution.
    • You are looking for "a job" rather than an opportunity to earn rapid growth through responsibility.
    • You are unwilling to be evaluated based on output, reliability, and judgment rather than time spent.

    What Success Looks Like in the First 6 Months

    A successful Lab Technician in this role will:

    • Be trusted to execute routine laboratory work without supervision.
    • Identify gaps, ambiguities, or inefficiencies in existing procedures and proactively propose improvements.
    • Reduce friction for senior staff by solving small but persistent operational problems independently.
    • Take clear ownership of lab readiness, including reagents, inventory, cleanliness, and basic equipment upkeep.
    • Outgrow the initial scope of the role and justify increased responsibility, title growth, and compensation.

    Growth Expectations

    This role is intentionally designed with the expectation that the right candidate will outgrow it quickly. Exceptional performance may result in expanded responsibilities, title growth, and compensation increases within 6–9 months. Advancement is earned through demonstrated ownership, execution quality, and judgment.

    Application Requirement

    In your cover letter, describe a time you identified a missing, unclear, or poorly documented protocol and how you handled it. Focus on how you assessed the situation, what actions you took, and what the outcome was.

    Benefits & Details

    • Comprehensive paid training, including lab safety, standard operating procedures, and equipment handling.
    • Meaningful opportunities for professional development and skill growth in an early-stage biotech environment.

    Job Type: Full-time

    Lab Location

    2401 W. Belvedere Ave.
    Baltimore, MD 21215

    About NKA Bio

    NKA Bio is an early-stage biopharma company developing new medicines for critical care. Our lead program, NKA01, is being engineered into a low-volume, temperature-stable injectable designed to resuscitate and stabilize trauma patients, buying time for trauma teams to save lives.

    NKA Bio, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions are based on merit, competence, performance, and business needs. We do not discriminate on the basis of any protected characteristic under federal, state, or local law.