Department
BSD SRF - Human Tissue Resource Center

Job Summary
The Biobank Director provides strategic, operational, and regulatory leadership for the institution's biobanking program, overseeing the collection, processing, storage, management, and distribution of human biospecimens to support research. This role directs biobank operations, including laboratory activities, quality systems, personnel, biospecimen lifecycle management, infrastructure, and fee-for-service programs, while ensuring compliance with institutional policies, IRB requirements, CAP standards, and applicable regulations. Working collaboratively with investigators, clinical teams, research administration, and external partners, the Biobank Director advances operational excellence, develops standardized processes, and supports institutional research priorities through high-quality, sustainable biobanking services.

This at-will position is wholly or partially funded by contractual grant funding which is renewed under provisions set by the grantor of the contract. Employment will be contingent upon the continued receipt of these grant funds and satisfactory job performance.

Responsibilities

• In partnership with the Faculty Director, develops and executes the strategic vision for the biobank, ensuring alignment with institutional research priorities.
• Identifies opportunities for program growth, new services, technology implementation, and operational efficiencies. Represents the biobank on institutional committees, external collaborations, and professional organizations.
• Supports research initiatives and business development activities related to biospecimen services.
• Directs laboratory facility operations, including equipment procurement, vendor management, service contracts, and infrastructure planning.
• Collaborates with HTRC Histology and Faculty Director to troubleshoot technical and administrative challenges and implementing effective resolutions.
• Leads daily biospecimen operations, including tissue collection, as well as processing, storage, and shipment of tissue and biofluids.
• Aligns biobanking operations, resources, and strategic priorities with institutional research objectives and evolving clinical research needs.
• Partners with researchers to develop, implement, and update biospecimen banking protocols and Institutional Review Board (IRB) submissions.
• Provides operational and regulatory guidance to investigators on long-term research initiatives, biospecimen utilization, and departmental strategy.
• Serves as a key institutional contact for inspections, safety audits, and compliance reviews. Oversees data compliance reporting and monitoring activities.
• Oversees the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), LabVantage, ensuring system integrity, data quality, regulatory compliance, and optimization of biobanking workflows.
• Oversees the functionality, maintenance, validation, and repair of laboratory equipment; evaluates operational needs and recommends equipment acquisitions and capital funding requests.
• Directs laboratory facility operations, including equipment procurement, vendor management, service contracts, and infrastructure planning.
• Ensures biobanking operations and procedures comply with College of American Pathologists (CAP) and institutional requirements, and all applicable policies and procedures.
• Leads the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of standard operating procedures, workflows, and technical processes to improve efficiency and research quality. Directs all CAP accreditation activities, including inspection readiness, execution of inspections, and oversight of corrective actions and remediation of findings.
• Partners with Human Resources to support recruitment, hiring, onboarding, and professional development; manages employee relations mattering including performance management, compensation, and staff engagement.
• Develops organizational structure, staffing models, succession planning, and workforce development strategies to support current and future biobanking needs.
• Manages research professionals and support staff involved with planning, monitoring, and compliance aspects of research projects. Advises other researchers on long-range plans for research projects.
• Develops goals and operating procedures, practices, and guidelines for research activity based on department strategy.
• Manages the laboratory facilities, including the purchase of new equipment and the maintenance and repair of laboratory equipment.
• Reviews research of others, and may conduct own research, in area of expertise. Edits and approves articles, reports and manuscripts. Presents research findings at meetings and/or conferences. Manages the research of processes in clinical or non-clinical settings. Program and use computers to store, process, and analyze data.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:
Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:
Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

---

Preferred Qualifications

Experience:

• 10+ years of experience with biobanking and anatomic pathology laboratory.
• 7+ years of experience operating and managing core facilities/research or clinical laboratories.
• Experience with LabVantage LIM system.

Licenses and Certifications:

• American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) certification.
• ASCP Qualification in Biorepository Science (QBRS).

Preferred Competencies

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong analytical skills and exceptional attention to detail.
• Demonstrated responsibility, maturity, reliability and professionalism.
• Experience handling confidential and sensitive data with discretion.
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively within a team.
• Ability to interact effectively with a variety of healthcare professionals, including faculty investigators, research managers, nursing and technical staff.
• Familiarity with Windows-based operating systems and common software programs such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Web-based applications.

Working Conditions

• Laboratory and office settings.

Application Documents

• Resume (required)
• Cover Letter (preferred)

The University of Chicago uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions.

When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family
Research

Role Impact
People Manager

Scheduled Weekly Hours
40

Drug Test Required
Yes

Health Screen Required
Yes

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required
No

Pay Rate Type
Salary

FLSA Status
Exempt

Pay Range
$110,000.00 - $150,000.00
The included pay rate or range represents the University's good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible
Yes
The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.