Senior Lab Manager, Genomics at Feanix Biotechnologies in Scotts Valley, CA

Job description

About Feanix Bio Feanix is rebuilding animal breeding from the genome up. We’re a YC-backed startup using whole-genome sequencing and custom ML models to help dairy farmers make better breeding and herd management decisions. Our technology is genuinely novel: we can sequence a full genome from a single hair at a fraction of traditional industry costs, our models achieve ~90% prediction accuracy on traits where existing approaches sit closer to ~30%, and we’re pioneering farm-specific genomic predictions that turn genetics into practical, actionable decisions. That technology is translating into real adoption. In a short time, we’ve grown to serve roughly 1% of the U.S. dairy industry, with many customers in the pipeline. We started with dairy because our founders grew up on dairy farms and understand firsthand the problems we’re solving. But genetics is foundational to every agricultural industry, and dairy is only the beginning. We’re building Feanix with a small, high-caliber team where people have meaningful ownership and work end to end. There are no unnecessary layers and very little room for busywork — just difficult problems at the intersection of biology, data, and software that haven’t been solved before. If you’re exceptional at what you do and want your work to have a measurable impact on an entire industry, we’d love to build it with you. About the Role Feanix is looking for a Senior Lab Manager to lead the day-to-day operations and continued scale-up of our genomics lab in Scotts Valley, California. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who has helped take a startup or early-stage commercial lab from developing processes to running reliable, high-throughput production. You will own lab execution: throughput, quality, turnaround time, staffing, workflows, equipment, and the systems required to consistently hit production goals as volume grows. We're looking for someone who combines a strong scientific foundation with a production mindset. You understand the science behind the work, but you also care deeply about whether samples move through the lab accurately, efficiently, and on time. You enjoy building systems, identifying bottlenecks, raising the bar for quality, and creating a team that takes pride in winning together. This role is in-person in Scotts Valley, CA, Monday-Friday. What You'll Own Lab Operations & Production Own day-to-day operations of the Scotts Valley genomics lab, ensuring production, quality, and turnaround-time targets are consistently met. Build and scale laboratory workflows as sample volume and commercial demand increase. Establish production planning, capacity management, scheduling, and operating rhythms for the lab. Identify bottlenecks and implement process improvements that increase throughput, reliability, and efficiency. Develop and track operational KPIs, including throughput, turnaround time, failure and rework rates, equipment utilization, and quality metrics. Ensure the lab has the equipment, reagents, inventory, staffing, and processes necessary to meet production forecasts. Build systems and processes that allow the lab to scale without sacrificing speed or quality. Collaborate with the research team to coordinate equipment and lab time, and create operational working norms. Quality & Process Control Build a strong quality culture where accuracy, consistency, and reproducibility are fundamental to production. Develop, maintain, and continuously improve SOPs, QC checkpoints, documentation, and process controls. Investigate failures, deviations, and quality issues and drive corrective actions to prevent recurrence. Use data to understand process performance and continuously improve lab operations. Balance speed, cost, throughput, and quality as the operation scales. Sequencing Operations Oversee high-throughput next-generation sequencing workflows, with a strong emphasis on Illumina and other short-read NGS technologies. Ensure sequencing and sample-preparation workflow