Lab Coordinator (4263C), School of Public Health #90001

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Departmental Overview

At UC Berkeley School of Public Health (UCBPH), health equity and social justice are part of our DNA. For more than 75 years, we've been pushing boundaries and challenging the status quo. Established in 1943, we are a top-10 national school of public health located on the UC Berkeley campus, comprising six academic divisions, more than 20 graduate programs, and nearly 30 research centers and programs. Our mission is to improve population health, especially for the most vulnerable, and our most cherished values are health as a right; strength through diversity; thinking forward; and impact first. Learn more at: publichealth.berkeley.edu.

Led by Dr Charles Whittaker, the Pandemic and Epidemic Threat Analysis Lab (PETAL) at UC Berkeley is an interdisciplinary research group dedicated to reducing pandemic risks by turning cutting-edge computational science into actionable public-health guidance. The team at PETAL use cutting-edge computational modelling to explore how infectious diseases spread and to enhance preparedness and response strategies for public health emergencies, in work that is underpinned by a global partnership network spanning Africa, the Americas, Europe and Asia and close collaboration with public-health agencies and multilateral partners.

Position Summary

The Lab Coordinator runs the operational side of the Pandemic & Epidemic Threat Analysis Lab (PETAL), a computational research group of about ten people in the School of Public Health working to reduce the risk from pandemics and other major biological threats. The Lab Coordinator owns lab operations and logistics, HR and appointments, financial management, purchasing and reimbursements, and research administration end to end, enabling PETAL's researchers to spend their time on research that improves how the world prepares for and responds to outbreaks.

The Lab Coordinator is a core member of the team. Alongside running the lab's day-to-day operations, this position builds the systems, standard operating procedures and AI-enabled workflows that keep those operations efficient as PETAL expands. The role is motivated by PETAL's public-health mission, takes ownership, and spots and fixes problems before they land rather than waiting to be asked. As the lab grows, there is substantial scope for the role to grow with it, including taking on wider responsibility, contributing to grant development, managing relationships with funders and partners, and shaping how the lab plans and runs its operations.

Application Review Date

The First Review Date for this job is: November 27, 2026. Applications will continue to be on a rolling basis through December 13, 2026.

Responsibilities

HR - 15%

• Coordinate recruitment and hiring processes for GSRs, postdoctoral scholars, visiting scholars, student assistants, and other lab personnel and affiliates. Monitor appointment end dates and coordinate reappointments, as needed. Partner with Berkeley Regional Services to handle arrangements for international students and personnel, including visa coordination.
• Coordinate onboarding and offboarding for lab members, and build and maintain the lab's onboarding materials.

Finance - 15%

• Track spending across lab funds, monitor available balances, and reconcile monthly ledgers against each grant.
• Build a working knowledge of each award's terms and timelines and of the lab's commitments and plans, and use it to prepare regular summaries of spending and projected balances for the Director. Flag risks early, and bring recommended options for addressing them for the Director to decide on.

Research Administration & Grants Support - 15%

• Work with the Director and Berkeley Regional Services pre-award RAs to prepare the non-technical parts of grant proposals (statements of work, budgets and budget justifications, biosketches, letters of support and institutional documents), and keep track of proposal, reporting and renewal deadlines across the lab's awards. Coordinate post-award actions such as no-cost extensions, rebudgeting requests and progress reports with post-award RAs, and keep award documentation organized and up to date.

Purchasing & Reimbursements - 10%

• Perform lab purchasing, including via BearBuy and by holding a purchasing credit card and performing timely reconciliation in the Berkeley Financial System. Coordinate new vendor set-up, as needed. Prepare and submit reimbursements on behalf of lab personnel (travel, entertainment, other). Troubleshoot and resolve workflow and vendor issues.

Operations - 15%

• Organize lab events and associated logistics (meetings, seminar speakers, retreats, conference travel). Keep the lab's documentation, shared drives and mailing lists organized and up to date. Act as the first point of contact for operational questions from lab members, resolving issues promptly and fixing the underlying cause where possible.

Systems, SOPs & AI-enabled Operations - 20%

• Own the lab's standard operating procedures and internal guidance. Develop SOPs for recurring processes (e.g. onboarding, appointments, travel, purchasing, reimbursements and grant preparation) with input from the Director, monitor how well they work, and revise them as the lab's needs, campus policy or federal and state requirements change. Identify routine work that can be streamlined or automated, and implement improvements using AI tools and other university-approved software, in line with UC data-security policy. Help lab members adopt new tools and processes.

• Participate in trainings, workshops, and other professional development activities; may participate in committees, projects, and other service activities.

• Perform other duties, as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Experience coordinating HR activities, purchasing/reimbursements, finance and/or operations.
• Proficient in communicating clearly and effectively, both verbally and in writing, and in integrating information in the completion of assignments.
• Proven ability to organize work functions in an efficient and effective manner.
• Strong customer service orientation, including excellent interpersonal skills to be able to work with a wide range of faculty, researchers, staff, and students.
• Ability to use sound judgment in responding to issues and concerns.
• Ability in problem identification and reasoning; ability to develop original ideas to solve problems.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and in collaboration with team members.
• Thorough knowledge of common computer applications and web-based collaboration tools; ability to learn new technological platforms.
• Experience using generative AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot) and automation or no-code tools to streamline administrative or operational work, including building reusable AI-assisted workflows (e.g. custom assistants, templates or automations) rather than only ad hoc use, with sound judgment about data privacy and security.
• Demonstrated experience designing, documenting and implementing new processes, workflows or standard operating procedures (not only following existing ones), and improving them over time.
• Track record of taking ownership of work: spotting problems or inefficiencies early and resolving them with minimal direction.
• Experience supporting grant proposals or research administration (e.g. preparing budgets, budget justifications, biosketches or sponsor reports).
• Experience in a small or fast-growing organization (e.g. a start-up, non-profit or new research group) where operational processes had to be built from scratch.
• Interest in public health, pandemic preparedness or biosecurity, and motivation to contribute to PETAL's mission as a core member of the team.

Preferred Qualifications

• Working knowledge of UC Berkeley systems, such as BearBuy, BFS, the reimbursement system, CalAnswers, HR Service Hub, UCPath, etc. and/or the ability to learn
• Experience working in a research environment.
• Experience coordinating HR activities, purchasing/reimbursements, finance and/or operations within higher education institution(s).
• Thorough knowledge of common computer applications and web-based collaboration tools; ability to learn new technological platforms.

Education / Training

• Bachelor's degree in related area and/or equivalent experience/training

Salary & Benefits

For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University, please visit the University of California's Compensation & Benefits website.

Under California law, the University of California, Berkeley is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role and should not offer a salary outside of the range posted in this job announcement. This range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions, including but not limited to experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, analysis of internal equity, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience.

The budgeted hourly range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $34.06 - $40.75, Step 1 - 9. The full pay scale for this classification is $34.06 - $59.67, Step 1 - 26.

• This is a non-exempt, bi-weekly paid position.
• This is a 50-100% (20-40 hours per week), Variable, Career position that is eligible for UC benefits.

How to Apply

To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter.

Other Information

• This position is eligible for up to 1 day/week remote work within the United States. Exact arrangements are determined in partnership with your supervisor to meet role responsibilities and department needs and are subject to change.
• This is not a visa opportunity. This position does not include sponsorship of a new consular H-1B visa petition that would require payment of the $100,000 supplemental fee.
• This position is governed by the terms and conditions in the agreement for the Clerical & Allied Services Unit (CX) between the University of California and Teamsters Local 2010. The current bargaining agreement manual can be found at: http://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/labor/bargaining-units/cx/index.html

Conviction History Background

This is a designated position requiring fingerprinting and a background check due to the nature of the job responsibilities. Berkeley does hire people with conviction histories and reviews information received in the context of the job responsibilities. The University reserves the right to make employment contingent upon successful completion of the background check.

Misconduct

As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.

"Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC's policies addressing some forms of misconduct:

UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy

UC Anti-Discrimination Policy

Abusive Conduct in the Workplace

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.