Lab Manager

Tiny Health is advancing lifelong health, from the first 1,000 days to the last, and addressing chronic disease through precision microbiome science. Founded in 2020 and built by microbiome scientists and physicians, our testing platform reveals whether your microbiome is trending toward resilience or imbalances using shotgun metagenomics, proprietary AI, and one of the world's largest longitudinal datasets. Trusted by families and health practitioners alike, our research-backed gut and vaginal tests are redefining the microbiome as a cornerstone of personalized health through every life stage. Learn more at tinyhealth.com and poweredbytiny.com.

As Lab Manager, you will oversee the day-to-day operations of Tiny Health's St. Louis laboratory while serving as a key contributor to our microbiome research and development efforts. This is a hands-on role for an experienced scientist who enjoys both bench work and laboratory leadership.

You will independently manage laboratory workflows including microbial culturing, DNA extraction, sequencing library preparation, sample processing, and protocol execution. Beyond maintaining efficient laboratory operations, you will help develop and optimize new protocols, design and execute experiments, analyze results, and contribute to advancing our microbiome science initiatives.

We are looking for someone who is highly organized, resourceful, and comfortable operating with significant autonomy. The ideal candidate enjoys solving problems, building systems, and taking ownership of both scientific and operational outcomes. This position reports directly to the Chief Science Officer and works closely with our broader science team.

• Manage day-to-day operations of Tiny Health's St. Louis laboratory

• Perform microbiology and molecular biology workflows, including bacterial culturing, DNA extraction, library preparation, and sample processing

• Develop, optimize, document, and implement laboratory protocols and standard operating procedures

• Design and execute experiments to support internal research and product development initiatives

• Analyze experimental results and communicate findings to cross-functional stakeholders

• Maintain laboratory inventory, supplies, equipment, and consumables

• Manage laboratory purchasing, shipping, vendor relationships, and budget tracking

• Ensure compliance with laboratory safety standards and quality control procedures

• Troubleshoot technical challenges and identify opportunities to improve laboratory efficiency

• Collaborate with scientists, bioinformaticians, and external partners to advance research objectives

• Maintain accurate laboratory records and experimental documentation

• Bachelor's, Master's, or equivalent experience in Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, Biological Sciences, or a related field

• 5+ years of hands-on laboratory experience in microbiology, molecular biology, or related disciplines

• Experience culturing and maintaining bacterial strains under sterile conditions

• Experience with DNA extraction, PCR, NGS library preparation, and related molecular biology techniques

• Demonstrated ability to develop, optimize, and implement laboratory protocols

• Experience independently designing and executing experiments

• Ability to perform basic statistical analysis and interpret experimental data

• Experience managing laboratory inventory, supplies, equipment, and operational workflows

• Strong organizational skills with meticulous attention to detail

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Ability to work independently and prioritize competing responsibilities in a fast-paced environment

• Experience working with microbiome, microbial ecology, or sequencing-based research programs

• Experience with shotgun metagenomic sequencing workflows

• Experience managing laboratory budgets, purchasing, and vendor relationships

• Previous experience in a startup, biotech, or early-stage company environment

• Familiarity with R, Python, or other tools for basic data analysis and visualization

• Experience supporting product development or translational research programs

• Work experience in DTC health, diagnostics, or wellness companies

• Experience working remotely, with proficiency in Slack

• Self-directed, proactive, and comfortable with ambiguity

• A mission that actually pulls people in
  Most people here could be doing something easier. They’re not, because this work makes the microbiome measurable and actionable at every life stage — and the results land on real people who write in to tell us that we are life-changing to them. That feedback loop is the perk. It’s not just a job.

• Remote-first, real overlap
  We’re a very diverse, international team, although we only hire FTEs in North America. Core hours are 9am–6pm CST, shiftable by up to two hours either way — start at 7am or 11am, wrap at 4pm or 8pm. Pick your window; just be findable in it.

• Written first, huddle second, meet last
  Default to a clear Slack post: say whether you need a decision, an approval, or nothing at all. When a thread starts ping-ponging, jump into a huddle — ten minutes of voice beats forty of paragraphs. Meetings are the expensive option, so each one needs a decision to make, a preread or strawman sent ahead, and only the people who can actually make that call.

• Fast, but never sloppy
  We ask “how do we do the two-month thing in two weeks?” — and then we check the work. We’re a health company: results, science, and anything a customer or practitioner touches get a second set of eyes, always. Moving fast and being careful aren’t in tension here; shipping errors isn’t speed, it’s rework.

• Shape what we build, not just how we build it
  There’s no playbook waiting for you — you’ll write it, and that’s most true the more senior you are. Ideas get judged on whether they’re executed right, not on who raised them, and the person closest to the problem is usually the one who should be proposing the fix. Bring the alternative, not just the objection.

• Day One mentality
  Fewer titles, fewer layers, fewer moving parts. Real process exists where it counts — data, lab, science, compliance, money — and we follow it, but process is a guardrail, not a destination. Process bloat is never the reason something didn’t ship.

• No hidden agendas
  Transparency mean you’ll always understand how decisions are being made, especially at the top. We spend less time on politics and more on impact. Numbers, misses, and hard calls get shared openly. Feedback works the same way: in real time, not stockpiled for a review cycle. It’s a no-surprises culture: you should always know where you stand, and if you don’t, ask.

• High standards, genuinely fun people
  Our CEO has been described as goofy but serious, direct but likable — and that sets the temperature. We take the work seriously and ourselves much less so. High-performing and fun to be around isn’t a contradiction; it’s the hiring bar.

• Is this pace for you?
  We’re a venture-scaled company on a steep trajectory, and the pace is part of the job. There’s no deep bench to absorb the overflow, which is exactly why the scope here is bigger than it would be anywhere else at your level. We protect flexibility fiercely — more than half of us have kids — and ask for intensity in spikes, not as a constant grind. There’s no defined ladder. Perform, and you’ll move faster here than anywhere else.

1. Learn Fast, Get Better - Find the root cause, not just the fix, and get better every time

2. Be Relentlessly Resourceful - Dig for the answer, move fast, and know when to ask for help

3. Think Like an Owner, Act with Urgency - Act like it’s your company, and do whatever it takes to win

4. Act with Honesty and Empathy - Say what’s true, and say it with care

5. Delight People by Anticipating Their Needs - Solve the problem, then get two steps ahead of it