About this role
Your mission • Lead and grow the Lab Operations team: a small, specialised crew that includes a safety officer (Sicherheitsbeauftragte*r), a lab operations specialist, and our data manager. You set priorities and standards and are accountable for the team's results. • Own the lab and pilot-plant infrastructure end to end: procurement, commissioning, calibration, preventive maintenance and documentation. This is the hands-on core of the role: you keep equipment available and the facility ready rather than working on scientific questions. • Be accountable for occupational safety in the lab and pilot plant: you make sure DGUV and GefStoffV standards, SOPs, and hazardous-substance and waste protocols are actually followe, your safety officer runs the day-to-day. • Own lab data management as a leadership topic: you set priorities and drive adoption and data discipline across the lab, your data manager builds and runs the systems, dashboards and databases. • Own the process for reactor safety and TÜV/inspection approvals: keep it structured, scheduled and compliant. The individual technical cases are led by the respective R&D teams, who hold the case lead and the required certifications. • Be the operational interface to R&D teams, infrastructure partners and vendors and the go-to troubleshooter who clears facility and logistics roadblocks. • Allocate people, equipment, lab space and consumables across current and future sites in line with R&D priorities. Your profile • Degree in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Process Engineering or a related technical field (M.Sc. preferred; a PhD is welcome but not required we value hands-on operational depth as highly as the academic title). • Min. 3 years of practical experience in lab and/or pilot-plant operations. Ideally you have worked inside a Lab Operations team and already taken first leadership steps as a deputy or stand-in. • First experience leading or coordinating people, and the instinct to deliver through specialists rather than doing everything yourself. • Solid practical grasp of lab and pilot-plant infrastructure, maintenance, procurement and safety frameworks (DGUV, GefStoffV). • Excellent communication skills in English (written and spoken); German language skills are advantageous but not necessary. • You bring a hands-on mindset, structure your work efficiently, and collaborate seamlessly across disciplines even under the dynamics of a fast-paced start-up environment. Why us? • Real Impact: Help redesign plastics for a truly circular economy. • Startup Mindset: Flat hierarchies, fast decisions and early responsibility as we scale. • Team Culture: Join a team of curious minds that challenge each other, collaborate openly and celebrate progress together. • Growth & Learning: Steep learning curves, regular feedback and room to grow with the company. • Well-being Perks – Hansefit membership and fresh fruit boost your overall health and well-being. ContactReady to become an aevoloopy? Apply directly or reach out if you have any questions about the role or working at aevoloop: [email protected] . About usWe are aevoloop - a fast-scaling deep-tech startup pioneering next-generation plastics for a circular economy. We re-engineer polymers from the ground up to combine high performance with true circularity and biodegradability - turning plastic waste into valuable new materials. Guided by our values Pioneering, Conscientious, Disruptive, Transparent and Contributive , we unite science with entrepreneurial execution to drive sustainable material innovation at scale. You want to find out more? • Breaking Lab Video on YouTube (German) | Deutsches Start-Up denkt Plastik molekular neu • Press release | aevoloop has secured €8.25 million • Article from MDR (News media) (German) | Plastik neu denken: Aevoloop entwickelt nachhaltige Kunststoffe aus Leipzig • Video on YouTube (German) | Forscher fragen: Die Plastikwende (2024) mit Manuel Häußler • SPRIN-D Podcast (German) | Interview with our Co-Founder Manuel Häußler Get our latest news on LinkedIn or our News Blog