Senior Project Coordinator, Laboratory Services

The Senior Project Coordinator plays a critical role in supporting the successful execution of translational research projects at Foresight Diagnostics. This individual will serve as a highly cross-functional and customer-facing operational lead responsible for coordinating sample logistics, managing project timelines, communicating with external partners, and ensuring timely, high-quality delivery of laboratory services and data.

This role serves as the operational bridge between external customers—including biopharmaceutical companies, clinical research organizations (CROs), and academic research partners—and internal teams across Laboratory Services, Clinical Operations, Bioinformatics, Software, and Alliance Management. The Senior Project Coordinator will oversee end-to-end project coordination activities from study startup through data delivery while driving operational excellence, proactive communication, and customer satisfaction.

In addition, this role will directly manage other Laboratory Services team member(s) and partner closely with laboratory leadership to optimize sample flow, sequencing prioritization, turnaround time, and project execution in a fast-paced, highly regulated environment.

This position reports to the Director, Laboratory Operations.

• Serve as the primary operational point of contact for external customers, including biopharma sponsors, CROs, and research collaborators. 
• Coordinate study startup activities, operational readiness, communication plans, and project execution strategies with internal and external stakeholders. 
• Manage customer communications regarding sample receipt, processing progress, timeline updates, risks, delays, and data delivery milestones. 
• Coordinate inbound and outbound sample shipments, manifests, reconciliations, and chain-of-custody activities. 
• Facilitate timely and accurate return of project data, reports, and study deliverables to external partners. 
• Manage sample return, storage, archival, and destruction activities according to study requirements and contractual obligations. 
• Build strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders while maintaining a high level of professionalism and customer service. 

• Coordinate sample flow and project prioritization across laboratory operations to support turnaround time commitments and customer expectations. 
• Monitor sequencing queues, laboratory capacity, instrumentation availability, and workflow bottlenecks to optimize operational efficiency. 
• Track project progress through accessioning, sample processing, sequencing, analysis, and reporting workflows. 
• Ensure reprocessing activities and operational escalations when quality or performance requirements are not met. 
• Ensure all expected samples for internal and external projects are received, processed, and resulted appropriately. 

• Maintain accurate and complete project tracking information within LIMS, Salesforce, JIRA, dashboards, and other operational systems. 
• Reconcile contracted sample volumes against received samples, completed testing, and delivered results. 
• Monitor sample query workflows and coordinate resolution of missing, discrepant, or corrected information with internal teams and external partners. 
• Develop and maintain detailed project trackers, operational dashboards, and status reports for internal and customer-facing updates. 
• Support laboratory forecasting and planning activities through tracking of sample volume projections, project timelines, and operational constraints. 

• Review sample quality metrics and coordinate reprocessing workflows in partnership with laboratory leadership. 
• Lead investigations related to operational deviations, sample discrepancies, nonconformances, and corrective actions. 
• Coordinate sample inventory activities, freezer audits, reconciliations, and documentation management. 
• Identify opportunities to improve operational workflows, communication processes, and project coordination systems. 
• Collaborate with operational, engineering, and software teams to implement workflow improvements and scalable operational solutions. 

• Directly manage and mentor Laboratory Services team member(s), including workload prioritization, training, and professional development. 
• Collaborate effectively across Laboratory Operations, Clinical Operations, Bioinformatics, Software, and Alliance Management teams. 
• Drive alignment between laboratory execution, customer expectations, and broader program timelines. 
• Influence cross-functional stakeholders and facilitate issue resolution in a fast-paced environment without direct authority. 

• Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Molecular Biology, Genetics, Biomedical Sciences, or related scientific discipline. 
• 6+ years of experience in laboratory operations, project coordination, clinical research operations, or related roles within the diagnostics, genomics, biotechnology, or biopharmaceutical industry. 
• Strong understanding of next-generation sequencing (NGS) workflows and laboratory operations. 
• Experience coordinating complex operational workflows across multiple concurrent projects and stakeholders. 
• Experience working in regulated laboratory environments operating under CAP/CLIA, GxP, or equivalent quality systems. 
• Experience interacting directly with external customers, sponsors, CROs, or research collaborators.
• Experience in people management and mentoring.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel. 
• Experience with LIMS platforms, Salesforce or other CRM systems, and workflow management tools such as JIRA. 
• Strong organizational skills with exceptional attention to detail and follow-through. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with a strong customer service orientation. 
• Ability to manage competing priorities and adapt in a fast-paced operational environment. 
• Demonstrated success working cross-functionally and influencing without direct authority. 

• • Experience supporting oncology, molecular diagnostics, or translational research programs. 
  • Familiarity with Illumina sequencing workflows, BaseSpace, and sample sheet creation. 
  • Experience handling genomic or clinical datasets. 
  • Basic programming or data analysis experience in R or Python. 
  • Working knowledge of project management methodologies and operational process improvement practices.

Natera™ is a global leader in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) testing, dedicated to oncology, women’s health, and organ health. Our aim is to make personalized genetic testing and diagnostics part of the standard of care to protect health and enable earlier and more targeted interventions that lead to longer, healthier lives.

The Natera team consists of highly dedicated statisticians, geneticists, doctors, laboratory scientists, business professionals, software engineers and many other professionals from world-class institutions, who care deeply for our work and each other. When you join Natera, you’ll work hard and grow quickly. Working alongside the elite of the industry, you’ll be stretched and challenged, and take pride in being part of a company that is changing the landscape of genetic disease management.