Operations Lead

Location: Toronto, Canada (in-person)
Position: Full-time
Team: Strategy and Operations

Why Ephla Bio

Ephla Bio is developing the future of personalized therapeutics. Our team works across the San Francisco Bay Area, New York, and Toronto.

We're early, ambitious, and moving fast. This role is a chance to build the operating foundation of a company working to change how cancer is treated. We offer a high-trust environment where people own their work end-to-end and can see its impact.

The Opportunity

Ephla Bio is looking for an exceptionally capable generalist to run the operational backbone of the company. You'll keep our scientific and company initiatives moving from planning through delivery, and make sure the business behind the science runs smoothly.

You'll work directly with the CEO and alongside our scientific team, bringing structure to a fast-moving biotech environment. Success means nothing falls through the cracks: projects hit their milestones, filings and renewals happen on time, and leadership knows which decisions need their attention.

How your time splits (approximately):

• 50% project delivery: scientific and company initiatives, from plan to completion

• 30% business operations: finance and tax coordination, payroll, entity and compliance, assets

• 20% miscellaneous: executive support and all other important tasks to keep the company on track

What You Will Own

• Project delivery: Turn priorities into plans with clear owners, milestones, and deadlines. Drive projects through to completion.

• Coordination and risk: Keep scientific, executive, and external partners aligned on priorities and next steps. Identify dependencies, resource constraints, and delays early. Propose options and escalate decisions when needed. Connect our lab teams in San Francisco with our operations and software engineering teams in Toronto. Keep handoffs, timelines, and communication flowing across sites, and plan the travel, regular team syncs, and off-sites that keep a multi-city team working as one.

• Budgets and vendors: Track spending with finance and keep vendors and consultants accountable for timelines and deliverables.

• Business operations: Be the main point of contact for our accountants, tax advisors, and payroll provider. Keep tax filings, payroll, insurance, vehicle registrations, and other renewals on schedule.

• Systems and processes: Maintain clear project records and simplify recurring work through shared tools, templates, and automation.

• Executive support: Manage calendars, travel, and meeting logistics. Prepare meeting, board, and investor materials, and handle occasional administrative tasks.

Who You Are

• Relevant experience: 4–8 years in project management, operations, program coordination, clinical operations, or a comparable role, ideally at a startup or fast-growing company.

• Strong execution: A track record of managing competing deadlines and turning loosely defined requests into completed work. You clarify the goal, identify the next steps, and follow through without needing frequent direction.

• Organization and judgment: Clear communication, attention to detail, discretion with confidential financial and personnel information, and sound judgment about what to handle independently and when to escalate. When a decision is needed, you bring the relevant facts and a recommendation.

• Flexibility: Comfort with shifting priorities and moving easily between projects, operations, and administrative work.

Nice to Have

• Formal training in project management or equivalent experience.

• Scientific fluency: A background in biology or a related field, or equivalent working knowledge, with the ability to follow scientific discussions and understand implications for timelines and budgets.

• Biotech operations experience: Supporting early-stage biotech teams, clinical trial setup, CRO or CDMO relationships, regulatory documentation, or grant applications.

• AI-native ways of working: Hands-on experience using AI assistants and agents to draft documents, summarize meetings, research vendors and regulations, reconcile data, and automate recurring workflows.

• Tools and coordination: Comfort with project management tools, accounting and expense software, and executive calendar coordination.