Lab Manager Visa Sponsorship Jobs in California
Lab manager visa sponsorship jobs in California span the state's leading research universities, biopharma giants, and medical device firms. Employers in the San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego's Torrey Pines corridor, and Los Angeles hire internationally for roles overseeing laboratory operations, safety compliance, and research infrastructure across life sciences, clinical research, and advanced materials sectors.
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Get Access To All JobsINTRODUCTION
At the University of California, Berkeley, we are dedicated to fostering a community where everyone feels welcome and can thrive. Our culture of openness, freedom, and belonging makes it a special place for students, faculty, and staff, who are among the most talented and accomplished anywhere, including Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, and MacArthur Fellows. Since our founding in 1868, we have been an engine for innovation - driving intellectual, economic, and social progress that benefits California, the U.S., and beyond. Together, we change the world.
At Berkeley, the best careers are built on a foundation of continuous learning and growth. We actively support professional development by providing all full-time staff employees with at least 80 hours of paid time per year and provide space for supportive colleague communities via numerous employee resource groups.
We invite applicants who are inspired by our Principles of Community and who are eager to be part of our exciting Strategic Plan, which charts Berkeley's next era of excellence.
DEPARTMENTAL OVERVIEW
Physics is the largest department in the L&S Division of Mathematical and Physical Sciences. It is ranked as one of the top physics departments in the world, with excellence in research, teaching, and service to the community all highly valued. The department has 80 ladder and active emeriti faculty, 60 career and casual staff, and 300 lecturers, teaching assistants, readers, research personnel, postdocs, fellowship recipients, and visiting scholars. It enrolls 250 graduate students, 250 undergraduate majors, and over 7,000 students in its courses, many with laboratory sections. Its faculty fully participates in teaching and administration and conducts world-class research in campus, local, national, and international laboratories and sites; research activities require active financial arrangements with organizations such as Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. Physics manages 3 distinct campus buildings in its facilities complex with 240,000 assignable square feet, and it also houses and provides services to several research centers, the Physics Library, and multiple research Laboratories with varying physical environments.
Position Summary
The Advanced Lab Manager manages the laboratories for two upper-division lab courses that comprise the Physics 111 Lab, enrolling 85-100 students per semester. This position plans, directs, executes and evaluates the operations of the lab on a day-to-day basis and participates in the committee of faculty and staff responsible for providing overall direction and establishing priorities for the 111 lab. The Advanced Lab Manager builds and maintains experiments, supports the management of a network of over 40 computers and servers, trains instructors in operation of the experiments, assists with student laboratory instruction, supervises student assistants, and purchases equipment and supplies. This position works with faculty, students, and staff to develop new experiments and performs engineering activities including conception, design, construction, and testing of experiments, as well as documentation and editing of instructional materials. The two courses managed by this position are critical to the success of the department's undergraduate major. It is in Physics 111 that students learn to do experimental physics, from experimental design, to hands-on experience in acquiring data and troubleshooting apparatus, to analyzing and communicating results in a professional manner. More than any other course, the 111 lab prepares students to work productively in an academic or industrial research environment.
APPLICATION REVIEW DATE
The First Review Date for this job is: November 19, 2026
For full consideration, please apply on or before the first review date.
Responsibilities
Engineering support of upper-level physics instructional lab courses - 25%
- Design, build and maintain functional laboratory stations for electronics and instrumentation course.
- Assemble and maintain 20 or more complex experiments for advanced physics labs.
- In collaboration with instructors, develop and maintain instructional materials, including lab manuals, additional readings, safety procedures, instructional videos, and course websites.
- Estimate time, materials and labor costs for in-house machine shop fabrication.
- Design and build research-grade instructional experiments, including magnetic field coils and power supplies for vacuum systems.
- Generate design drawings and specifications for vacuum chambers, equipment racks, and optical benches for in-house machine shop fabrication.
- Design circuits and feedback control systems for thermal electric controllers and cold traps.
Computer Programming and Technology - 25%
- Support the management of the 111 lab information technology resources, including a server-based network of 40+ computers, and interface with an external systems administrator/security provider. Assign group policies to individual student accounts.
- Write or oversee writing of programs for data acquisition, signal processing, and experiment control in LabView, Matlab, and other languages/applications as appropriate.
- Design, update, and maintain the course Github and associated website. Provide online access by students and instructors to all instructional materials, including videos, published references, lab manuals, and software.
- Produce, edit, and process to final form training videos for lab exercises and safety procedures.
Innovation and Development - 20%
- Work with faculty, staff, and students to develop new experiments, overseeing all stages of development.
- Determine project specifications and parameters.
- Perform design, construction, assembly, and testing of complex experimental and instrument systems. Utilize departmental shops effectively in design and fabrication.
- Write and edit instruction materials; pilot test new experiments with students.
- Seek innovative ways to improve existing experiments, make experiments more cost-effective and efficient, and enhance instructional opportunities. Consult experts outside the course instructors and university as appropriate.
Administration - 15%
- Plan and administer lab schedules, schedules of due dates, and equipment assignments.
- Assist with EH&S Safety inspections including Laser, Laboratory, and Radiation safety.
- Maintain Chemical Inventory.
- Assign radiation rings to students and collect them by the end of the semester.
- Create SOP's for experiments and provide guidelines for safe use of lasers and radiation sources.
- Maintain inventory of supplies and equipment to sustain operations without interruption; procure parts and equipment.
- Plan and administer course budgets and other fund sources, such as grants and donations. Provide reports on financial status as needed to supervisor and 111 lab committee. Participate in grant-writing and fund-raising.
- Promote a safe work environment for students, staff, and instructors. Comply with campuses, state, and federal requirements for safe conditions and procedures in the laboratory.
- Serve on department or campus service committees as assigned.
Supervision and Instruction - 10%
- Directly supervise 1-3 part-time student assistants (maximum 0.50 FTE) and any other staff positions that may be assigned. Schedule and assign projects.
- Supervise summer student interns (typically two to four) working to develop and improve experiments.
- Train and instruct faculty and graduate student instructors in the operation of experiments and in the ways that course policies are typically carried out.
- Assist instructors with answering student questions and troubleshooting problems encountered by students during experiments.
- Coordinate activities of six half-time graduate student instructors as directed by course faculty.
- Ensure work is completed in a timely and efficient manner.
Employee Development - 5%
- Attend workshops, conventions, and classes as needed to develop new programming and technical skills and knowledge.
- Build relationships with colleagues doing some similar work at other universities through visits and participation in professional conferences.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Thorough knowledge associated with the planning, development, and construction of advanced physics experiments, specialized design work, and necessary to apply principles, practices and procedures in the completion of assignments.
- Effective communication skills, both written and verbal, to convey complex information in a clear and concise manner.
- Advanced interpersonal and presentation skills.
- Ability to work in a collaborative manner; identify challenges and barriers and recommend resolutions, and ability to lead and influence others.
- Information Technology knowledge sufficient to support the management of a large network of instructional computers.
- Understanding of procedures within the Physics Department for requesting purchase orders, arranging for facilities maintenance and improvements, using departmental shops, and complying with requirements.
- Knowledge of campus business policies and procedures that affect the Lab.
- Knowledge of electronics engineering, vacuum technology, electrical power, high voltage, digital logic circuits, analog circuits, cryogenics, and radiation and laser safety.
- Knowledge of and experience programming in LabVIEW and code-based languages suitable for data acquisition, signal processing, and data analysis.
- Expertise in Windows operating systems ranging from Windows 7 through the current OS. Familiarity with Windows Server, Unix, and Linux preferred.
- Understanding of physical principles of classical physics, atomic physics, nuclear particle physics, lasers, solid state physics, optics, plasma physics, nonlinear dynamics, radioactive decay, astrophysics, biophysics, condensed matter, material sciences, and molecular physics.
- Skills to conduct electronics design, fabrication and repair, including soldering.
- Working Knowledge of web technologies (Drupal, HTML, etc.), Adobe Suite, and Matlab.
- Basic network knowledge (what is a MAC or IP address and how to find it), basic knowledge of Active Directory and Group Policy (domain accounts (CalNet IDs), AD Groups, what Group policy can do), and basic understanding of computer imaging.
- Machining skills.
- Ability to produce training/educational videos.
- Knowledge of and experience programming in Python, and its equipment interfacing and GUI libraries.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Knowledge of campus environmental health and safety standards and procedures for general lab safety, hazardous waste handling and disposal, as well as for specialized requirements for radioactive sources and lasers.
- Knowledge and experience of applications architecture and development using major programming languages/platforms (e.g., C#, .Net, Java, VB) and relational databases (MS SQL Server, Rbase, MySQL). Also software for 3D design drawings, such as Autocad and Solid Works.
EDUCATION / TRAINING
- Bachelors degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training.
- Bachelor's degree in physics or engineering with 5+ years of verifiable experience. (Preferred)
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 annual salary range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $95,000 - $130,000 yearly ($7,916.67 to $10,833.33 monthly); the full salary range for this title (RSCH AND DEV ENGR 3 TX) is $93,354.48 to $172,092.96 yearly.
This is a FLSA Exempt, monthly-paid position.
This is a full-time (40 hours/week) Career position eligible for UC benefits.
INTRODUCTION
At the University of California, Berkeley, we are dedicated to fostering a community where everyone feels welcome and can thrive. Our culture of openness, freedom, and belonging makes it a special place for students, faculty, and staff, who are among the most talented and accomplished anywhere, including Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, and MacArthur Fellows. Since our founding in 1868, we have been an engine for innovation - driving intellectual, economic, and social progress that benefits California, the U.S., and beyond. Together, we change the world.
At Berkeley, the best careers are built on a foundation of continuous learning and growth. We actively support professional development by providing all full-time staff employees with at least 80 hours of paid time per year and provide space for supportive colleague communities via numerous employee resource groups.
We invite applicants who are inspired by our Principles of Community and who are eager to be part of our exciting Strategic Plan, which charts Berkeley's next era of excellence.
DEPARTMENTAL OVERVIEW
Physics is the largest department in the L&S Division of Mathematical and Physical Sciences. It is ranked as one of the top physics departments in the world, with excellence in research, teaching, and service to the community all highly valued. The department has 80 ladder and active emeriti faculty, 60 career and casual staff, and 300 lecturers, teaching assistants, readers, research personnel, postdocs, fellowship recipients, and visiting scholars. It enrolls 250 graduate students, 250 undergraduate majors, and over 7,000 students in its courses, many with laboratory sections. Its faculty fully participates in teaching and administration and conducts world-class research in campus, local, national, and international laboratories and sites; research activities require active financial arrangements with organizations such as Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. Physics manages 3 distinct campus buildings in its facilities complex with 240,000 assignable square feet, and it also houses and provides services to several research centers, the Physics Library, and multiple research Laboratories with varying physical environments.
Position Summary
The Advanced Lab Manager manages the laboratories for two upper-division lab courses that comprise the Physics 111 Lab, enrolling 85-100 students per semester. This position plans, directs, executes and evaluates the operations of the lab on a day-to-day basis and participates in the committee of faculty and staff responsible for providing overall direction and establishing priorities for the 111 lab. The Advanced Lab Manager builds and maintains experiments, supports the management of a network of over 40 computers and servers, trains instructors in operation of the experiments, assists with student laboratory instruction, supervises student assistants, and purchases equipment and supplies. This position works with faculty, students, and staff to develop new experiments and performs engineering activities including conception, design, construction, and testing of experiments, as well as documentation and editing of instructional materials. The two courses managed by this position are critical to the success of the department's undergraduate major. It is in Physics 111 that students learn to do experimental physics, from experimental design, to hands-on experience in acquiring data and troubleshooting apparatus, to analyzing and communicating results in a professional manner. More than any other course, the 111 lab prepares students to work productively in an academic or industrial research environment.
APPLICATION REVIEW DATE
The First Review Date for this job is: November 19, 2026
For full consideration, please apply on or before the first review date.
Responsibilities
Engineering support of upper-level physics instructional lab courses - 25%
- Design, build and maintain functional laboratory stations for electronics and instrumentation course.
- Assemble and maintain 20 or more complex experiments for advanced physics labs.
- In collaboration with instructors, develop and maintain instructional materials, including lab manuals, additional readings, safety procedures, instructional videos, and course websites.
- Estimate time, materials and labor costs for in-house machine shop fabrication.
- Design and build research-grade instructional experiments, including magnetic field coils and power supplies for vacuum systems.
- Generate design drawings and specifications for vacuum chambers, equipment racks, and optical benches for in-house machine shop fabrication.
- Design circuits and feedback control systems for thermal electric controllers and cold traps.
Computer Programming and Technology - 25%
- Support the management of the 111 lab information technology resources, including a server-based network of 40+ computers, and interface with an external systems administrator/security provider. Assign group policies to individual student accounts.
- Write or oversee writing of programs for data acquisition, signal processing, and experiment control in LabView, Matlab, and other languages/applications as appropriate.
- Design, update, and maintain the course Github and associated website. Provide online access by students and instructors to all instructional materials, including videos, published references, lab manuals, and software.
- Produce, edit, and process to final form training videos for lab exercises and safety procedures.
Innovation and Development - 20%
- Work with faculty, staff, and students to develop new experiments, overseeing all stages of development.
- Determine project specifications and parameters.
- Perform design, construction, assembly, and testing of complex experimental and instrument systems. Utilize departmental shops effectively in design and fabrication.
- Write and edit instruction materials; pilot test new experiments with students.
- Seek innovative ways to improve existing experiments, make experiments more cost-effective and efficient, and enhance instructional opportunities. Consult experts outside the course instructors and university as appropriate.
Administration - 15%
- Plan and administer lab schedules, schedules of due dates, and equipment assignments.
- Assist with EH&S Safety inspections including Laser, Laboratory, and Radiation safety.
- Maintain Chemical Inventory.
- Assign radiation rings to students and collect them by the end of the semester.
- Create SOP's for experiments and provide guidelines for safe use of lasers and radiation sources.
- Maintain inventory of supplies and equipment to sustain operations without interruption; procure parts and equipment.
- Plan and administer course budgets and other fund sources, such as grants and donations. Provide reports on financial status as needed to supervisor and 111 lab committee. Participate in grant-writing and fund-raising.
- Promote a safe work environment for students, staff, and instructors. Comply with campuses, state, and federal requirements for safe conditions and procedures in the laboratory.
- Serve on department or campus service committees as assigned.
Supervision and Instruction - 10%
- Directly supervise 1-3 part-time student assistants (maximum 0.50 FTE) and any other staff positions that may be assigned. Schedule and assign projects.
- Supervise summer student interns (typically two to four) working to develop and improve experiments.
- Train and instruct faculty and graduate student instructors in the operation of experiments and in the ways that course policies are typically carried out.
- Assist instructors with answering student questions and troubleshooting problems encountered by students during experiments.
- Coordinate activities of six half-time graduate student instructors as directed by course faculty.
- Ensure work is completed in a timely and efficient manner.
Employee Development - 5%
- Attend workshops, conventions, and classes as needed to develop new programming and technical skills and knowledge.
- Build relationships with colleagues doing some similar work at other universities through visits and participation in professional conferences.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Thorough knowledge associated with the planning, development, and construction of advanced physics experiments, specialized design work, and necessary to apply principles, practices and procedures in the completion of assignments.
- Effective communication skills, both written and verbal, to convey complex information in a clear and concise manner.
- Advanced interpersonal and presentation skills.
- Ability to work in a collaborative manner; identify challenges and barriers and recommend resolutions, and ability to lead and influence others.
- Information Technology knowledge sufficient to support the management of a large network of instructional computers.
- Understanding of procedures within the Physics Department for requesting purchase orders, arranging for facilities maintenance and improvements, using departmental shops, and complying with requirements.
- Knowledge of campus business policies and procedures that affect the Lab.
- Knowledge of electronics engineering, vacuum technology, electrical power, high voltage, digital logic circuits, analog circuits, cryogenics, and radiation and laser safety.
- Knowledge of and experience programming in LabVIEW and code-based languages suitable for data acquisition, signal processing, and data analysis.
- Expertise in Windows operating systems ranging from Windows 7 through the current OS. Familiarity with Windows Server, Unix, and Linux preferred.
- Understanding of physical principles of classical physics, atomic physics, nuclear particle physics, lasers, solid state physics, optics, plasma physics, nonlinear dynamics, radioactive decay, astrophysics, biophysics, condensed matter, material sciences, and molecular physics.
- Skills to conduct electronics design, fabrication and repair, including soldering.
- Working Knowledge of web technologies (Drupal, HTML, etc.), Adobe Suite, and Matlab.
- Basic network knowledge (what is a MAC or IP address and how to find it), basic knowledge of Active Directory and Group Policy (domain accounts (CalNet IDs), AD Groups, what Group policy can do), and basic understanding of computer imaging.
- Machining skills.
- Ability to produce training/educational videos.
- Knowledge of and experience programming in Python, and its equipment interfacing and GUI libraries.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Knowledge of campus environmental health and safety standards and procedures for general lab safety, hazardous waste handling and disposal, as well as for specialized requirements for radioactive sources and lasers.
- Knowledge and experience of applications architecture and development using major programming languages/platforms (e.g., C#, .Net, Java, VB) and relational databases (MS SQL Server, Rbase, MySQL). Also software for 3D design drawings, such as Autocad and Solid Works.
EDUCATION / TRAINING
- Bachelors degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training.
- Bachelor's degree in physics or engineering with 5+ years of verifiable experience. (Preferred)
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 annual salary range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $95,000 - $130,000 yearly ($7,916.67 to $10,833.33 monthly); the full salary range for this title (RSCH AND DEV ENGR 3 TX) is $93,354.48 to $172,092.96 yearly.
This is a FLSA Exempt, monthly-paid position.
This is a full-time (40 hours/week) Career position eligible for UC benefits.
Lab Manager Job Roles in California
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Search Lab Manager Jobs in CaliforniaLab Manager Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies sponsor visas for lab managers in California?
California's largest visa sponsors for lab managers include biopharma and biotech companies such as Genentech, Gilead Sciences, Amgen, and Regeneron's California operations, as well as medical device manufacturers like Abbott and Boston Scientific. Major research universities including UC San Francisco, UC San Diego, Stanford, and Caltech also sponsor lab managers through H-1B visa petitions and, for exchange-based roles, J-1 visa programs.
What visa types realistically fit lab manager roles in California?
Lab manager roles that require a bachelor's degree in a directly related scientific field qualify as specialty occupations, making H-1B the most common path. Employers file a Labor Condition Application and then an I-129 petition with USCIS. F-1 students can use OPT or, if their degree is STEM-designated, the 24-month STEM OPT extension. For permanent sponsorship, most employers use EB-2 or EB-3 green card categories with PERM labor certification.
How to find lab manager visa sponsorship jobs in California?
Migrate Mate lists California lab manager positions from employers with verified visa sponsorship history, searchable by city and research sector. This makes it straightforward to identify which San Diego biotech firms, Bay Area research institutions, or Los Angeles clinical labs have actively filed for lab manager roles, rather than applying broadly and discovering sponsorship limitations late in the process.
Which cities in California have the most lab manager sponsorship jobs?
San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area account for the highest concentration of sponsored lab manager roles in California. San Diego's Torrey Pines and Sorrento Valley clusters host dense biotech and pharmaceutical campuses. The Bay Area draws demand from both biopharma firms and university research labs. Los Angeles adds volume through its medical centers, UCLA, USC, and a growing cell and gene therapy sector.
Are there any California-specific considerations for lab managers seeking visa sponsorship?
California's strong university-to-industry pipeline means many sponsored lab managers transition from graduate research or postdoctoral positions at UC campuses or Stanford into industry roles with the same or adjacent employers. The state's biopharma and medical device concentration creates consistent H-1B filing activity. Lab managers should confirm that their specific degree field aligns with the role's technical requirements, as specialty occupation eligibility depends on that direct connection.
What is the prevailing wage for sponsored lab manager jobs in California?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.