Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory Manager

Responsibilities of Tissue Culture Lab Manager Overall Lab Management Manage day-to-day operations of the tissue culture laboratory. Ensure smooth and timely completion of all production activities. Maintain cleanliness, hygiene, and sterile working conditions. Production Management Plan and monitor tissue culture production schedules. Manage stages such as media preparation, inoculation, multiplication, rooting, and acclimatization. Maintain production targets and minimize contamination and losses. Team Management Supervise lab technicians, helpers, and production staff. Allocate daily work and monitor employee performance. Train staff in aseptic techniques and laboratory procedures. Contamination & Quality Control Monitor contamination rates and identify causes. Implement corrective and preventive measures. Maintain consistent plant quality, growth, and multiplication rates. Media Preparation & Inventory Supervise preparation and sterilization of culture media. Ensure proper handling and storage of chemicals, hormones, agar, containers, and other materials. Maintain inventory and ensure timely procurement. Equipment Management Ensure proper operation and maintenance of autoclaves, laminar airflow cabinets, RO systems, growth rooms, weighing equipment, etc. Maintain equipment records and coordinate servicing when required. Documentation & Records Maintain batch-wise production records. Track contamination, multiplication, rooting, and survival rates. Maintain SOPs, laboratory logs, stock records, and quality-control reports. Acclimatization & Nursery Management Monitor transfer of tissue-cultured plants from laboratory to greenhouse/nursery conditions. Improve survival rates during hardening and acclimatization. Coordinate with nursery teams for further plant growth. Cost & Productivity Management Monitor labour, media, consumables, electricity, and other operational costs. Identify ways to improve productivity and reduce wastage. Achieve production targets while maintaining quality. Safety & Compliance Ensure safe handling of chemicals and laboratory equipment. Maintain proper waste disposal and laboratory safety procedures. Ensure staff follow established SOPs and hygiene protocols. Reporting Prepare regular production and performance reports for management. Report issues related to contamination, production delays, equipment breakdowns, and manpower requirements. Recommend improvements to increase production efficiency. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Production quantity per month Contamination percentage Multiplication rate Rooting success rate Acclimatization/survival percentage Production cost per plant Labour productivity Batch rejection/loss percentage On-time achievement of production targets