Optical Lab Coordinator

Optical Laboratory Purchasing & Production Coordinator

The Optical Laboratory Purchasing & Production Coordinator is responsible for ordering all surfaced and non-stock prescription lenses, managing outside laboratory vendors, and ensuring every order moves through the production process without unnecessary delays. This individual owns all outsourced jobs from the time they are ordered until they are received and completed as well as any outstanding stock order. The ideal candidate is highly organized, proactive, and persistent, with the ability to solve problems quickly, expedite urgent orders, and provide exceptional communication to both staff and patients.

Essential Responsibilities

• Order all surfaced lenses and any lenses not available in inventory from outside laboratories.
• Select the appropriate laboratory based on turnaround time, availability, pricing, and job requirements.
• Monitor every outstanding lens order daily to ensure it is progressing on schedule.
• Follow up with outside laboratories to prevent delays and expedite overdue orders.
• Investigate all outstanding orders, determine the cause of delays, and proactively resolve issues.
• Coordinate rush and emergency orders, working directly with laboratories to meet patient deadlines whenever possible.
• Maintain constant communication with laboratory representatives regarding production status and shipping.
• Keep accurate records of all outstanding orders and expected delivery dates.
• Notify patients of delays, revised completion dates, and order status updates.
• Work closely with the optical laboratory, customer service, and dispensing teams to prioritize urgent patient needs.
• Monitor lens inventory and reorder stock lenses before inventory levels become critically low.
• Identify recurring laboratory delays or vendor issues.