Quality Lab Manager

The Quality Lab Manager provides strategic and operational leadership for multiple testing laboratories supporting product development, quality assurance, customer qualification, compliance, and continuous improvement. The position is accountable for laboratory safety, technical integrity, capacity, testing performance, equipment, methods, quality systems, and employee development. This leader directly manages approximately 10-15 laboratory professionals, including two Team Leads, and partners across Quality, Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, and Commercial functions to deliver reliable test results and responsive laboratory service.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and execute a laboratory strategy aligned with business objectives, customer requirements, technical capability needs, and anticipated demand.
• Direct daily operations across multiple testing laboratories, balancing priorities, staffing, equipment availability, workflow, and turnaround commitments.
• Lead, coach, and develop 10-15 employees, including two Team Leads; establish accountability, performance expectations, succession coverage, and development plans.
• Build short- and long-range capacity plans for personnel, equipment, methods, facilities, and outside testing support; recommend staffing and capital actions based on demand and risk.
• Ensure compliance with internal procedures, customer requirements, test standards, quality system controls, and accreditation requirements, where applicable.
• Establish controls for test methods, equipment qualification, calibration, preventive maintenance, measurement integrity, data review, traceability, and record retention.
• Define and monitor laboratory KPIs, including safety, quality, on-time completion, turnaround time, backlog, utilization, productivity, cost, and customer responsiveness.
• Lead investigations and corrective actions for test discrepancies, nonconformances, escapes, equipment failures, and process constraints.
• Coordinate priorities and technical support with Quality, Engineering, Operations, Product Development, Supply Chain, and customer-facing teams.
• Manage operating budgets, outside laboratory spending, service contracts, and capital expenditures.
• Champion safe laboratory practices, hazard assessments, chemical and material controls, emergency readiness, and environmental, health, and safety compliance.
• Evaluate emerging test technologies and develop capabilities needed for new products, materials, customers, and markets.

Qualifications:

• Progressive laboratory leadership or management experience in a technical, analytical, materials-testing, quality, research, or manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading laboratory personnel and frontline leaders or Team Leads and managing competing priorities across multiple laboratories.
• Five to seven years progressively more responsible experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science, Physics, Biology, Microbiology, or another scientifically related field.
• Working knowledge of laboratory operations, test methods, equipment controls, data integrity, technical documentation, and quality systems

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in a highly regulated manufacturing environment; knowledge of ISO/IEC 17025, ISO 9001, AS9100, Nadcap, ASTM, or related standards; Lean Six Sigma experience; and familiarity with SAP, laboratory information management, statistical analysis, automated data acquisition, or digital dashboards.
• A professional level of knowledge in a specialized field equivalent to that ordinarily acquired by completing a four-year baccalaureate program.

Additional Requirements:

• Must be eligible to work on programs subject to ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations).

• Must successfully pass a job-related vision screening, including a color perception assessment and a visual acuity test (with or without vision correction), prior to hire or placement in this role.