Quality Control Laboratory Manager

 Join a leading specialty chemical manufacturing company where quality, analytical excellence, and production reliability work together to support world-class manufacturing. As our Quality Control Laboratory Manager, you will lead an ISO 9001:2015 accredited Quality Control Laboratory supporting a 24/7 manufacturing operation. This highly visible leadership role combines technical expertise with operational leadership, partnering closely with Production, Operations, Customer Service, and other cross-functional teams to ensure product quality, manufacturing efficiency, and customer satisfaction.

This is a hands-on leadership position, not a purely administrative management role. The successful candidate will remain actively engaged in laboratory operations, spending approximately 50% of their time working alongside the laboratory team and 50% leading laboratory operations, people, and continuous improvement initiatives

What You’ll Do:

• Lead, coach, mentor, and develop a team of 8 Quality Control Laboratory professionals, fostering accountability, technical excellence, and continuous professional development
• Direct daily laboratory operations by prioritizing sample flow, scheduling work, allocating resources, and supporting a 24/7 specialty chemical manufacturing environment
• Partner closely with Production, Operations, and other departments to support manufacturing priorities, troubleshoot process issues, and ensure timely analytical results that keep production moving
• Perform and interpret analytical testing including HPLC, GC, GC-MS, FT-IR, UV-Vis, Karl Fischer, Viscometer, and NMR while maintaining technical proficiency within the laboratory
• Oversee Organic Analytical Chemistry and Wet Chemistry testing for raw materials, intermediates, in-process samples, and finished products
• Validate analytical data and authorize product release through the company’s JD Edwards (Oracle) ERP system while maintaining data integrity
• Lead laboratory investigations, Root Cause Analysis, CAPA (Corrective and Preventive Actions), and continuous improvement initiatives to improve laboratory performance and manufacturing reliability
• Develop, maintain, and improve laboratory documentation including Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), analytical methods, specifications, sampling plans, and training programs
• Ensure compliance with the company’s Quality Management System (QMS), ISO 9001:2015 requirements, laboratory documentation standards, and internal quality procedures
• Oversee Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) activities, sample tracking, electronic laboratory documentation, and data integrity
• Recruit, train, develop, evaluate, and retain laboratory personnel while building a high-performing technical team
• Manage laboratory resources, instrumentation, workload planning, and laboratory performance to support plant production goals and customer expectations

What Success Looks Like

Success in this role means leading a laboratory that consistently delivers accurate analytical results, supports uninterrupted manufacturing, develops high-performing laboratory professionals, and drives continuous improvement across the operation. You’ll serve as a trusted technical leader who partners with manufacturing to solve complex analytical challenges while maintaining the highest standards of quality, safety, and regulatory compliance.

Leadership & Technical Environment

This position directly manages approximately 8 laboratory professionals and serves as a key member of the plant leadership team. The Quality Control Laboratory operates in direct partnership with Production, Operations, Customer Service, and other cross-functional departments to support a 24/7 specialty additive manufacturing operation focused on organic chemistry solutions.

If you’re looking for an opportunity to lead a talented laboratory team while remaining technically engaged and making a measurable impact on manufacturing performance, product quality, and customer satisfaction, we’d like to hear from you.

EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY: To be considered for employment you must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer and you will not require employment visa sponsorship now or in the future

 Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Chemistry or closely related scientific discipline.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in Analytical Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, or Quality Control within a chemical manufacturing or specialty chemicals environment.
• Minimum 2 years of laboratory leadership or management experience.
• Strong hands-on laboratory bench experience with analytical instrumentation.
• Experience supporting manufacturing operations within a fast-paced industrial environment.
• Working knowledge of ISO 9001, Quality Management Systems (QMS), laboratory compliance, and quality documentation.
• Experience with LIMS, JD Edwards (Oracle) ERP, or comparable laboratory and ERP systems.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams, solve technical problems, and drive operational improvements.

Preferred Experience

• Specialty chemical manufacturing.
• Organic Analytical Chemistry.
• Wet Chemistry.
• Statistical Analysis.
• Method development and analytical troubleshooting.
• Continuous Improvement initiatives.
• Internal and external quality audits.
• Laboratory performance metrics and process optimization.