Sr. Lab Manager

Provide scientific leadership and oversee the daily R&D operation of the lab while managing staff, ensuring compliance with safety regulations, and maintaining quality control.  Provide support in current operations and guide performance improvement initiatives.  

Worksite Location:  Eagan, MN

Salary Range: 90-120K

Benefits: Medical, Dental, Basic Life, Volunteer term life insurance, STD and LTD

Roles & Responsibilities:
Operational Leadership

• Provide scientific technical leadership and direction for product research & development activities while following all appropriate laboratory policies/procedures.
• Lead an initial 90-day assessment of the current state of lab operations, equipment, systems, and staff and deliver an improvement action plan.
• Manage the daily operational activities within the lab, ensuring all procedures are executed efficiently and properly.
• Supervise, coach and mentor lab staff to establish a collaborative and productive team.
• Oversee the lab budget including resources allocation and inventory management to ensure cost-effective operations.
• Lead cross-functional interactions between lab and other stakeholders, such as product management, manufacturing operations, sales, and executive team.
• Identify ongoing opportunities for improved productivity, including better use of staff, efficient processes, automation, etc. as the business grows and scales.
• Ability to proactively communicate, pivot, and load balance the team as priorities shift.

• Implement and maintain quality management system (QMS) and execution of protocols to ensure accurate and reliable results in development, testing, analysis, and creation of products.
• Strengthen documentation, SOPs, and testing workflows to align with general lab/documentation practices, MoCRA, and GMP expectations for cosmetic product manufacturing.
• Improve laboratory processes for out-of-specification investigations (OOS), root cause analysis, and implementation of corrective actions.

• Ensure adherence to all federal and state legal requirements and reporting as required.
• Adhere to all relevant safety regulations and standards.
• Participate in and lead safety initiatives within the organization regarding environmental hazards.
• Responsible for maintaining compliance records in the relevant document system.

• Prepare and present reports on lab performance, achievements and challenges and make necessary recommendations for improvement.  
• Participate and / or lead special projects as assigned.

• A Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry or related field and a minimum of seven years of relevant experience within a cosmetic manufacturing environment.
• 3 + years of experience with FDA regulatory requirements related to cosmetics and personal care products.
• Knowledge of MoCRA standards.
• Proficiency in lab techniques, instrumentation, and the compounding of chemicals.
• A solid understanding of regulatory and compliance requirements related to environmental hazards/chemicals.
• Excellent computer skills (project management software, MS Office: Excel, Word, and PowerPoint)
• 3 + years of experience in leadership experience managing a lab environment and scientific lab staff.
• Expertise in leading product development projects end-to-end from ideation to finished products.
• Demonstrated effective interpersonal and communication skills.