Lab Manager

Avery Dennison • Painesville, OH

9h • Onsite

About The Position

As the Lab Manager for Performance Tapes North America, you will lead the strategic planning, direction, and oversight of laboratory operations and product testing across multiple sites, including Painesville/Mentor, Ohio and Mount Juliet, Tennessee. Reporting directly to the Quality Manager, you will serve as a critical leader in maintaining overall lab efficiency and the Subject Matter Expert (SME) for our Quality Information System (QIS). You will lead a dedicated team of quality technicians while also exerting indirect influence over operational lab personnel to ensure a unified approach to testing excellence.
In this role, you will be responsible for:
Quality System Leadership: Ensuring strict compliance with ISO 9001:2015 and managing Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) processes to drive continuous improvement.
Measurement Integrity: Overseeing the equipment calibration program and executing Gage R&R studies to ensure the reliability of all laboratory data.
Strategic Coordination: Aligning testing and calibration activities across all PTNA sites to leverage equipment and data analysis capabilities.
Technical Partnership: Collaborating with engineering, manufacturing, and R&D teams to establish quality standards for raw materials and finished products.
People Development: Leading, coaching, and certifying your team on laboratory standards while attracting and retaining high-potential talent.
Process Excellence: Supporting Statistical Process Control (SPC) initiatives and managing QIS implementations and improvements division-wide.
This position is primarily on-site in Painesville, Ohio, requiring a leader who thrives in a manufacturing environment with minimal travel (under 10%).

Requirements

• A B.S. in chemical, mechanical, industrial engineering, or material sciences is required.
• 4-6 years of experience in a people leadership role within a quality, operations, or R&D function.
• Strong proficiency in quality systems (ISO, Gage RNR, CAPA) is considered crucial.
• Demonstrated ability to use statistical tools (e.g., Minitab) to analyze complex data and present findings clearly.
• Proven ability to influence across boundaries and lead teams that do not have a direct reporting line.
• Experience with MFG Pro or QIS is preferred; candidates must be able to quickly acclimate to complex computer-based quality and inventory systems.

Responsibilities

• Ensuring strict compliance with ISO 9001:2015 and managing Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) processes to drive continuous improvement.
• Overseeing the equipment calibration program and executing Gage R&R studies to ensure the reliability of all laboratory data.
• Aligning testing and calibration activities across all PTNA sites to leverage equipment and data analysis capabilities.
• Collaborating with engineering, manufacturing, and R&D teams to establish quality standards for raw materials and finished products.
• Leading, coaching, and certifying your team on laboratory standards while attracting and retaining high-potential talent.
• Supporting Statistical Process Control (SPC) initiatives and managing QIS implementations and improvements division-wide.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager