Lab Superintendent

PBF Energy•Torrance, CA

1d•$127,218 - $226,895•Onsite

About The Position

The Lab Superintendent manages the refinery laboratory at Torrance Refining Company in Torrance, California. The laboratory includes salaried personnel and hourly technicians who provide analytical testing for the refinery seven days per week. The superintendent is accountable for the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of the laboratory, including its systems, equipment, and analytical processes, and ensures testing and quality documentation meet customer, industry, regulatory, and refinery requirements. The role leads laboratory shift teams and day staff, maintains staffing and workforce plans, and develops training and competency programs. It works closely with refinery departments and external stakeholders, provides timely laboratory and quality information to support decisions, and manages operating and capital expenditures within approved budgets. The superintendent champions safety, integrity, environmental responsibility, operational excellence, and continuous improvement, and provides leadership support as a backup for the Technical Manager and Laboratory Coordinator when required.

Requirements

At least 10 years of related industrial laboratory experience.
Working knowledge of refinery operations.
Bachelor’s degree in a science-related field, such as Organic or Analytical Chemistry, or an equivalent degree.

Nice To Haves

Supervisory experience in a union environment.
Familiarity with industry process safety and environmental regulations, work practices, and compliance strategies.
Knowledge of basic refinery processes, reliability principles, refining economics, and basic budgeting and scheduling.

Responsibilities

Establish clear expectations, priorities, and performance objectives for the Refinery Laboratory in alignment with the refinery’s vision, strategic goals, and business objectives.
Promote integrity, personal and process safety, environmental responsibility, and operational excellence, while ensuring compliance with refinery policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
Oversee safe, reliable, and efficient laboratory operations, including laboratory systems, equipment, and analytical processes.
Oversee laboratory data integrity programs and quality management systems to ensure accurate and reliable analytical results.
Review and approve Certificates of Quality (COQ) and other quality documentation for compliance with customer, regulatory, and refinery specifications.
Ensure refinery products are tested accurately in accordance with customer requirements, industry standards, and product quality specifications.
Lead Laboratory Shift Teams and the day organization, ensuring adequate capability, capacity, and performance to meet refinery needs.
Develop and implement training and competency programs for laboratory personnel.
Maintain appropriate staffing levels, workforce planning, and overtime management.
Collaborate with Operations, Technical, Economics & Planning, Product Quality, and other refinery departments to support operations, troubleshoot issues, and advance projects.
Communicate accurate, timely, and actionable laboratory and quality information to refinery leadership, business partners, and other stakeholders.
Manage laboratory operating and capital expenditures within approved budgets and identify cost optimization and operational efficiency opportunities.
Lead continuous improvement initiatives to enhance safety, quality, efficiency, reliability, profitability, and cost performance.
Maintain productive relationships with internal customers, external business partners, suppliers, and industry stakeholders.
Provide leadership support and serve as a backup for the Technical Manager and Laboratory Coordinator as required.
Demonstrate visible safety leadership and operational discipline; foster an accountable, inclusive, high-performance work environment; encourage innovation, continuous learning, cross-functional collaboration, and effective problem-solving; and lead change management initiatives.