Laboratory Manager — Quality Control & Safety

Still Bright • Kenilworth, NJ

3d • $127,000 - $127,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Still Bright is seeking a Laboratory Manager to oversee the day-to-day operations of its headquarters lab. This is a hands-on role encompassing lab management, quality control, and safety. The successful candidate will operate analytical instrumentation, direct technicians in performing QC analysis, manage data distribution, and serve as the lab’s safety lead. Reporting to the VP of Operations, this role is crucial for establishing a stable operational foundation for the science and engineering teams. As Still Bright scales, the Laboratory Manager will be responsible for transforming ad hoc routines into repeatable, documented procedures, including SOPs, calibration schedules, chemical inventory, and safety protocols, ensuring the lab’s operations keep pace with company growth. Success will be measured by safety, reliability, and sound judgment, aiming for zero preventable incidents, accurate and traceable analytical data, well-maintained and qualified instruments, and a lab consistently prepared to support R&D and pilot work.

Requirements

• A BS in Chemistry, Chemical or Metallurgical Engineering, or a related field, plus 3+ years of hands-on experience in an analytical or wet-chemistry lab.
• Hands-on experience operating and maintaining analytical instrumentation (e.g., ICP, XRD, XRF, etc.) and wet-chemistry techniques such as titration, gravimetric analysis, and sample digestion.
• Working knowledge of QC practices — sampling, method validation, calibration, and rigorous data review and documentation.
• Strong chemical safety and EHS knowledge — chemical handling and storage, hazardous-waste management, PPE, SDS, and OSHA compliance in a laboratory setting.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented, with the discipline to keep accurate records and maintain a clean, compliant lab.
• A self-starter comfortable building processes where none yet exist and standing up a new lab from the ground up.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with the ability to work alongside R&D and engineering and present data clearly.
• Able and committed to working full-time, fully onsite in Kenilworth, NJ — this is a hands-on lab role and cannot be performed remotely.

Nice To Haves

• Experience commissioning, setting up, or relocating a laboratory.
• Familiarity with laboratory quality systems (e.g., ISO/IEC 17025) and LIMS.
• Experience serving as a chemical hygiene officer or formal lab safety lead.
• Experience in hydrometallurgy, mining and metals, electrochemistry, or minerals processing.
• Exposure to a startup or scaling organization moving from founder-led operations to formal systems and structure.
• Experience with hazardous-materials handling and disposal (e.g., RCRA/DOT) or handling acids and reagents at scale.
• Experience supporting pilot or pre-pilot operations.

Responsibilities

• Run day-to-day lab operations: manage equipment, consumables, reagents, and chemical inventory; coordinate vendors and service contracts; and keep the lab organized, well-stocked, and audit-ready.
• Own quality control: manage technician performance of QC on incoming raw materials, copper concentrates, process intermediates, and final products, including sampling, sample preparation, and routine assays.
• Operate and maintain analytical instrumentation: run instruments (e.g., ICP, XRD, XRF, etc.) and wet-chemistry methods; generate, review, and report accurate metals assay data; and investigate and resolve anomalous results.
• Safeguard method and data integrity: develop, validate, and document analytical methods; maintain instrument calibration and qualification; and ensure results are traceable and well-documented.
• Serve as the lab’s safety lead: own chemical hygiene, hazardous chemical handling and storage, hazardous-waste management, PPE, SDS upkeep, emergency response, and OSHA compliance for all labs.
• Support build-out, commissioning, & subsequent upgrades of the new headquarters lab: help bring fume hoods, utilities, gas lines, and instrumentation online, and qualify equipment for use.
• Build repeatable systems and documentation: turn informal routines into reliable SOPs, logs, and quality and safety records as the lab scales.
• Partner with R&D and process engineering: deliver timely, reliable data that informs experiments and pilot operations, and translate technical findings clearly.

What This Job Offers

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