QC Lab Manager
About The Position
As a Quality Control Lab Manager at Sila, you will oversee the quality and reliability of manufacturing output by leading high-throughput laboratory operations, rapid test execution, and material release workflows. You will manage day-to-day testing cadence, instrument uptime, analytical method integrity, and continuous improvement across data integrity, sample management, and lab safety. The role includes hands-on coaching, setting high safety standards, maximizing equipment uptime, and establishing predictive maintenance strategies to support production targets. You will improve and grow the QC team’s people, processes, and systems to ensure on-time delivery of Sila’s materials to customers. The role is based in Alameda, California.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Engineering, Operations Management, or a related technical discipline.
- At least 8 years of industrial work experience, including at least 2 years directly managing non-exempt personnel.
- Extensive experience in chemical or materials manufacturing, with operational knowledge of analytical instruments, particle analytical technologies, measurement system analysis, and laboratory operations.
- Experience working within a quality management system and strong understanding of quality control systems and processes.
- Advanced command of Lean Manufacturing methodologies and a track record of applying continuous improvement frameworks to maximize asset uptime and operational throughput.
- Demonstrated leadership in coaching, mentoring, and developing teams, with a proactive safety-first culture and operational accountability.
- Strategic, solution-oriented problem-solving skills, including use of root-cause analysis to eliminate recurring operational failures.
- Strong communication, facilitation, and influencing skills, including ability to lead cross-functional alignment and collaborate across business units.
Nice To Haves
- Strong understanding of ISO 9001 and ISO 17025.
Responsibilities
- Lead, recruit, onboard, and retain laboratory technicians; foster safety and continuous improvement, set KPIs, provide performance feedback, and allocate resources to meet changing production volumes.
- Direct daily laboratory testing operations supporting 24/7 manufacturing, development, and research needs, turnaround-time targets, and non-routine analytical investigations.
- Oversee maintenance, calibration, verification, and troubleshooting of analytical instruments, and operationalize and transfer new test methods into routine testing.
- Partner with development teams on predictive and preventive maintenance and root-cause analysis workflows to improve reliability and asset lifecycle.
- Champion laboratory data integrity, sample-retain workflows, out-of-specification and out-of-trend investigations, and root-cause analysis in alignment with the Quality Management System.
- Direct Measurement System Analysis (Gage R&R), method precision studies, and stability and shelf-life testing programs.
- Author, standardize, and maintain SOPs and test protocols; manage training matrices to ensure analyst qualification and audit readiness.
- Collaborate with Analytics, Production, Process Engineering, Product, and Corporate Quality to resolve nonconformances and prevent production bottlenecks.
- Manage departmental operating and maintenance budgets and critical MRO inventory.
- Set expectations and responsibilities, track performance against key metrics, and support direct reports in addressing operational roadblocks.
Benefits
- Benefits, perks, equity, and bonuses may be included in Sila’s Total Rewards package.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
