Analytical Laboratory Department Supervisor

Element has an opportunity for a Analytical Laboratory Department Supervisor. The Department Supervisor is a key member of the department's safety team and provides awareness around safety first. You will be relied upon heavily by other colleagues such as technicians, peers, Department Manager, Operations Manager, General Manager and other positions. In this role you will guide the technical staff in timely completion of daily work and may be designated as the main contact for customer on-site visits.

Salary: $80K-$120K/yr

• This position reports to the General Manager.
• Interface with clients and sales/marketing to drive growth.
• As a working supervisor the holder of this positions is also expected to:
  • Independently execute tests and experiments per established procedures with little or no guidance from the corresponding Project Manager ensuring tests and experiments are completed timely, within project budgets, and with a high level of professionalism and customer service.
  • Manage and execute projects, ensuring projects are completed timely, within project budgets, and with a high level of professionalism and customer service.
• Take a leadership role in the growth of the analytical lab in both revenue and technical capability.
• Provide technical and professional leadership to the staff and aid them in their own technical and professional growth.
• Manage and execute projects, ensuring projects are completed timely, within project budgets, and with a high level of professionalism and customer service.
• Supervise the overall Analytical Lab operations including personnel, scheduling, quality systems and procedures.
• Independently execute tests and experiments per established procedures with little or no guidance from the corresponding Project Manager ensuring tests and experiments are completed timely, within project budgets, and with a high level of professionalism and customer service.
• Assure that the highest technical, quality and customer service standards of performance are maintained.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Responsible for conducting, developing, witnessing, and executing tests and experiments using both established methods and newly developed / novel techniques with minimal to no supervision. Occasional off-site work at customer facilities is required.
• Actively participate in pear review of work performed by other project managers before releasing data to internal or external customer.
• Work with the sales team to ensure incoming requests are evaluated and quoted properly.
• Prepare written quotations and proposals, schedule and perform tests, analyze test results, prepare reports and submit invoices for approval with limited supervision and oversight.
• Assure all work areas are kept in neat and orderly fashion.
• Confer with project manager for the purpose of evaluating client and project needs, develop and recommend test plans and make preliminary determination of scope of work.
• Communicate with outside clients for the purpose of evaluating their needs, develop and recommend test plans and make preliminary determination of scope of work.
• Responsible for adhering to safety procedures and appropriate regulatory and company standards.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Assist in client support and business development as well as marketing activities. Limited travel (including overnight travel) may be required at times.
• Responsible for scheduling and balancing overall lab workload among available staff.
• Work with Quality to assure all laboratory procedures are continually up to date and revised when needed.
• Establish and maintain client contact for the purpose of market/account development, understanding customer’s needs, building personal relationships, assuring quality satisfaction, and maintaining a professional consulting image.
• Responsible for maintaining and ensuring calibration of test equipment.
• Responsible for performance evaluations for all lab personnel.
• Assist with monthly calibrations/verifications of the instruments.
• Assure Lab support for all internal clients (primarily polymer failure analysis group).
• Work with laboratory personnel to develop test methods for new technology in the lab, including GC/MS and HPLC as applied to VOC and RoHS analysis.
• Ability to learn operation of all instrumentation in laboratory in order to provide backup support if needed.

To perform this position successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Familiarization with/or working knowledge of typical chemical, thermal, and physical property testing of polymeric materials and/or metallic materials
• Must be comfortable managing a team as well as running a large variety of tests and establishing new testing procedures.
• Must have experience and working knowledge of analytical instruments used in materials analysis including testing and instrument maintenance. Experience with polymer analysis is preferred.
• Minimum work experience level: 5-10 years or greater in an analytical testing environment.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills along with strong interpersonal skills and listening ability to communicate effectively with subordinates peers, superiors, customers and vendors.
• Must have an excellent understanding and working knowledge of materials’ chemistry and related testing techniques, including spectroscopy, thermal analysis, and chromatography.
• Knowledgeable with respect to the use of personal computers and Microsoft Office products such as Word and Excel along with the ability to learn new programs quickly.
• Working knowledge of GC/MS and HPLC strongly preferred.

Education and/or Experience

• Bachelors’ degree or higher in Chemistry or related studies. Master’s degree is preferred.

Language Skills

• Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of organization.
• Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, customer testing specifications, and procedure manuals.
• Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.

Mathematical Skills

• Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry.
• Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions and proportions.

Reasoning Ability

• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions, data and details furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations

• None required.

Physical Demands

• Work is performed mainly indoors but may require occasional work outdoors at customer sites.
• Frequency of required physical force: occasional (moderate)
• Lifting requirements: lifting <50 lbs

Other Skills and Abilities

• Well developed oral and written communication skills to meet a variety of communication needs. Good interpersonal skills that foster open upward and downward communication built on mutual respect.
• Experience in interpreting testing procedures and requirements.
• Ability to remain calm when faced with mounting pressure related to deadlines and multiple priorities.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Applications (Word, Excel).
• Ability to interface with clients, win new work and determine their requirements; helps develops proposals including cost estimates, work plan and terms and conditions.
• Ability to interface with colleagues and clients to develop test requirements, proposals, and work plans. Ability to independently and successfully write certifications or basic test reports with no supervision. This can be done for internal but also for external clients.
• Availability, flexibility, and maturity to represent the company at a broad range of events/projects in the community, with customers and within the company.

NOTE: This position requires access to export-controlled commodities, technical data, technology, software, and services. U.S. citizenship, U.S. legal permanent resident status, protected person status under 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3), or U.S. Government export authorization is required. Any offer of employment is contingent upon the employer obtaining the necessary export authorization, including, if required, an export license from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security, the U.S. Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, or other applicable government agency.

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