Who You AreAs a Quality Control Lab Manager, you will oversee the quality and reliability of our manufacturing output by leading high-throughput laboratory operations, rapid test execution, and rigorous material release workflows. You will manage day-to-day testing cadence, oversee instrument uptime and analytical method integrity, and spearhead continuous improvement initiatives across data integrity, sample management, and lab safety. This role is responsible for hands-on coaching, setting high standards for safety, maximizing equipment uptime, and establishing predictive maintenance strategies to support production targets. You will drive operational improvements and support the growth of the people, processes, and systems for the QC team, ensuring on time delivery of Sila's material to high profile customers. The role will be based in Alameda, CA.
Responsibilities and Duties - Operational & People Leadership: Lead, recruit, onboard, and retain skilled laboratory technicians; drive a culture of safety, continuous improvement, set clear KPIs, provide regular performance feedback, and allocate resources to meet fluctuating production volumes.
- Daily Lab Operations & Cadence: Direct day-to-day testing operations to support 24/7 manufacturing, development, and research needs, turnaround time (TAT) targets, and non-routine analytical investigations.
- Method & Equipment Ownership: Oversee routine maintenance, calibration, verification, and troubleshooting of analytical instrumentation; drive operationalization and transfer of new test methods to routine testing. Partner with key development teams to run initial predictive/preventive maintenance (PdM/PM) and Root Cause Analysis (RCA), establishing core reliability workflows to extend asset lifecycle.
- Quality Systems & Compliance: Champion laboratory data integrity, sample retain workflows, OOS/OOT (Out-of-Specification / Out-of-Trend) investigations, and root-cause analysis in full alignment with the Quality Management System (QMS).
- Measurement Systems & Studies: Direct Measurement System Analysis (Gage R&R), method precision studies, and stability/shelf-life testing programs to validate measurement reliability.
- Standard Work & Training: Author, standardize, and maintain SOPs and test protocols; manage laboratory training matrices to ensure verified analyst qualification and audit readiness.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Analytics, Production, Process Engineering, Product, and Corporate Quality to resolve nonconformances quickly and prevent production bottlenecks.
- Financial & Asset Management: Manage departmental O&M budgets and critical MRO inventory.
- Goal Alignment & Performance Management: Set clear expectations, allocate responsibilities, track progress against key metrics, and support direct reports in navigating operational roadblocks.
Knowledge and Skill Requirements - Education & Experience: Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Engineering, Operations Management, or a related technical discipline; 8+ years of industrial work experience, including 2+ years directly managing non-exempt personnel.
- Industry Domain Expertise: Extensive background in chemical or materials manufacturing, with deep operational knowledge spanning analytical instruments, particle analytical technologies, measurement system analysis principles, and lab operations.
- Quality Systems: Experience working within a quality management system; strong understanding of quality control systems and processes. Strong understanding of ISO9001 and ISO17025 preferred.
- Lean & Continuous Improvement: Advanced command of Lean Manufacturing methodologies and a proven track record of applying continuous improvement frameworks to maximize asset uptime and operational throughput.
- Leadership & Talent Development: Accomplished leader adept at coaching, mentoring, and developing teams, while instilling a proactive safety-first culture and operational accountability.
- Systemic Problem-Solving: Strategic, solution-oriented approach to diagnosing technical issues, leveraging Root Cause Analysis (RCA) to eliminate recurring failures across operations.
- Communication & Stakeholder Alignment: Exceptional communication, facilitation, and influencing skills, with a demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional alignment and collaborate effectively across business units.
Physical Demands and Working Conditions- Wear personal protective equipment including, but not limited to, a lab coat, gloves, safety glasses, and steel toe safety shoes.
- Move long distances (such as from building to building) and be stationary for extended periods of time.
- Operate a computer and other office equipment, such as a laptop, copier/printer, etc in a fixed location.
The starting base pay for this role is between $114,000 and $145,000 at the time of posting. The actual base pay depends on many factors, such as education, experience, and skills. Base pay is only one part of Sila's competitive Total Rewards package that can include benefits, perks, equity, and bonuses. The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future.
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