Lab Manager

Position Description

Group 61 is seeking a Lab Manager to manage the building, testing, and deployment of approximately 20–30 units of a complex electronic system.

This role combines traditional lab management with hands-on coordination of build efforts. The Lab Manager will work closely with technical staff, project leads, and facilities/security personnel to plan and execute lab build-outs, reconfigurations, and system integration activities. The ideal candidate is highly organized, comfortable working in classified environments, and able to translate technical needs into practical lab layouts, infrastructure, and processes.

Technical experience and a solid understanding of electronic systems are required. The ideal candidate will possess strong organizational skills to effectively manage the responsibilities described above. Strong communication skills are essential.  The individual must be able to communicate clearly and professionally with the build team, group management, and various departments across the laboratory, as well as with external vendors when necessary.  Strong written communication skills are also required to ensure that documentation and procedures are accurate, complete, easy to understand, and up to date.

Responsibilities

• Developing, understanding, and maintaining the schedule for the build process
• Managing inventory to ensure required parts and materials are available when needed
• Ensuring all build documentation is complete, accurate, and current, including assembly procedures, bills of materials, test procedures, and as-built documentation
• Tracking and controlling property associated with the builds in coordination with the Laboratory’s property management system
• Developing and administering procedures for items such as configuration management and design change implementation
• Overseeing external purchases to ensure alignment with the build schedule and inventory requirements
• Supporting group leadership with task planning, management, and assignments
• Coordinating and managing the shipment of units to contractor facilities across the United States
• Managing build laboratory spaces to enable a safe and efficient assembly, integration, and testing of the units, including secure areas
• Supervise technician support to the program, which includes assigning daily activities in coordination with technical staff, reviewing work product, specifying and obtaining tools and equipment, and participate in any hiring and interview processes for new technicians

Minimum Qualifications

• Graduation from a two-year technical school in Electronics, Electro-Optical, Electro-Mechanical, or Software design from an accredited technical institute or its equivalent and/or 5+ years of directly related experience managing laboratories and people, and familiarity with general laboratory equipment and safety.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work as part of a team, as well as delegate work to others, in a fast-paced and growing environment.
• Familiarity with the use of Office tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) for recording experimental data as well as configuration control tools such as GitHub