Reporting to the General Manager, the Lab Manager leads the site laboratory and QC activities and is a key technical resource for masterbatch, color, additives, polymers, and plastics processing. This hands-on role calls for strong plastics-industry experience, practical extrusion and compounding knowledge, plastic color-matching expertise, and proven leadership. The manager must be assertive, set clear priorities, hold the team accountable, and work closely with Production, QC, R&D, Sales, and site management.
Main Duties & Responsibilities
• Lead, coach, and develop the QC Manager and laboratory team; assign priorities and manage performance
• Lead color matching and color correction for masterbatch and compounds: pigment selection, formulation adjustments, spectrophotometer, L*a*b*, Delta E
• Hands-on support for extrusion and compounding trials, scale-up, and production troubleshooting; investigate color variation, dispersion, contamination, and thermal stability
• Plan lab trials, analyze results, and turn findings into production solutions; maintain QC methods, calibration, specifications, COAs, and release standards
• Support testing, customer complaints, technical inquiries, and audits; promote cooperation between Lab, QC, and Production
Key Skills
• Hands-on plastic color matching and color correction
• Hands-on extrusion and/or compounding
• Assertive leadership, accountability, and people management
Education & Additional Requirements
• Bachelor's in Chemistry, Polymer Science, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Plastics Engineering, or related field required; advanced degree preferred
• Minimum 5 years hands-on technical experience in the plastics industry (masterbatch, color compounds, additives, compounding, or polymer processing preferred)
• Minimum 3 years leading laboratory, QC, technical, or manufacturing personnel
• Required: hands-on extrusion and/or compounding and plastic color-matching experience; troubleshoots directly on the production floor
Location & Compensation
Location: Greater Charlotte, North Carolina (on-site).
Relocation assistance available
Compensation: $120K to $150K base per experience, plus bonus and benefits