Laboratory Manager- R&D

Job Title : R&D Laboratory Manager

Location : Washington, IA (On-site)

Department : Material Science & Engineering

Reports To : Director of Material Engineering

Position Overview

Brava Roof Tile is seeking an experienced and highly organized Laboratory Manager to lead and oversee the daily operations of our in-house testing laboratories which supports R&D, production, and customer sampling / testing projects. This role will be responsible for managing both the Physical Properties Testing and the Analytical Testing Labs ensuring the accuracy, integrity, and timeliness of all testing efforts to support R&D, product development, quality assurance, and certification activities. This is a critical leadership position, ideal for a hands-on manager with a strong technical background in plastics and building materials, excellent organizational skills, and a commitment to laboratory excellence and safety. This position reports to the Director of Material Engineering and will lead a highly talented team of technicians.

At Brava, sustainability is a core part of our innovation strategy, we are committed to increasing the use of recycled content in our products without compromising performance, and we seek talented individuals who share our vision of building a more sustainable future through materials science.

Key Responsibilities

30% Laboratory Management :

• Supervise daily lab activities, ensuring efficiency and accuracy in testing procedures.
• Improve lab throughput by identifying and executing performance improvement activities.
• Plan, direct, and coordinate highly complex lab projects.
• Determine optimal scheduling to ensure samples are prepared and measured in a timely fashion.
• Perform weekly KPIs review, identify trends and potential roadblocks, suggest necessary improvements.
• Identify and track equipment performance using Statistical Process Control (SPC) techniques.
• Help to specify, design, procure, and qualify new testing equipment.
• Assist R&D with the evaluation and recommendation of new analytical technology.
• Support the development of a state-of-the-art laboratory with the necessary test capabilities
• Assist with equipment installation, maintenance, support, and repairs.
• Work closely with R&D and production teams to understand their product test requirements

30% Sample and data analysis :

40% Team Management :

What we're looking for

Nice to have

Our pay and benefits