Laboratory Supervisor

Your Key Accountabilities

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of shift leaders, laboratory and technicians.
• Foster a culture of safety, quality, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Conduct performance management activities, development discussions, and competency reviews.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, training, and workforce planning activities.
• Build team capability and maximize organizational flexibility through cross-training and competence development.
• Ensure adequate succession planning and capability growth within the laboratory team.
• Manage daily laboratory activities to ensure safe and timely execution of analytical testing.
• Coordinate workload, staffing, priorities, and resources to achieve operational targets.
• Monitor laboratory performance and proactively address bottlenecks, capacity constraints (people, equipment, process), and operational risks.
• Ensure laboratory services support production, R&D, customers, and other stakeholders in accordance with agreed service levels.
• Follow-up on lab material usage, initiate purchase when needed.
• Drive rapid escalation and resolution of analytical, operational, and resource-related issues.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable quality, regulatory, and customer requirements.
• Maintain adherence to laboratory procedures, work instructions, and management systems.
• Support internal audits, external audits, customer audits, and accreditation activities.
• Ensure proper investigation and closure of deviations, non-conformances, CAPAs, and change controls.
• Promote data integrity, traceability, and technical excellence across laboratory operations.
• Ensure full compliance with EHS standards and safe working practices.
• Lead safety observations, risk assessments, and incident investigations.
• Drive implementation of preventive and corrective actions to eliminate safety risks.
• Promote a proactive safety culture focused on risk awareness and continuous improvement.
• Own competency assessment and qualification processes for laboratory personnel.
• Develop and maintain competence matrices and training plans.
• Ensure personnel are qualified and authorized to perform assigned analytical activities.
• Support development of technical expertise and standardized working practices.
• Drive operational excellence initiatives focused on efficiency, standardization, and waste reduction.
• Monitor and improve laboratory KPIs, including:

• • • • Safety o OTD (On Time Delivery)
      • Productivity (Labor Utilisation Ratio)
      • FTQ (First Time Quality)
      • Absenteeism

• Identify opportunities for automation, digitalization, and process optimization.
• Serve as a primary operational interface between the laboratory and key stakeholders.
• Support communication with production, process control, R&D, quality, engineering, customers, and other analytical communities.
• Provide regular updates on laboratory performance, risks, and improvement initiatives.
• Contribute to strategic laboratory growth and capability expansion plans.

Who we are looking for

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Chemistry, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Analytical Science, or related field.
• Minimum 3 years of people management experience in laboratory, manufacturing, industrial, or R&D environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading laboratory teams.
• Experience in regulated quality systems and analytical operations.
• Fluent in English (spoken and written) – fluent/native in Polish.
• Preferred - Experience supporting automotive, battery materials, chemical, or advanced materials industries.
• Good understanding of quality standards IATF 16949 and ISOS/IEC 17025.
• Good analytical and problem-solving skills, able to conduct root cause analysis.
• Knowledge of method development methodologies and validation of analysis.
• Knowledge of core tools and processes like MSA, SPC, APQP and PPAP.
• Computer literacy (scientific software, office software, LIMS).
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build effective relationships and promote collaboration across teams and departments.
• Proven ability to organize, guide, and coach laboratory team members.
• Strong analytical thinking, critical mindset, and structured problem-solving approach.
• Self-motivated, open-minded, and able to work effectively in multidisciplinary and multicultural environments.
• Demonstrated leadership skills with the ability to motivate, engage, and develop team members.
• Promoting a safe work environment.
• Good communication skills.