Who We Are:

We are a Surface Finishing Facility that supports the entire campus at Southwest Research Institute with surface finishing and R&D needs. We are a small team that performs Chemical Conversion Coating, Anodic Coating, Hot Black Oxide plating, Screen Printing, Steel Passivation, Laser cutting/etching, and multiple plating processes for Biomedical, Space, Robotics, and Aerospace projects as an example.

Objectives of this Role:

• Lab Operations Management: Overseeing the day-to-day operations of the surface finishing lab, ensuring efficient functions, and coordinating activities among lab staff.
• Safety Compliance: Ensuring that all safety protocols and procedures are followed rigorously to maintain a safe working environment. This includes overseeing the handling, storage, and disposal of hazardous chemicals, as well as ensuring that staff members are properly trained.
• Quality Control: Implementing quality control measures to ensure that all processes and products meet the required standards and specifications. This may involve developing and implementing quality assurance procedures and addressing any product issues that arise.
• Staff Supervision and Development: Recruiting, training, and supervising lab staff, including technicians, researchers, and other personnel. This may involve conducting performance evaluations, providing feedback and coaching, and identifying training needs.
• Regulatory Compliance: Ensuring compliance with all relevant regulations and standards governing surface finishing labs, including environmental regulations, customer requested regulations, health and safety standards, and industry-specific regulations.

Daily and Monthly Responsibilities:

• Inspect all parts before they leave the lab using AS9100 Standards.
• Evaluate all technician's knowledge and skills to ensure they adhere to standards and requirements.
• Develop surface finishing procedures for each base material and surface treatment, inspection processes/criteria, training of operators and inspectors, and supplier manufacturing processes.
• Develop solutions for complex projects requiring Surface Finishing.
• Record solutions and failures.
• Ensure all purchases related to the lab's operations are sufficient for performing the surfacing processes while staying in budget.
• Responsible for lab daily operations including sample preparation, chemical handling, data collection, customer interaction, tool calibration and other lab sustaining activities.

Requirements:

• Requires a high school diploma or equivalent with coursework in Chemistry or related field. Associates degree is a plus.
• 10 years: lab management experience (preferably in the surface finishing or chemical industry).
• 2 years: Surface Finishing or Material Science auditor or Quality Assurance or Product Assurance (Aerospace Industry Preferred).
• 2 years: Understanding of various instructions such as inspection standards, blueprints, technical orders, service bulletins, manufacturing procedures, sales orders.
• 5 years: Strong attention to detail, excellent organization skills, adaptable, strong analytical skills, ability to problem-solve issues to their root cause and work to implement corrective action, ability to lead and develop junior technicians, customer service skills
• A valid/clear driver's license is required.