What Does A Laboratory Manager Do?

WHAT DOES A LABORATORY MANAGER DO?

Published: Dec 31, 2025 - The Laboratory Manager leads, develops, and optimizes the laboratory organization while establishing tools, methods, and procedures that meet internal customer requirements. This role proactively monitors performance and delivery standards and continuously improves laboratory processes and practices to ensure reliable, valid methods and well-maintained equipment. The manager also ensures trustworthy and traceable laboratory results while aligning stakeholders and supporting innovation development, product quality objectives, and other agreed projects across the company.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Laboratory Manager

1. Production Laboratory Manager Duties

Tissue Production: Ensures that all aspects of tissue production are completed correctly and on time, including seeding the correct number of kits, splitting the correct number of plates, and thawing the correct number of vials.
Batch Records: Ensures the group timely prepares, assembles, and submits product batch records to the Product Manager.
Task Coordination: Organizes tasks around the lab and assigns specific duties to lab members.
Quality Control: Assumes responsibility for maintaining QC records and ensures all equipment is kept in spec.
Product Development: Spearheads product development and optimization research under the direction of the Product Manager.
Data Analysis: Analyzes data and presents results in a concise and readable format.
Order Scheduling: Interacts with customer service to put new orders on the production schedule.
Employee Training: Oversees the training of new employees within the lab and helps them grow within the organization.
Issue Escalation: Alerts the Product Manager when a problem occurs.
Root Cause: Works with the Product Manager to determine the root cause of out-of-spec or otherwise unexpected results.
SOP Management: Participates in writing and reviewing SOPs.
Technology Awareness: Keeps up to date with the latest technologies and processes that may be applied to further the goals of the company.
Management Liaison: Participates in upper-level meetings as a direct connection between the lab and management.
Special Projects: Leads special projects or product optimization and development research.

2. Laboratory Manager Details

Assay Execution: Perform all lab protocols and use instrumentation required for the Fatty Acid Profile, Antioxidant Panel, HDL Subspecies Assay, ELISAs, Vitamin D EIA Assay, blood lipid panel, and other assays offered by the laboratory.
Staff Training: Train all new staff on lab protocols and the routine use of lab instrumentation and equipment.
Team Supervision: Supervise the work of the Research Assistant 1 conducted within the lab, approve paid time off requests, and approve time entry.
Workload Planning: Partition lab work between this position and the Research Assistant 1 supervised by this position to ensure an equitable workload and that timelines are met.
Data Quality: Monitor the quality of the data produced by both this position and the Research Assistant 1 supervised by this position in real time, correcting any data quality issues that arise immediately.
Supply Control: Approve supply orders to prevent redundancy, ensure the best pricing, and prevent unnecessary orders.
Client Reporting: Submit final reports of data to clients, submit invoices, and ensure payment is received and deposited into the account.
Equipment Maintenance: Maintain lab instruments and equipment in good working order, ensure timely calibration of scales and pipettes, and keep the lab organized and neat.
Contract Management: Keep service contracts up-to-date for -80 freezers, LN2 freezers, and GC-FID.

3. Laboratory Manager Responsibilities

External Validation: Keep up-to-date with external validation programs, such as the CDC-LSP and AOCS.
Safety Leadership: Serve as Lab Safety Officer, keeping the lab compliant with all BL2 lab safety requirements.
Safety Training: Train new staff on lab safety requirements.
Protocol Enforcement: Enforce lab safety protocols in the lab.
Meeting Participation: Attend monthly LABS meetings.
Inventory Control: Complete the annual Lab Inventory and Placarding and keep the Lab Roster up-to-date.
Client Liaison: Serve as primary contact with clients to plan new projects, communicate progress on active projects, and be available to assist clients after reports are submitted.
Supervisor Reporting: Meet regularly with the Faculty Supervisor to report progress, discuss new projects, plan and execute the budget, and review any issues that may come up in the lab.

4. Laboratory Manager Accountabilities

Bioassay Development: Characterizes novel immune checkpoint candidates by performing in vitro cell-based bioassays and experiments in the field of immunology, cell biology, and oncology.
Data Interpretation: Analyzes data, provides interpretations, recommendations, and conclusions in a timely and accurate manner.
Vivarium Oversight: Supervises laboratory vivarium colonies with emphasis on adhering to IACUC guidelines on weaning mouse pups.
Animal Protocol: Sets up breeding cages and ensures animals with ulcerated or over-sized tumors are euthanized promptly in accordance with the lab’s animal protocol or in response to the facility veterinarian’s clinical calls.
Genotyping Control: Performs and supervises genotyping and phenotyping of global and conditional knockout strains of mice to ensure adequate numbers of mice are available for in vivo studies regularly.
Clinical Collaboration: Works closely with local and national collaborators to provide technical and logistic support for clinical sample processing, analysis, data generation, and maintenance of de-identified clinical information databases.
Microscopy Validation: Develops and validates protocols for confocal and or electron microscopy studies on mouse and human cells and tissues in reference to extracellular and intracellular localization of novel checkpoints.
Flow Cytometry: Performs flow cytometry on dissociated tumor tissue and lymphoid organs from mice and patients.
Protocol Review: Reviews techniques and research protocols to ensure reproducibility and issues recommendations.
Staff Training: Works with laboratory staff to evaluate their technical knowledge and skills and assists in the training of other laboratory personnel.
Lab Operations: Acts as a lead technical authority overseeing laboratory staff and is responsible for the overall daily operation of the laboratory including workload and personnel scheduling, quality control, inventory, and equipment maintenance.
Budget Support: Assists with the development and administration of laboratory budgets.
Supplier Liaison: Acts as the direct point of contact for industrial supplier sales personnel and technical support for both lab equipment and shared BKI equipment, which the lab uses extensively.

5. Laboratory Manager Functions

Quality Standards: Maintain all quality and safety standards set for beer production at CANarchy facilities.
Contamination Control: Work with other departments to identify, eliminate, and prevent sources of contamination.
Sanitation Audits: Perform audits on cleaning chemicals and work with other departments to ensure correct dosage and effectiveness of cleaning and sanitation protocols.
Consistency Analysis: Define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw conclusions regarding product consistency.
Problem Solving: Analyze and solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
Lab Management: Manage lab-related tasks and procedures in Orchestrated Beer.
Equipment Maintenance: Oversee planned and unplanned maintenance of lab equipment.
Sensory Training: Plan and execute sensory training sessions.
Labor Scheduling: Manage lab labor scheduling and individual performance.

6. Laboratory Manager Overview

Documentation Control: Maintain accurate standard operating procedures, logs, and safety documentation.
Policy Compliance: Ensure the team is compliant with company policies and safety guidelines.
Effective Communication: Communicate effectively and promptly using email, phone, text, or verbal tools.
Staff Hiring: Screen, interview, and hire new staff for the cellar department.
Team Leadership: Lead training and management of all lab personnel, production scheduling, and raw materials ordering.
Timecard Validation: Validate timecards for department personnel.
Cross Department: Support other departments when situations warrant and make connections between processes.
Methodology Awareness: Remain current on ASBC methodology.

7. Laboratory Manager Details and Accountabilities

Laboratory Management: Responsible for the day-to-day management of the laboratory, acting as a focal point for all laboratory-related matters.
Accreditation Compliance: Ensure that the laboratory is compliant with MOH requirements and accreditation standards.
Policy Implementation: Drive implementation of policies and procedures.
Team Compliance: Ensure compliance from team members.
Quality Systems: Be in charge of the quality system and maintain quality documents and risk assessment documentation.
Specimen Handling: Ensure the handling of clinical test specimens is in accordance with protocol.
Test Validation: Perform validation test procedures and protocols.
Audit Preparation: Prepare the lab team for audit inspection of licensing and accreditation.
External Liaison: Liaise with referral laboratories, collaborators, and vendors.
Financial Monitoring: Assist in monitoring the financial performance of the lab in relation to the budget and cost control.
Inventory Control: Establish and maintain inventory controls and levels to conform to budgets.
Personnel Safety: Ensure the safety of all personnel working in the laboratory.
Staff Development: Assist in overall staff supervision, training, and competency.
Legal Compliance: Ensure that laboratory activities comply with relevant Acts, legal requirements, and ethical standards.

8. Laboratory Manager Tasks

P&L Ownership: Accountable for the P and L of the laboratory and successfully delivering the Operational Plan.
Operational Leadership: Overall accountability for the day-to-day operations of the laboratory.
Team Management: Direct and manage all reportees and teams.
Staff Development: Ensure teams are appropriately motivated, trained, and carry out responsibilities to the required standards.
Business Operations: Plan, develop, organise, implement, direct, and evaluate the Company’s operations and performance.
Efficiency Management: Oversee laboratory and site services performance and productivity to maintain and improve operational efficiencies.
Technical Direction: Provide all necessary technical advice and direction to enable the company to achieve its strategic objectives.
Quality Control: Oversee the development and implementation of all necessary quality control procedures.
Output Standards: Ensure output meets the required standards and ensure that the plant and machinery remain fit for purpose.
Technology Improvement: Keep all products and processes under review and introduce new technology as directed to ensure continuous improvement takes place.
Innovation Development: Raise the potential of new products and processes beneficial for the company or customers.

9. Laboratory Manager Roles

Budget Analysis: Develop and control budgets and carry out all necessary financial analysis.
Employee Development: Maintain a work environment that encourages employee development and communication.
Competency Systems: Develop and maintain systems that ensure the technical competency of personnel within the business unit.
Quality Support: Support quality teams to improve the service provided by the laboratory.
Corrective Actions: Develop corrective action plans to address identified deficiencies.
Continuous Improvement: Support the corporate quality and continuous improvement process.
Change Management: Direct the implementation and management of changes to the business.
SOP Governance: Oversee the implementation, development, review, and update of standard operating procedures.
Procurement Negotiation: Negotiate the purchase of materials and equipment by the company, ensuring that these meet specifications.
Cost Delivery: Deliver at the correct time at the most favourable prices.

10. Laboratory Manager Additional Details

Safety Leadership: Manage and promote safety in the laboratory environment, set and define standards where appropriate, and ensure that defined safe working practice is implemented and adhered to.
Stakeholder Communication: Ensure strong communication links with the General Manager, HSEQ Manager, Technical Manager, laboratory team members, Supply Chain, and other internal customers.
Resource Scheduling: Manage departmental work schedules to ensure manpower is effectively deployed to provide efficient service levels by adapting requirements to meet customer demand.
Continuous Improvement: Innovate and recommend continual improvement opportunities within the laboratory department and identify personal continuous development needs.
Team Development: Manage, train, develop, and appraise team members to motivate an effective team that operates efficiently and safely.
QC Resolution: Investigate and provide resolution to Quality Control issues in the most appropriate, cost-effective, and efficient manner to the business.
Corrective Action: Implement corrective and preventative action to ensure processes are adequate and remedial action is effective and manage the response to unforeseen events.
Performance Reporting: Monitor and report laboratory performance.
KPI Control: Control laboratory KPIs within agreed targets.
Instrumentation Management: Manage the maintenance, calibration, and verification of analytical instrumentation.
Method Compliance: Ensure accuracy and compliance with international test methods and TS16949.
Specification Control: Control product and manufacturing specifications in accordance with the TOTAL group and OEM requirements.

11. Laboratory Manager Essential Functions

Cost Optimization: Optimize and reduce costs by raw material selection in line with TOTAL Group norms.
Customer Investigation: Investigate customer complaints, technical queries, and lubricant analysis requests.
Technical Reporting: Provide detailed technical reports into findings and identify TOTAL equivalent products against competitor products.
Supply Chain Liaison: Liaise with the Supply chain to optimize and harmonize product ranges, tender queries, and new product introductions.
Product Development: Provide technical input to facilitate the development, enhancement, validation, and implementation of new and existing products.
Global Coordination: Liaise with Paris-based Product Engineers for international products.
ILC Management: Control the ILC program, including registration, data evaluation, and input.
Corrective Action: Analyze reports and instigate corrective action.
Audit Control: Control, implement, and participate in internal assessments and audits, including safety.
TS Compliance: Ensure full compliance with procedures for TS 16949 compliance.
Product Safety: Manage and promote product safety within the business.
Hazard Communication: Monitor, analyze, and communicate hazards of all products on site, including COSHH and exposure scenarios.

12. Laboratory Manager Role Purpose

Lab Leadership: Lead, develop and optimize the laboratory organization.
Customer Focus: Understand internal customer requirements and develop appropriate tools, methods and procedures.
Performance Monitoring: Proactively monitor and maintain agreed performance and delivery standards.
Process Development: Develop within laboratory processes, procedures and practices to ensure appropriate methods.
Method Validation: Secure, reliable and valid laboratory methods and equipment.
Result Integrity: Ensure delivery of trustworthy and traceable laboratory results.
Innovation Support: Support goals to deliver innovation development, product quality and other agreed projects.
Stakeholder Alignment: Manage and maintain alignment with all other appropriate stakeholders and laboratory operations within the company.

13. Laboratory Manager General Responsibilities

Safety Operations: Laboratory safety and operations management of a large-format Li-ion battery laboratory focused on the Industrial and Automotive sectors.
Team Performance: Managing the lab operations team performance by defining accountabilities, establishing performance objectives, providing feedback and guidance, and ensuring that all policies are understood and adhered to.
Operational Planning: Leading the development and execution of lab operation plans and achieving business goals, including capital expenditure for lab operations, maintenance, and expansion.
Stakeholder Partnership: Partnering with the engineering management, laboratory operations team, and other business units to achieve customer satisfaction and the business objectives.
Risk Resolution: Identifying and resolving safety and quality risks in laboratory operations, technical inconsistencies, and testing accuracy issues.
Testing Coordination: Establishing appropriate testing programs and coordinating laboratory activities within the designated laboratories.
Equipment Management: Managing the development, operations, maintenance, and expansion of state-of-the-art laboratory equipment.
ISO Compliance: Implementing policies, procedures, and practices mandated for the laboratories to ensure compliance with ISO 17025 as well as other defined accreditation requirements for the designated laboratories.
Conduct Security: Ensuring the UL Code of Conduct, safety procedures, and physical and digital security practices are implemented and followed in the designated lab.

14. Laboratory Manager Key Accountabilities

Staff Leadership: Provides leadership to staff to ensure quality patient care by utilizing the performance improvement model to correct quality issues.
Compliance Management: Ensures that compliance standards are met.
Procedure Governance: Oversees the development and revision of procedure manuals and reviews, signs, and updates all written procedures yearly.
HR Administration: Performs all steps necessary relative to hiring, evaluating, coaching, promoting, disciplining, and discharging employees by following established HR policies.
Budget Management: Prepares and maintains budgets.
Cost Efficiency: Maintains fiscal awareness and continually strives to operate in a cost-efficient manner.
Technology Scouting: Proactively investigates modern technologies as they become available.
Productivity Improvement: Pursues technologies that will enhance staff productivity while ensuring quality and cost efficiency.
Outreach Oversight: Oversees the laboratory outreach program and or functions as a Technologist.

15. Laboratory Manager Roles and Details

Safety Culture: Maintain a strong safety culture and supporting systems that ensure the safe execution of tests and the safety of site personnel conducting testing.
Continuous Improvement: Maintain the continuous improvement culture across the firm to achieve profitability and performance objectives.
Management Reporting: Prepare information for monthly management meetings.
Financial Forecasting: Prepare information on forecasted and monthly financial performance of the team.
Proposal Development: Prepare proposals for standardized and custom tests.
Test Apparatus: Design, construct, and maintain customized, high-pressure and high-temperature test apparatus to ASME, NFPA, OSHA, and company codes and policies.
Team Training: Lead and provide training to the Laboratory team.
Reliability Planning: Develop a reliability program plan for the required analysis and testing of supplied parts and materials.
Cross-functional: Work closely with clients, the Production team, and the Product Development team on modeling and validating reliability quality requirements and laboratory tests to ensure product quality.
Failure Analysis: Drive the Failure Analysis team to identify the root cause and provide a detailed test report.
Vendor Coordination: Communicate the test requirements and tasks with suppliers, vendors, subcontractors, and outsourcing 3rd party laboratories.
ISO Compliance: Implement and supervise the ISO 17025 role of education and certification requirements in laboratory processes, testing, and analysis.
Environmental Compliance: Manage and ensure environmental compliance.

16. Laboratory Manager Responsibilities and Key Tasks

Team Leadership: Leading and managing a team of technicians and chemists by providing technical and formulation expertise in Acrylic Emulsion Polymerization and or Polyurethane Dispersions.
Project Prioritization: Working with the team to prioritize projects, determine collaboration opportunities, and leverage best practices and technologies.
Product Guidance: Provide product recommendations and formulating guidance.
Project Communication: Providing regular communication on projects and status updates, in addition to work in progress and future resource management.
DOE Application: Utilizing and reinforcing DOE tools during R and D activities.
Action Planning: Develop action plans for resolving technical challenges.
Project Execution: Direct the timely completion of technical projects relating to product improvement, product maintenance, manufacturing improvement, and commercialization support initiatives by leading team members.
Staff Development: Manage and develop the technical staff.

17. Laboratory Manager Duties and Roles

Laboratory Management: Responsible for all aspects of laboratory management including personnel supervision, inventory tracking, supply orders, facility maintenance, safety compliance, wet bench work, analysis, and oversight of assigned research projects to completion.
Financial Coordination: Liaise with DGM Administration to ensure accurate financial tracking of all projects and orders.
Budget Planning: Provide annual operating budget and capital budget to DGM Administration for review and approval.
Compliance Tracking: Participate in regular meetings with DGM Administration to ensure all required training and compliance activities are on track for self and all laboratory members.
Records Management: Maintain complete and accurate records of laboratory orders, equipment service agreements, and vendor interactions.
Data Interpretation: Utilize specialized knowledge to interpret results, including reading controls, and evaluate results.
Procurement Support: Order equipment and supplies and interface with vendors.
Scientific Judgment: Use scientific knowledge and lab experience to make judgments and decisions.
Training Delivery: Teach and train students and technologists in the lab.
Problem Solving: Guide, direct, and facilitate problem-solving for lab members on day-to-day problems with more challenging research assays.
Protocol Development: Make a scientific contribution to protocol development, efficiency, and productivity.
Technique Innovation: Collaborate in the development of new techniques and instruments.
Research Application: Apply published research methods to current experimental work by investigating published protocols and discussing them with the PI.
Publication Support: Process analyzed data into figures for scientific publications.
Policy Adherence: Responsible for adhering to all policies and procedures set forth by the JHU SOM and the Department of Genetic Medicine, including the Administration policies.

18. Laboratory Manager Roles and Responsibilities

Safety Compliance: Maintain current knowledge of applicable health and safety regulations and liaise with host regulatory offices, including Environmental Health and Safety, DEA, and IACUC, to ensure compliance with all applicable regulations.
Regulatory Review: Participate in periodic regulatory review.
Administrative Liaison: Act as liaison between the lab and HHMI and host institution administrative offices across the four lab spaces on issues such as budget management, fixed asset inventories, purchasing, and use of host accounts.
Lab Operations: Manage day-to-day activities within the research laboratory and ensure efficient operation of essential equipment.
Service Records: Maintain all service records and contracts and arrange for repairs.
Issue Resolution: Resolve day-to-day operational issues as they are made known by co-workers.
Emergency Response: Serve as primary contact for lab operations and in emergencies such as power outages and freezer malfunctions.
Materials Availability: Ensure that adequate consumables and research materials remain available for routine experimental procedures.
Ordering Oversight: Oversee and be secondarily responsible for ordering and receiving materials via the host and HHMI ordering workflow systems.
Workflow Training: Train new staff on these workflows.
Budget Reporting: Generate monthly budget reports, maintain an updated list of fund numbers, and advise staff to apply correct charging.
Database Management: Compile and maintain critical lab databases and research material inventories to support the lab's current location and a future location.
IT Compliance: Ensure lab compliance with institutional IT requirements including computer software licenses and updates.

19. Laboratory Manager Duties

Publication Review: Assist with the review of manuscripts and papers before publication.
Staff Onboarding: Provide support for hiring, onboarding, and orientation functions including bench setup for new lab members and transition and handover for departing lab members.
Team Supervision: Plan for and provide working supervision to the work of Research Technicians or other laboratory personnel of lower grade.
IACUC Support: Assist the development and submission of IACUC protocols for animal care, including mice, birds, and marmosets, that involve colonies supported by the lab.
Animal Care: Interact effectively with lab members and veterinary staff to ensure a high standard of care and organization.
Operational Communication: Communicate directly with Investigator, Researchers, Postdocs, and other lab staff regarding the status of animal operations efficiently and effectively.
Process Standardization: Assist with research support activities, including standardizing processes and ensuring appropriate training of new lab members.
Lab Scheduling: Maintain the laboratory guide and duty rotation schedule.
Task Distribution: Oversee the distribution of routine lab tasks among staff of the lab, which may extend to training in basic laboratory procedures, including aseptic techniques, proper handling of research material, aliquoting, pouring plates, autoclaving, media preparation, archiving, and other routine techniques.

20. Laboratory Manager Details

Facility Planning: Plan and arrange DRI facilities in conjunction with academic staff to ensure smooth running of the DRI labs, with special focus on the organisation and management of cell culture rooms.
Inventory Control: Monitor and maintain DRI laboratory stocks of chemicals and consumables including ordering general laboratory chemicals, supplies, consumables, and organization and storage of cell lines.
User Training: Train all new DRI users of cell culture rooms and supervise and maintain order and cleanliness in conjunction with the BCN Laboratory Manager.
Hazardous Shipping: Organise the sending and delivery of packages including hazardous material, in compliance with relevant regulations.
Equipment Purchasing: Arrange the purchase of DRI laboratory equipment and liaise with suppliers.
Quote Management: Arrange the best quotes in conjunction with the BCN Laboratory Manager.
Equipment Maintenance: Ensure all equipment is operational by arranging equipment service contracts, repairs, and monitoring and regular maintenance of equipment in conjunction with the BCN Laboratory Technical Team.
Service Coordination: Coordinate with different laboratories and the BCN Laboratory Manager for service visits and repairs of communal lab equipment.
Sterilization Support: Provide support for autoclaving goods, waste, and glass washing.
Space Organization: Maintain tidy and organised communal DRI laboratory spaces.
Priority Management: Manage competing priorities.
Lab Preparation: Prepare competent bacteria and selected stock solutions for general use, including XL10 and Stbl3 or other strains used for cloning.
Experimental Support: Assist with cell culture experiments on specific projects upon the Director’s approval to ensure that help is fairly distributed.

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