Laboratory Supervisor

Australian Laboratory Services Pty Ltd; Muswellbrook Shire Council; On-site; AUD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Australian Laboratory Services is seeking an experienced Oil & Lubricants Lab Leader in Muswellbrook, NSW. You will lead a dedicated team, ensuring safe, compliant and efficient operations, while delivering timely, quality analyses for heavy mining oils.

The role focuses on capacity planning, performance metrics, and continuous improvement, with accountability for OOS/OOT investigations and cross-functional collaboration with Operations and Quality teams.

Qualifications

• 5+ years' experience in an analytical laboratory, including leadership or supervisory responsibilities.
• Ability to coach and develop technical teams, fostering accountability and improvement.
• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of the Oils and Lubricants function with leadership accountability.
• Lead and develop a high-performing team with training and coaching.
• Drive safety and compliance across laboratory operations.
• Manage capacity planning, workload balancing, and resource allocation.
• Oversee turnaround time performance and prioritise workflow to meet commitments.
• Lead investigations for OOS/OOT and drive corrective actions.
• Provide technical leadership for analytical operations and continuous improvement.
• Monitor safety, efficiency, and performance metrics and drive improvements.

Skills

Leadership

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Communication skills

Education

Degree or Diploma in a related scientific discipline

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

About the Role

ALS Oil and Lubricants Muswellbrook service clients located throughout NSW. Working in the Oil & Lubricants laboratory, this role will closely support management in the delivery of productivity targets and assisting with team requirements, ensuring timely and quality results are produced for the analysis of heavy mining equipment and machinery oils. This is a fulltime, permanent position, Monday-Friday 8:00am to 4:00pm with minimal overtime.

The Day to Day

The successful applicants will undertake a range of duties including the following:

• Take ownership of the Oils and Lubricants function, providing leadership, direction and decision-making accountability to ensure safe, compliant and efficient laboratory operations.
• Lead and develop a high-performing team, ensuring analyst competency through effective training, coaching, performance management and capability development.
• Drive safety performance and foster a strong safety culture by ensuring compliance with HSE requirements and proactively identifying and managing risks.
• Manage laboratory capacity planning, resource allocation and workload balancing to optimise staff utilisation and meet current and future business demands.
• Accountable for turnaround time performance, prioritising workflow and coordinating laboratory activities to consistently achieve client and operational commitments.
• Own OOS, OOT, non-conformance and deviation management processes, driving timely investigations, effective root cause analysis and sustainable corrective actions.
• Provide technical leadership for analytical operations, including instrumentation performance, method compliance, change control and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Monitor and improve key operational metrics including safety performance, turnaround time compliance, staff utilisation, analyst competency, investigation effectiveness and OOS reduction.
• Partner with Operations, Quality, Technical and Client Services teams to make informed decisions that support business performance, customer satisfaction and laboratory excellence.
• Identify opportunities for operational improvement and achieving performance targets agreed with the Laboratory Manager.
• Ensure full induction of new team members and facilitate performance reviews.
• Participate in audits and maintain the ALS Oil and Lubricants Quality System within the team.

The Essentials

• 5+ years' experience in an analytical laboratory, including leadership or supervisory responsibilities.
• Relevant Degree or Diploma in a related scientific discipline.
• Ability to coach and develop technical teams, fostering accountability, capability growth, and continuous improvement.
• Strong operational and technical decision-making skills in fast-paced laboratory environments.
• Experienced in resource planning, workload management, and capacity optimisation to maximise productivity and turnaround times.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and investigative skills, with the ability to identify trends and implement effective solutions.
• Track record of delivering KPIs across safety, quality, turnaround times, utilisation, customer service, and operational performance.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder engagement, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Highly organised with the ability to manage competing priorities, adapt to changing business needs, and meet deadlines.
• Committed to health, safety, and environmental excellence, promoting a positive safety culture.
• Results-driven and customer-focused, with a commitment to operational excellence and service delivery.
• Collaborative and accountable leader who influences stakeholders, drives change, and improves performance through clear expectations and effective leadership.
• Detail-oriented with strong data accuracy skills and intermediate proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.

Working at ALS

The ALS team is a diverse and dedicated community united by our passion to make a difference in the world.

Our values are important to us, and shape how we work, how we treat each other and how we recognise excellence.

At ALS, you’ll be supported to develop new skills and reach your full potential.

We invest in our people with programs and opportunities that help you build a diverse career with us.

We want everyone to have a safe, flexible and rewarding career that makes a positive impact on our people, the planet and our communities.

Everyone Matters ALS is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to fostering an inclusive work environment where the strengths and perspectives of each employee are both recognised and valued.

ALS also welcomes applications from people with all levels of ability.

Reasonable adjustments to support candidates throughout the recruitment process are available upon request.

Eligibility

To be eligible to work at ALS you must be a Citizen or Permanent Resident of the country you are applying for, or either hold or be able to obtain, a valid working visa.