Lab Operations & Quality Systems Manager (ISO)

CGIAR System Reference Group; Colombia; On-site; COP 80,000,000 - 130,000,000; Full time

Job summary

CGIAR System Reference Group’s Food & Nutrition Sciences Laboratory seeks a Laboratory Manager to ensure operational excellence, system integrity, and performance visibility, positioning the lab for ISO certification.

You will oversee five operational domains—inventory, workflow, equipment, cost recovery, and client experience—while supervising staff and maintaining high-quality analytical data for crops and food products.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in laboratory sciences, operations management, or related field with at least 8 years of experience.
• Current IPAN certification.
• Experience leading/coordinating operational and quality systems within an ISO-certified or ISO-aligned laboratory environment.
• Recent, hands-on experience supporting ISO certification, accreditation, or re-certification processes.
• Strong communication, teamwork, organizational, and systems management skills.
• Proven ability to work confidently with data, tracking tools, dashboards, and performance indicators.
• High level of integrity, accuracy, and attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Supervise and coordinate all activities of the Food and Nutrition Sciences laboratory, including equipment maintenance and all laboratory operations.
• Supervise technical staff and research fellows in the laboratory.
• Conduct analysis of chemical, physicochemical and functional properties of cassava, yam, Banana, Plantain, maize, cowpeas, and soybeans and their food products.
• Provide expertise in quality control/assurance of laboratory analytical data.
• Identify and order all approved equipment, chemicals, and materials for the laboratory.
• Provide technical backstopping to national agricultural research institutes, non-governmental organizations and community-based organizations conducting activities on crop quality, processing, utilization, and product development.
• Contribute to capacity building on food analysis and training of corps members, industrial training, and research fellows.
• Perform any other duties as may be assigned by the supervisor.

Job description

CGIAR System Reference Group’s Food & Nutrition Sciences Laboratory seeks a Laboratory Manager to ensure operational excellence, system integrity, and performance visibility, positioning the lab for ISO certification.

You will oversee five operational domains—inventory, workflow, equipment, cost recovery, and client experience—while supervising staff and maintaining high-quality analytical data for crops and food products.