Innovation Lab Manager

Purdue University; West Lafayette (IN); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Purdue University’s Mitch Daniels School of Business invites applications for an Innovation Lab Manager to launch and operate Purdue’s STEM Business Innovation Lab opening Fall 2027 in the Daniels Building. You will lead operations, guide prototyping activities, and ensure safe, well‑equipped spaces for students and faculty.

You will oversee equipment selection, safety compliance, scheduling, budgets, and partnerships with engineering, business, and campus spaces.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Engineering Technology, Industrial Design, Technology Education, or related STEM field with 4+ years in rapid prototyping, machine shop operations, academic lab management, or industry product development.
• Associate degree or vocational trade with 6+ years in precision machining, prototyping, fabrication, and shop management.

Responsibilities

• Lead the launch and daily operations of Purdue’s new STEM Business Innovation Lab.
• Provide hands‑on instruction and technical support for students, faculty, staff, and campus collaborators.
• Mentor students using prototyping tools (CAD, 3D printing, CNC, laser engraving, soldering, vacuum forming).
• Manage lab equipment, bays, zones, inventory, vendor relations, maintenance records, and budgets.
• Develop and enforce safety protocols and Purdue EHS‑aligned training requirements.
• Create and oversee safety access certification for lab tools and equipment.
• Hire, schedule, and supervise student GAs/TAs and lab monitors.
• Collaborate with Daniels School of Business faculty to integrate prototyping into entrepreneurship and experiential learning.

Skills

Prototyping tools

Lab management

Safety training

3D printing

CAD

CNC milling

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related STEM field

Associate degree with 6+ years of applied experience in prototyping/fabrication

Tools

CNC mini‑mill

Mini‑lathe

Soldering

Vacuum forming equipment

Job description

The Innovation Lab Manager will help launch and lead one of Purdue University’s newest spaces for hands‑on discovery, collaboration, and innovation. Opening in Fall 2027 in the Daniels Building, the STEM Business Innovation Lab will bring together business, technology, and engineering education in a flexible, state‑of‑the‑art environment designed to turn ideas into action. In this role, you will help shape a flagship facility where students, faculty, and campus collaborators can move beyond the business case and build physical, functional proof‑of‑concepts that support bold thinking and real‑world impact.

Designed for flexibility and rapid reconfiguration, the lab will include open project space, mobile workbenches, ceiling‑mounted utility services, specialized equipment zones, modular project bays, electronics benches, small‑scale fabrication areas, and an integrated collaboration/conference space with video and portable A/V capabilities. The Innovation Lab Manager will provide operational leadership, technical direction, and hands‑on instructional support to ensure the lab is safe, accessible, well‑equipped, and ready to support a wide range of student and faculty projects.

This is an opportunity to be part of Purdue’s culture of practical innovation—where Boilermakers are encouraged to take on big challenges, test ideas, build solutions, and make a difference. The Innovation Lab Manager will oversee equipment selection, lab outfitting, commissioning, safety and badging protocols, scheduling, and day‑to‑day operations while building strong partnerships with lab leaders and innovation spaces across campus, including the College of Engineering, Purdue Polytechnic Institute, the College of Liberal Arts, Bechtel Innovation Design Center, and other collaborators.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Lead the launch and daily operations of Purdue’s new STEM Business Innovation Lab.
• Provide hands‑on instruction and technical support for students, faculty, staff, and campus collaborators.
• Mentor students using prototyping tools such as CAD, 3D printing, CNC mini‑milling, laser engraving, soldering, vacuum forming, and other fabrication equipment.
• Manage lab equipment, project bays, specialized work zones, inventory, vendor relationships, maintenance records, and operating budgets.
• Develop and enforce safety protocols, standard operating procedures, and Purdue EHS‑aligned training requirements.
• Create and oversee a badging and tiered certification program for safe access to lab tools and equipment.
• Hire, schedule, and supervise student GAs/TAs and lab monitors to support safe, effective lab operations.
• Partner with Daniels School of Business faculty to integrate physical prototyping into entrepreneurship, design, strategy, and experiential learning courses.
• Collaborate with innovation spaces across Purdue to align best practices, safety standards, and shared resources.
• Help students turn bold ideas into working prototypes that support real‑world learning and impact.

About Mitch DanielsSchool of Business: The Mitch DanielsSchool of Businessaspires to take a top 25 program and transform it into a top 10 program that competes for the best students in the country. The key components of this transformation are:

• Academic Prowess. Daniels School faculty are able to see and steer to what’s next, imparting thought leadership to peers in an ever‑growing student body.
• Integration of STEM and Business. Every company today is a technology organization, and business leaders must understand how specific technologies can create competitive advantage.
• Transformational Student Experience. Some of life’s most important lessons aren’t found in a book or a lecture hall. Active transformational experience will produce critical thinkers who see and tackle the world’s largest problems.
• Freedom and Capitalism. Daniels students will learn through transformative texts that free markets have raised living standards tremendously for all people.
• Powered by Business Partnerships. The Daniels School provides opportunities for industry partners and alumni to connect with students and faculty in order to provide solutions to business challenges of today and the future.

What We’re Looking For:

Education and Experience
Qualified candidates will need:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Engineering Technology, Industrial Design, Technology Education, or a related STEM field and a minimum of 4 years of progressive experience in rapid prototyping, machine shop operations, academic lab management, or industry product development.

Or

• Associate degree/Vocational Technical Trade School degree in a relevant discipline (e.g., Precision Machining, Tool & Die, Electronics, Mechatronics). Minimum 6 years of applied, high‑level experience in precision machining, prototyping, fabrication, and shop management.
• An equivalent combination of formal technical education, trade certifications, and extensive hands‑on industry or academic laboratory experience.

Skills Needed:

• Hands‑on proficiency across mechanical machining (CNC mini‑mill, mini‑lathe, drill press, metal shear/brake, spin casting), additive manufacturing (3D printing), thermoforming (vacuum forming), laser engraving, and benchtop electronics/soldering.
• Ability to manage a multi‑room, zoned lab footprint (clean vs. unclean ventilated zones, open modular project bays) to maintain high safety standards and prevent tool disarray.
• Excellent patience and communication skills required to teach technical prototyping tools to non‑engineering business students.

What is helpful:

• Demonstrated experience establishing safety programs, delivering technical training in educational or industry settings, and/or managing multi‑zone makerspaces.

Additional Information:

• Purdue will not sponsor employment authorization for thisposition
• A background check will be required for employment in this position
• Retirement Eligibility: Defined Contribution Waiting Period