Lab Manager

Targeted Recruiting Group; Wisconsin; On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Targeted Recruiting Group is seeking an experienced Polymer Lab Manager for a well-established plastics manufacturer in Wisconsin. You will lead the polymer laboratory and a team of about 15 lab professionals, directing formulation, testing, and production-scale transitions.

This role emphasizes leadership, process improvement, and cross‑functional collaboration with manufacturing, quality, and sales to resolve materials challenges and deliver high-quality products.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred; strong polymer or plastics background.
• Supervisory or management experience in a lab setting.
• Experience in polymer formulation, compounding, testing, and color matching.
• Familiarity with extrusion or other plastics processing technologies.
• Quality systems and process improvement experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead, develop, and mentor the lab team.
• Manage the day-to-day workflow and priorities of a high-volume technical laboratory.
• Oversee formulation, lab compounding, testing, color matching, and approval activities.
• Improve lab productivity, consistency, quality, and turnaround times.
• Strengthen training, procedures, and technical capabilities within the department.
• Help ensure successful transition of new formulations from the laboratory into manufacturing.
• Work closely with manufacturing, quality, sales, and technical teams to resolve material, processing, and application challenges.

Skills

Polymer formulation

Lab supervision

Color matching

Extrusion/processing

Quality systems

Education

Bachelor's degree preferred

Job description

Our client is a well-established and growing manufacturer serving the plastics industry with custom material and color solutions. The company has a strong reputation for technical expertise, quality, customer service, and long-term relationships.

Continued growth has created an opportunity for an experienced Polymer Lab Manager to take leadership of an important technical function within the organization.

What Will You Do?

You will lead the company’s polymer laboratory and a team of approximately 15 lab professionals.

Key responsibilities include:

• Lead, develop, and mentor the lab team.
• Manage the day-to-day workflow and priorities of a high-volume technical laboratory.
• Oversee formulation, lab compounding, testing, color matching, and approval activities.
• Improve lab productivity, consistency, quality, and turnaround times.
• Strengthen training, procedures, and technical capabilities within the department.
• Help ensure successful transition of new formulations from the laboratory into manufacturing.
• Work closely with manufacturing, quality, sales, and technical teams to resolve material, processing, and application challenges.

What Are the Hiring Criteria?

We are looking for someone who combines strong polymer or plastics technical experience with supervisory or management experience.

Strong candidates should bring experience in several of the following areas:

• Polymer formulation, plastics compounding, masterbatch, additives, pigments, or related materials.
• Leadership or supervision of laboratory or technical personnel.
• Polymer testing, material evaluation, and laboratory procedures.
• Extrusion, injection molding, or other plastics-processing technologies.
• Quality systems, technical troubleshooting, and process improvement.
• Moving new formulations or materials from development through production scale-up.

Color development or color-matching experience is preferred, but it is not required. Candidates with strong polymer, compounding, formulation, or materials-development backgrounds will also be considered.

A bachelor’s degree is preferred, although strong industry experience will receive serious consideration.

Why Is This a Good Opportunity?

This is more than a hands‑on laboratory position. It is an opportunity to lead and improve an established polymer laboratory and develop the people, processes, and technical capabilities needed to support the company’s continued growth.

The position offers:

• Leadership responsibility for a sizeable technical team.
• A highly visible role within an established plastics-industry manufacturer.
• The opportunity to make meaningful improvements to lab operations and performance.
• Strong interaction with technical, manufacturing, quality, and commercial leadership.
• Competitive compensation, bonus opportunity, and benefits.

All inquiries will be handled confidentially by Targeted Recruiting Group.