Laboratory Operations Manager

Cornerstone Global Partners (CGP Group); Denver (CO); On-site; USD 100,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Cornerstone Global Partners (CGP Group) is assisting a venture-backed mining technology company in Arvada, CO, to recruit a hands-on Lab Manager for mining and metallurgical testing. You will lead day-to-day operations, supervise technicians and researchers, and ensure safety and data quality to support R&D, scale-up, and field deployment.

The ideal candidate has 5–7+ years in mineral processing or metallurgical labs, with proven staff management, lab workflows, and hands-on sample prep.

Qualifications

• 5–7+ years in a mineral processing, metallurgical testing, mining, hydrometallurgical or related technical laboratory.
• Directly managing technical staff, including technicians, research associates, scientists or engineers.
• Experience with scheduling, training, performance management and employee development.
• Hands-on experience with mineral or ore sample preparation, including crushing, splitting, sizing or pulverizing.

Responsibilities

• Directly supervise, train and develop laboratory technicians and research staff.
• Own team scheduling, workload planning and day-to-day lab priorities.
• Manage sample intake, documentation, equipment, reagents, consumables and SOPs.
• Oversee crushing, splitting, sizing, pulverizing and representative sample preparation.
• Support and manage column-leach and other metallurgical testing programs.
• Monitor solution chemistry, irrigation, flow, recovery and test performance.
• Track assay data, mass balances, recovery calculations and metallurgical results.
• Coordinate with external assay laboratories and maintain high data quality.
• Partner closely with scientists, engineers and field teams to translate lab results into pilot-scale execution.
• Maintain a strong safety culture around chemicals, mineral-processing equipment and laboratory operations.

Skills

People leadership

Laboratory management

Scheduling

Safety compliance

Data analysis

Hands-on lab work

On-site collaboration

Education

Metallurgical/Min Eng degree

Job description

Lab Manager – Mining & Metallurgical Testing

Employment Type: Full-time

Compensation: $100,000–$160,000 total cash compensation, plus equity and benefits

About the Company

We are partnering with a venture-backed mining technology company developing a new approach to copper recovery using biological systems, mineral processing and data-driven process development.

The company is moving from laboratory R&D into paid customer programs and field deployment, with technology designed to improve copper recovery from challenging ores while reducing chemical use and environmental impact.

The Opportunity

The company is hiring a Lab Manager to lead day-to-day operations of its mineral processing and metallurgical testing laboratory in Arvada.

This is a hands-on leadership role with direct responsibility for supervising technicians and research staff, maintaining strong safety and quality standards, and ensuring the lab produces reliable data that supports R&D, scale-up and field execution.

The right person will be comfortable leading people while staying close to the technical work.

Key Responsibilities

• Directly supervise, train and develop laboratory technicians and research staff.
• Own team scheduling, workload planning and day-to-day lab priorities.
• Manage sample intake, documentation, equipment, reagents, consumables and SOPs.
• Oversee crushing, splitting, sizing, pulverizing and representative sample preparation.
• Support and manage column-leach and other metallurgical testing programs.
• Monitor solution chemistry, irrigation, flow, recovery and test performance.
• Track assay data, mass balances, recovery calculations and metallurgical results.
• Coordinate with external assay laboratories and maintain high data quality.
• Partner closely with scientists, engineers and field teams to translate lab results into pilot-scale execution.
• Maintain a strong safety culture around chemicals, mineral-processing equipment and laboratory operations.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate combines strong people leadership with practical mineral-processing or metallurgical laboratory experience.

Required Experience

• 5–7+ years in a mineral processing, metallurgical testing, mining, hydrometallurgical or related technical laboratory.
• Demonstrated experience directly managing technical staff, including technicians, research associates, scientists or engineers.
• Experience with scheduling, training, performance management and employee development.
• Hands-on experience with mineral or ore sample preparation, including crushing, splitting, sizing or pulverizing.
• Understanding of sampling, particle-size distribution and sample representativeness.
• Experience managing multiple concurrent laboratory or test programs.
• Strong safety and chemical-handling experience.
• Ability to work hands-on alongside the team as needed.
• Ability to work on-site in Arvada, Colorado daily.
• U.S. work authorization without sponsorship requirements.

Strongly Preferred

• Column-leach or long-duration metallurgical testing experience.
• Copper ore or copper hydrometallurgy experience.
• Familiarity with acid leaching, PLS, raffinate, recovery and mass balances.
• Heap leach, SX/EW, bioleaching or sulfide-ore exposure.
• Experience coordinating with third-party assay laboratories.
• Degree in Metallurgical Engineering, Mineral Processing, Chemical Engineering, Mining Engineering or a related field.

Why This Role

This is an opportunity to take real ownership of a growing technical laboratory at a company moving from R&D into field deployment.

The Lab Manager will help shape the team, operating standards, safety culture and testing infrastructure while directly influencing how a new copper-recovery technology is validated and scaled.