Quality Control Lab Manager

ppg; Arkansas; On-site; USD 90,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, & Vision Benefits

401k matching

Paid Vacation

Holiday pay

Job summary

PPG is seeking a Quality Control Lab Manager at its Cleveland, OH plant to lead daily laboratory operations, manage a team of technicians, and drive safety, quality, and continuous improvement initiatives. The role reports to the Quality Control Manager and emphasizes hands-on leadership, coaching, and strategic partnership across quality and operations.

The position supports production and customer requirements, ensures data integrity, and complies with QMS standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a technical discipline.
• 3+ years of laboratory experience in manufacturing, quality, or industrial environment.
• 3+ years of people leadership or management experience.
• Experience conducting root cause analysis and implementing corrective actions.
• Strong communication, coaching, and collaboration skills.
• Working knowledge of Quality Management Systems (ISO 9001, IATF 16949 preferred).
• Proficiency with laboratory data systems, Microsoft Office applications, and quality reporting tools.

Responsibilities

• Allocate laboratory resources and prioritize testing to support production and customer requirements.
• Lead and develop a team of laboratory technicians through coaching, training, performance management, and regular feedback.
• Promote accountability, engagement, and a culture of continuous improvement within the laboratory.
• Partner with Production, Engineering, Supply Chain, and Quality teams to meet plant goals and customer needs.
• Facilitate root cause analysis and lead corrective and preventive actions for quality issues.
• Identify and implement process improvement opportunities to enhance laboratory efficiency, accuracy, and throughput.
• Collaborate with Quality and Operations leaders to align priorities and improve performance.
• Lead daily shift and laboratory meetings to communicate priorities, safety topics, metrics, and improvement plans.
• Ensure laboratory equipment, consumables, and resources are available and maintained.
• Support compliance with plant Quality Management System requirements, customer specifications, and regulatory standards.
• Maintain laboratory documentation, records, and data integrity.
• Develop personal and team development plans for succession and talent growth.
• Contribute to site strategic projects, departmental goals, and annual business plans.
• Promote safety culture and ensure compliance with EH&S requirements.

Skills

Team leadership

Communication

Coaching

Collaboration

Prioritization

Performance improvement

Root cause analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or related technical discipline

Tools

Laboratory data systems

Microsoft Office

Quality reporting tools

Job description

As the Quality Control Lab Manager working onsite at our Cleveland, OH Plant, you will be responsible for leading daily laboratory operations that support quality control, manufacturing, and continuous improvement objectives. You will manage a team of laboratory technicians responsible for product testing, sample validation, problem resolution, and compliance with site quality requirements. Reporting directly to the Quality Control Manager, you will serve as a hands‑on leader, coach, and strategic partner focused on safety, quality, delivery, and employee development.

PPG offers excellent Medical, Dental, & Vision Benefits; matching 401k + retirement savings; and Paid Vacation, Holiday pay.

Main Responsibilities:

• Complete daily allocation of laboratory resources and prioritize testing activities to support production and customer requirements.
• Lead and develop a team of laboratory technicians through coaching, training, performance management, and regular feedback.
• Promote accountability, engagement, and a culture of continuous improvement within the laboratory.
• Partner with Production, Engineering, Supply Chain, and Quality teams to support plant goals and customer needs.
• Facilitate root cause analysis (RCA) activities and lead corrective and preventive actions for quality‑related issues.
• Identify, scope, and implement process improvement opportunities to enhance laboratory efficiency, accuracy, and throughput.
• Collaborate with other Quality and Operations leaders to align priorities and improve performance.
• Lead daily shift and laboratory meetings to communicate priorities, safety topics, performance metrics, and improvement plans.
• Ensure laboratory equipment, consumables, and resources are available and maintained to support operational requirements.
• Support compliance with plant Quality Management System (QMS) requirements, customer specifications, and regulatory standards.
• Maintain laboratory documentation, records, and data integrity following established procedures.
• Develop and maintain personal and team development plans that support organizational succession and talent growth.
• Contribute to site strategic projects, departmental goals, and annual business plans.
• Promote and enforce a safety culture and ensure compliance with all environmental, health, and safety requirements.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related technical discipline.
• 3+ years of laboratory experience in a manufacturing, quality, or industrial environment.
• 3+ years of previous people leadership or management experience required.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams, manage priorities, and improve performance improvements.
• Experience conducting root cause analysis and implementing corrective actions.
• Strong communication, coaching, and collaboration skills.
• Working knowledge of Quality Management Systems, including ISO 9001 and IATF 16949 preferred.
• Proficiency with laboratory data systems, Microsoft Office applications, and quality reporting tools.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with statistical process control (SPC) and data analysis.
• Experience in a manufacturing quality laboratory.
• Lean Six Sigma, or continuous improvement experience.
• Knowledge of automotive, industrial, or specialty materials quality requirements.

The pay range for this position is $90,000 to $100,000 annually.

About us:

PPG: WE PROTECT AND BEAUTIFY THE WORLD ®

Through leadership in innovation, sustainability and color, PPG helps customers in industrial, transportation, consumer products, and construction markets and aftermarkets to enhance more surfaces in more ways than does any other company. To learn more, visit www.ppg.com and follow @PPG on X.

The PPG Way 2030

We are customer champions

Proactive. Bold. Trustworthy. Everything we do starts with our customers. We listen, move fast and don't stop until we solve their biggest challenges. When our customers win, we all grow.

We act with purpose and speed

Agile. Data-driven. Empowered. We take smart risks to stay ahead of the competition. We work proactively with agility, using quality data to develop solutions that create value.

We are excellent operators

Productive. Collaborative. Accountable. No matter our role, we identify problems, take ownership and always bring solutions. We are both proactive and responsive to drive continuous improvement and deliver results. We support our frontline, the faces of PPG to our customers.

We compete to win

Future-focused. Driven. Ambitious. We are passionate about growing our business and winning with our customers. We deliver results, embrace new technologies and leverage agility and speed as strengths.

We are PPG proud

Strong. United. Passionate. We work safely, act with integrity and value our diverse perspectives. We celebrate achievements and take pride in the positive impact we create together to protect and beautify the world.

At PPG we use AI in the hiring process to ma