Quality Lab Supervisor

National Black MBA Association; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 96,000 - 117,000; Full time

Job summary

3M is seeking a Quality Lab Supervisor onsite in Cordova, IL, to lead the quality control and wastewater laboratories, oversee lab staff, and align testing with production needs. You will drive training, safety, and continuous improvement initiatives, including Lean and 5S, while ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and supporting cost-reduction efforts across the lab operations.

Collaborate with chemists and technologists to optimize testing workflows, prevent defects, and maintain

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or higher plus seven years of experience in manufacturing, quality, R&D and/or laboratory settings.
• Or a High School Diploma/GED with at least eleven years of experience in manufacturing, quality, R&D and/or laboratory.
• FDA QSR and ISO knowledge are a plus.
• Prior supervision experience is valued.

Responsibilities

• Lead operations in quality control and wastewater laboratories.
• Provide direct oversight and leadership for lab team members.
• Coordinate between production and WWT to prioritize testing.
• Support around-the-clock lab operations as needed.
• Drive training, onboarding and documentation improvements.

Skills

Leadership

Decision making

Problem solving

Continuous improvement

Management skills

Education

Bachelor’s Degree or higher

High School Diploma/GED

Job description

Job Description

Quality Lab Supervisor

Collaborate with Innovative 3Mers Around the World

Choosing where to start and grow your career has a major impact on your professional and personal life, so it’s equally important you know that the company that you choose to work at, and its leaders, will support and guide you. With a wide variety of people, global locations, technologies and products, 3M is a place where you can collaborate with other curious, creative 3Mers.

This position provides an opportunity to transition from other private, public, government or military experience to a 3M career.

The Impact You’ll Make in this Role

As a Quality Lab Supervisor, you will have the opportunity to tap into your curiosity and collaborate with some of the most innovative people around the world. Here, you will make an impact by:

Quality Lab Operations

• Responsible for operations in the quality control and wastewater (WWT) laboratories.
• Provide direct oversight and leadership for lab team members.
• Manage technician schedule to ensure appropriate shift coverage and business continuity.
• Coordinate between production operations and WWT operations to prioritize sample testing and execution based on production and shipment needs.
• Support around-the-clock lab operational needs as required.

Quality Lab Training Program

• Ensure lab technician training remains current, effective, and compliant with applicable requirements.
• Oversee technician training progression, qualification, and development.
• Support onboarding and training of new quality technicians.
• Identify and implement improvements to lab training processes and documentation.

Safety & Environmental Support

• Serve as an HRP champion within the lab.
• Ensure HRP+ tools are used appropriately and consistently in applicable lab situations.
• Identify safety and environmental improvement opportunities and implement effective solutions.
• Serve as a lab point of contact for EHS audits, reviews, and compliance‑related activities.
• Promote a proactive safety culture through coaching, engagement, and daily leadership presence.

Cost Management

• Identify and support cost‑reduction opportunities within the lab.
• Partner with chemists, technologists, and other technical resources on cost of poor‑quality reduction initiatives.
• Ensure an efficient utilization of labor, materials, equipment, and external services.

Continuous Improvement

• Champion continuous improvement initiatives within the quality & WWT labs.
• Coach lab technicians on Lean, 5S, and standard work fundamentals.
• Perform daily lab audits using the “clean to inspect, inspect to detect, detect to correct, correct to perfect” methodology.
• Support development of lab equipment preventive maintenance schedules and maintenance logbook utilization.
• Lead kaizen events and improvement projects within the lab.
• Capture measurable improvements and share best practices with other areas of the site and division.

Your Skills and Expertise

To set you up for success in this role from day one, 3M requires (at a minimum) the following qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree or higher from an accredited university AND Seven (7) years of combined experience in manufacturing, quality, research & development and/or laboratory in a private, public, government or military environment.

OR

• High School Diploma/GED from an accredited institution AND a minimum of Eleven (11) years of experience in manufacturing, quality, research & development and/or laboratory.

Additional qualifications that could help you succeed even further in this role include:

• Bachelor’s Degree or higher in sciences and/ or engineering from an accredited university.
• Medical product and/or quality management system experience such as Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Quality System Regulation (QSR) and/or International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
• Prior experience supervising individual contributors.
• Experienced and knowledgeable in routine test procedures, equipment validation, and problem solving.
• Understanding of basic concepts of measurement systems, testing, and calibration
• Strong leadership, decision‑making, problem‑solving, continuous improvement, and management skills with the ability to provide guidance, direction, and oversight to others.
• Continuous Improvement leadership experience including leading projects and kaizen events.

Work location:

• Onsite in Cordova, IL

Travel: May include up to 10%

Relocation Assistance: Is not authorized

Must be legally authorized to work in country of employment without sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H1B status).

Export Control:

Responsibilities of this position may include direct and/or indirect physical or logical access to information, systems, technologies subjected to the regulations/compliance with U.S. Export Control Laws.

U.S. Export Control laws and U.S. Government Department of Defense contracts and sub‑contracts impose certain restrictions on companies and their ability to share export‑controlled and other technology and services with certain "non‑U.S. persons" (persons who are not U.S. citizens or nationals, lawful permanent residents of the U.S., refugees, "Temporary Residents" (granted Amnesty or Special Agricultural Worker provisions), or persons granted asylum (but excluding persons in nonimmigrant status such as H-1B, L-1, F-1, etc.) or non‑U.S. citizens.

To comply with these laws, and in conjunction with the review of candidates for those positions within 3M that may present access to export controlled technical data, 3M must assess employees' U.S. person status, as well as citizenship(s).

The questions asked in this application are intended to assess this and will be used for evaluation purposes only. Failure to provide the necessary information in this regard will result in our inability to consider you further for this particular position. The decision whether or not to file or pursue an export license application is at 3M Company's sole election.

Supporting Your Well-being

3M offers many programs to help you live your best life - both physically and financially. To ensure competitive pay and benefits, 3M regularly benchmarks with other companies that are comparable in size and scope.

Safety is a core value at 3M. All employees are expected to contribute to a strong Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) culture by following safety policies, identifying hazards, and engaging in continuous improvement.Pay & Benefits Overview: https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/careers-us/working-at-3m/benefits/3M does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Applicable to US Applicants Only: The expected compensation range for this position is $95,591 - $116,834, which includes base pay plus variable incentive pay, if eligible. This range represents a good faith estimate for this position. The specific compensation offered to a candidate may vary based on factors including, but not limited to, the candidate’s relevant knowledge, training, skills, work location, and/or experience. In addition, this position may be eligible for a range of benefits (e.g., Medical, Dental & Vision, Health Savings Accounts, Health Care & Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts, Disability Benefits, Life Insurance, Voluntary Benefits, Paid Absences and Retirement Benefits, etc.). Additional information is available at: https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/careers-us/working-at-3m/benefits/. All US-based 3M full time employees will need to sign an employee agreement as a condition of employment with 3M. This agreement lays out key terms on using 3M Confidential Information and Trade Secrets. It also has provisions discussing conflicts of interest and how inventions are assigned. Employees that are Job Grade 7 or equivalent and above may also have obligations to not compete against 3M or solicit its employees or customers, both during their employment, and for a period after they leave 3M. Learn more about 3M’s creative solutions to the world’s problems at www.3M.com or on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @3M.