Laboratory Manager

Description

Join Aztalan Bio as a Laboratory Manager and lead the quality assurance efforts at our growing, innovative biorefinery in Johnson Creek, WI. This full-time leadership role offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, PTO, sick time, and more. In this role, you will oversee all laboratory operations, ensuring the accuracy and integrity of testing while maintaining compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements. You will lead and develop the laboratory team, manage quality control systems, oversee laboratory equipment and procedures, and partner with operations, commercial teams, and external organizations to ensure products consistently meet customer specifications and the highest quality standards. 

Aztalan Bio offers a competitive compensation and benefits package designed to support your health, well-being, and work-life balance. Benefits include:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance 
• 401(k) with Company Match 
• Paid Time Off (PTO) and Paid Sick Time 
• Paid Holidays 
• Company-Paid Life and Disability Insurance 
• Quarterly Bonus
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) 

Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead laboratory testing and monitoring of fermentation, mash, beer, stillage, and other process streams.
• Monitor key fermentation parameters including alcohol, residual sugars, pH, yeast health, contamination, nutrients, and fermentation efficiency.
• Analyze laboratory and process data to identify trends, process deviations, yield losses, and opportunities for improvement.
• Partner with Operations and Engineering to troubleshoot fermentation issues and optimize yeast, nutrients, enzymes, and other process variables.
• Oversee quality testing for co-products such as distillers grains, corn oil, syrup, and other plant products.
• Ensure co-products meet customer, regulatory, and internal quality specifications and investigate out-of-specification results.
• Supervise, train, and develop laboratory technicians and ensure accurate, timely, and consistent testing and reporting.
• Maintain laboratory procedures, testing schedules, equipment, calibrations, supplies, and documentation.
• Ensure laboratory methods, records, and data meet quality, compliance, and traceability requirements.
• Support audits, root-cause investigations, corrective actions, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Promote a strong culture of safety, quality, accuracy, and continuous improvement throughout the laboratory.
• Maintain compliance with FSMA regulations through testing, reporting, and recordkeeping. 

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, microbiology, or a related field. 
• 5 years of laboratory quality control, laboratory operations, or similar refinery operational experience.
• Understanding of refinery operations, processes, and the interaction of units and the application of stream/chemical quality pertinent to each.
• Prior experience with managing quality programs preferred.
• Working knowledge of computers including MS Office, and Excel.  
• Excellent written and verbal skills will be required to communicate with employees and other departments.  
• Ability to prioritize, focus, and distinguish between urgent and important
• Ability to work under stress

Work Environment & Physical Demands 

• Primary work environment is a lab setting, however occasionally will enter the plant environment
• When in the plant environment, employee may be exposed to moderate to high noise levels, moving mechanical parts, and/or to chemicals used in the process 
• Noise level in the work environment is moderate. Occasional exposure to high noise levels
• Employee may be exposed to work near moving mechanical parts
• Occasional exposure to chemicals used in the process 
• Humid conditions and outdoor weather conditions including extreme heat and cold
• Personal Protective Equipment such as safety glasses, steel-toed boots, flame-resistant clothing, and hearing protection will regularly be required (or may be required)
• Regularly required to walk, sit, talk, and hear.  
• The employee is occasionally required to stand; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and may occasionally be required to climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.  
• The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and may occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.  
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.  
• The employee will be required to do some walking/climbing stairs and occasional use of ladders
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.     

Aztalan Bio LLC provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.