Laboratory Manager — Quality Control & Safety

About us

Still Bright is making copper mining a force for good at a time when global copper demand is increasing at unprecedented rates while global copper supply is actually shrinking. By responsibly converting copper and the toxic elements also located within the ore to products that drive local prosperity, Still Bright is leveraging its proprietary processing technology to change the industry.

Position Summary

The Laboratory Manager owns the day-to-day operations of Still Bright’s headquarters lab — keeping it running, stocked, calibrated, compliant, and above all safe. This is a hands-on role that spans three connected responsibilities: lab management, quality control, and safety. The person in this seat runs the analytical instrumentation, directs technician performance of QC analysis on process and experiment samples, collects & distributes the data to the technical team, and serves as the lab’s safety lead. Reporting to the VP of Operations, this role keeps the lab’s foundation stable so the science and engineering teams can focus on the work only they can do.

This is a high-trust, build-it-yourself role. As Still Bright scales, the Laboratory Manager will turn ad hoc routines into repeatable, documented procedures - from SOPs and calibration schedules to chemical inventory and safety protocols - so the lab’s operational foundation keeps pace with the company’s growth.

Success in this role is measured in safety, reliability, and judgment: a lab with zero preventable incidents, analytical data that is accurate and traceable, instruments that are well-maintained and qualified, and a lab that is consistently ready to support R&D and pilot work.

Key Responsibilities

• Run day-to-day lab operations: manage equipment, consumables, reagents, and chemical inventory; coordinate vendors and service contracts; and keep the lab organized, well-stocked, and audit-ready.

• Own quality control: manage technician performance of QC on incoming raw materials, copper concentrates, process intermediates, and final products, including sampling, sample preparation, and routine assays.

• Operate and maintain analytical instrumentation: run instruments (e.g., ICP, XRD, XRF, etc.) and wet-chemistry methods; generate, review, and report accurate metals assay data; and investigate and resolve anomalous results.

• Safeguard method and data integrity: develop, validate, and document analytical methods; maintain instrument calibration and qualification; and ensure results are traceable and well-documented.

• Serve as the lab’s safety lead: own chemical hygiene, hazardous chemical handling and storage, hazardous-waste management, PPE, SDS upkeep, emergency response, and OSHA compliance for all labs.

• Support build-out, commissioning, & subsequent upgrades of the new headquarters lab: help bring fume hoods, utilities, gas lines, and instrumentation online, and qualify equipment for use.

• Build repeatable systems and documentation: turn informal routines into reliable SOPs, logs, and quality and safety records as the lab scales.

• Partner with R&D and process engineering: deliver timely, reliable data that informs experiments and pilot operations, and translate technical findings clearly.

Definition of Success

In the first 3–6 months, success looks like: a new headquarters lab that is fully commissioned, organized, and safe; instruments that are calibrated, qualified, and well-maintained; reliable, traceable QC and assay data flowing to the technical team on time; documented SOPs and safety protocols in place and followed; and a track record of zero preventable safety incidents.

Qualifications & Experience

Expected Competencies:

• A BS in Chemistry, Chemical or Metallurgical Engineering, or a related field, plus 3+ years of hands-on experience in an analytical or wet-chemistry lab.

• Hands-on experience operating and maintaining analytical instrumentation (e.g., ICP, XRD, XRF, etc.) and wet-chemistry techniques such as titration, gravimetric analysis, and sample digestion.

• Working knowledge of QC practices — sampling, method validation, calibration, and rigorous data review and documentation.

• Strong chemical safety and EHS knowledge — chemical handling and storage, hazardous-waste management, PPE, SDS, and OSHA compliance in a laboratory setting.

• Highly organized and detail-oriented, with the discipline to keep accurate records and maintain a clean, compliant lab.

• A self-starter comfortable building processes where none yet exist and standing up a new lab from the ground up.

• Excellent written and verbal communication, with the ability to work alongside R&D and engineering and present data clearly.

• Able and committed to working full-time, fully onsite in Kenilworth, NJ — this is a hands-on lab role and cannot be performed remotely.

Strongly Preferred Experience:

• Experience commissioning, setting up, or relocating a laboratory.

• Familiarity with laboratory quality systems (e.g., ISO/IEC 17025) and LIMS.

• Experience serving as a chemical hygiene officer or formal lab safety lead.

Nice-to-Have:

• Experience in hydrometallurgy, mining and metals, electrochemistry, or minerals processing.

• Exposure to a startup or scaling organization moving from founder-led operations to formal systems and structure.

• Experience with hazardous-materials handling and disposal (e.g., RCRA/DOT) or handling acids and reagents at scale.

• Experience supporting pilot or pre-pilot operations.