Customer Lab Service Manager

Location: Des Moines, IA area

Overview:

The CLS Manager is a hands-on lab scientist, responsible for the oversight of the Company Customer Laboratory Service (CLS) Lab – (3) direct reports (must have direct management experience). The CLS team supports customers with technical advice and experimental data to recommend the type of ingredients  need  to be used to improve the shelf life and freshness for a specific food matrix. Must have 3-5 years of Lab experience.

Responsibilities:

• Supervise the Customer Lab Services (CLS) team and lab activities in North America, ensuring resource planning and timely delivery of projects.
• Lead and manage personnel, providing clear direction and ensuring the development for direct reports.
• Work closely together with the South America CLS team, with a dotted-line responsibility in ensuring the CLS activities in the region are further developed.
• Ensure testing of requests to meet agreed deadline and ensure scientific correctness of the Laboratory Report for release to Techni-Sales team. This includes managing the team’s project workload, as well as personal projects as a hands-on working manager.
• Provide technical advice pertaining to CLS requests, to the sales/technical managers.
• Plan and manage CLS department budget.
• Support Sales efforts as an active team member, discussing projects and new opportunities for Company product sales.
• Develop/implement new and improved test methods for the department in order to support sales of existing /new products.
• Support the product launch process and successful product launches for Company and customers.
• Ensure CLS database, files, and log books are maintained.
• Ensure good laboratory practices in recording data, calibration of equipment to ensure accuracy of results, general laboratory maintenance, and proper disposal procedures are maintained.
• Trouble-shooting and problem-solving of product complaint and trial setup.
• Ensure good working conditions for the laboratory and timely completion of repairs.
• Conduct journal searches, applying research to current needs, and developing initial method, test functionality, and validation.
• Development/installation/validation of methods (including the use of statistical analysis).

Qualifications:

• Masters degree in Food Science/Food Chemistry with 3-5 years of experience, or Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science/Food Chemistry with 5-7 years of experience
• Proven managerial and personnel development skills
• Minimum 2 years of related laboratory working experience
• Previous working experience with Oxidative Stability instrument (OSI), Oxygen Bomb, Peroxy Safe, AldeSafe, HPLC, GCMS, LCMS and UV Spectrophotometer and statistical software.
• Experience in method development, product development, and applied research projects.
• Experience with writing scientific reports and publications.
• Previous project management experience.
• Experience in independently evaluating and interpreting results.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills with a minimal English proficiency level of Intermediate High as defined in the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines. Bi-lingual language skills are highly preferred. (Spanish and/or Portuguese)
• Excellent writing skills and the demonstrated ability to make timely and logical decisions that meet the needs of the business is critical.
• Ability to demonstrate creative ability in solving technical issues.
• A high degree of personal motivation, a desire to make an immediate contribution and a sense of urgency and excitement.
• Solid computer skills.
• Ability to work independently under pressure

This exempt-level position is considered to be 40 hours per week, but requires tremendous flexibility and will require a moderate amount of domestic travel along with occasional international travel.