Lab Manager

1770

The Lab Manager is responsible for the day-to-day operation, maintenance, and strategic development of engineering laboratories. This role ensures that hardware, infrastructure, and test environments are available, secure, and operating efficiently to support engineering teams throughout the product development lifecycle.

The ideal candidate combines strong technical knowledge of enterprise hardware with excellent organizational and project management skills. They will oversee lab operations, manage equipment inventories, coordinate infrastructure upgrades, and ensure compliance with safety, security, and operational standards.

This position is in Austin, Texas.

Key Responsibilities

Lab Operations

• Manage daily operations of multiple development and validation labs.
• Coordinate lab scheduling to maximize utilization across engineering teams.
• Develop and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs) for lab usage and equipment handling.
• Monitor environmental conditions including power, cooling, and rack utilization.

Hardware Management

• Install, configure, and maintain server platforms, storage arrays, switches, and related hardware.
• Coordinate hardware builds, upgrades, repairs, and decommissioning activities.
• Manage incoming engineering samples, prototype systems, and production hardware.
• Maintain accurate asset tracking and lifecycle documentation.
• Work with suppliers and internal logistics teams to receive and deploy new equipment.

Infrastructure Management

• Maintain rack layouts, structured cabling, power distribution units (PDUs), and network connectivity.
• Support operating system installations, firmware updates, BIOS configuration, and remote management interfaces.
• Coordinate infrastructure expansion projects as lab capacity grows.

Inventory and Asset Control

• Maintain inventory databases.
• Track engineering assets from receipt through retirement.
• Forecast equipment needs and manage procurement requests.
• Perform regular inventory audits.

Vendor Management

• Coordinate with vendors for equipment purchases, maintenance, and warranty services.
• Evaluate new equipment and recommend infrastructure improvements.

Safety and Compliance

• Ensure compliance with company safety policies and laboratory standards.
• Maintain ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) protected work environments.
• Support physical security controls for engineering assets.
• Maintain documentation required for audits and compliance reviews.

Cross-Functional Support

• Partner with Mechanical, Electrical, Firmware, Software, Validation, Reliability, Manufacturing, and IT teams.
• Support product bring-up activities and engineering investigations.
• Assist with infrastructure planning for new programs.
• Coordinate lab moves, expansions, and large-scale hardware deployments.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Information Technology, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years of experience managing engineering labs, data center infrastructure, or hardware validation environments.
• Strong knowledge of enterprise server architecture, networking, and storage technologies.
• Experience with rack installation, cabling, power distribution, and cooling considerations.
• Familiarity with Linux and Windows server environments.
• Experience with asset management systems and inventory control.
• Strong organizational and project management skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting server hardware development or validation teams.
• Knowledge of server management technologies such as IPMI, Redfish, BMCs, and remote management tools.
• Familiarity with scripting languages such as Python, Bash, or PowerShell for lab automation.
• Experience with Jira, Confluence, ServiceNow, or similar project and asset management tools.
• Understanding of data center operations and infrastructure best practices.

Key Competencies

• Technical leadership
• Problem solving and troubleshooting
• Project planning and execution
• Organization and attention to detail
• Customer service mindset
• Collaboration across engineering disciplines
• Risk assessment and mitigation

Working Conditions

• Frequent lifting and installation of rack-mounted server equipment (up to company safety guidelines).
• Work in laboratory and data center environments.
• Occasional after-hours support for infrastructure maintenance or critical engineering activities.
• Minimal travel may be required to support additional development sites or vendors.