Manager of Instructional Laboratories

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Standard Work Schedule:
• Building:
• Salary Range: $85,000 to $102,000

Position Summary

The Department of Mechanical Engineering in the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) seeks an experienced Manager of Instructional Laboratories to provide strategic leadership and operational oversight for the department's mechanical engineering teaching laboratory and mechatronics laboratory. The Manager will be responsible for ensuring a safe, innovative, and pedagogically aligned laboratory environment that supports undergraduate and graduate instruction, hands-on learning, and student design projects.

This role provides direction for laboratory operations, safety compliance, instructional support, and personnel management, including the supervision and development of laboratory staff and student employees. The Manager partners closely with faculty to support lab-based courses, develop instructional experiments, and train students in the effective and safe use of laboratory equipment and technologies.

Responsibilities

• 
  

  Laboratory Operations & Resource Management (30%):

  Provide overall leadership for day-to-day laboratory operations

  Manage laboratory scheduling and space utilization for instruction, research, and projects

  Oversee organization, storage systems, and access to laboratory spaces

  Maintain laboratory inventories; coordinate ordering, receiving, and tracking of supplies

  Coordinate service, maintenance, lifecycle planning, and vendor relationships for laboratory equipment

  
  Monitor laboratory-related budgets and approve transactions and billing for lab materials
• 
  

  Instructional Support & Student Engagement (25%):

  Collaborate with faculty to support curriculum delivery in laboratory-based courses

  Assist in developing and implementing instructional experiments and demonstrations

  Train and mentor students in laboratory procedures, equipment usage, and safety practices

  Provide technical guidance for student research, class projects, and capstone design activities

  
  Support and advise student clubs engaged in design and manufacturing projects, including logistics and project execution
• 
  

  Laboratory Equipment & Technical Infrastructure Management (20%):

  Maintain and operate laboratory equipment and experimental setups

  Oversee equipment including CNC machines, laser cutters, 3D printers, mechanical and electronic instrumentation, and computer-integrated systems interfacing with instrumentation

  Troubleshoot equipment issues and coordinate repairs or replacements

  
  Ensure appropriate documentation, manuals, and training resources are maintained
• 
  

  Safety, Compliance & Risk Management (15%):

  Serve as primary departmental liaison on laboratory safety matters

  Ensure compliance with university, state, and federal safety regulations and standards

  Implement and monitor safety protocols, training, and documentation

  Participate in safety audits, inspections, and corrective action planning

  
  Promote a culture of safety among students, staff, and faculty users
• 
  

  Personnel Management & Administrative Leadership (10%) :

  Supervise laboratory staff and student employees, including hiring, training, scheduling, and performance guidance

  Provide administrative support to laboratory operations and related instructional activities

  Represent the laboratories on departmental and University committees regarding undergraduate education, lab safety, and coordination

  
  Perform other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and or its equivalent experience required. A minimum of 3 years of related experience, or other general experience working in a "hands-on" laboratory environment. Strongly prefer a bachelor's degree and/or its equivalent in a related field, including mechanical engineering. Strongly prefer mentoring and management experience. Strongly prefer design, rapid prototyping, and CNC fabrication experience.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.