Lab Supervisor

St. Joseph, MI, us5+ years

Company Description

At Bosch our products and services are designed to spark enthusiasm, improve quality of life, and help conserve natural resources. We want to deliver top quality and reliability. In short: we want to create technology that is “Invented for life.”

With its extensive technical expertise, Bosch develops smart mobility solutions in the areas of hardware, software, and services. Within the Vehicle Motion Division, we design and develop state-of-the art brake system solutions for passenger cars and light/medium/heavy truck braking applications.

The brake products lab supports the development of the overall brake system by providing the validation support required for medium & heavy truck braking products (Hydraulic brake boosters, brake calipers, and drive line parking brakes).

The work that you will do in our lab will directly contribute to the safety and reliability of medium and heavy trucks on the road today and in the future.

Job Description

The Lab Supervisor is a key leadership position responsible for the strategic and operational excellence of our brake products validation lab. You will lead a dedicated team of technicians, manage specialized test equipment, and ensure that our validation processes meet the rigorous demands of new product development, continuous improvement projects, and direct customer change requests. This role is ideal for a leader who is passionate about optimizing lab performance, mentoring technical staff, and ensuring the highest standards of quality and safety.

Your responsibilities will include:

Leadership & Team Development:
- Lead, mentor, and develop a team of skilled lab technicians, fostering a culture of collaboration, safety, and continuous improvement.
- Foster a culture of safety and order while performing test work.
- Lead a regular alignment with the test engineers and technicians to maintain weekly forecasts of tasks.
- Align priorities with leadership when conflicts or constraints arise.
- Manage technician workload and plan equipment capacity to optimize lab throughput and meet critical project deadlines.
- Provide technical guidance and act as a primary resource for troubleshooting complex issues with test stands and procedures.
- Implement, maintain, and include lessons learned in all required lab procedures related to safety, quality, procurement, and validation testing.
- Establish metrics to quantify the test equipment utilization and enable efficiency improvements using a continuous improvement (CIP) mindset.
- Network with labs in other Bosch locations to ensure consistency and identify potential best practices.
- Conduct goal setting and regular performance reviews with the lab team.
- Coach technicians and guide career development.
- Ensure thorough and consistent training within the team and enable cross training.
- Monitor and approve team working time, including occasional overtime.
- Act as a counterpart for the site’s Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) and Facilities management (FCM) representatives.
- Ensure awareness, training, and adherence to all site safety and environmental policies.
- Proactively identify and address any hazards in the work environment.
Operational & Technical Management:
- Review and consult on technical issues with equipment and test set-up, which will require the ability an analyze complex technical topics with mechanical and electrical test equipment and test samples.
- Oversee all aspects of lab operations, including the review and approval of test orders, ensuring clarity and accuracy.
- Direct the preventative maintenance program and coordinate with the calibration team to anticipate issues and maximize equipment uptime and data integrity.
- Develop and implement an ongoing plan to upgrade test equipment as required to ensure reliable operation.
- Manage relationships with external suppliers for lab maintenance, repairs, and the procurement of necessary fluids, components, and specialty items.
- Develop and maintain test stand control software and lead the design and procurement of new test fixtures as technology evolves.
- Define storage concept for test samples to ensure impeccable organization and effective material flow into, within, and out of the lab.
- Assign and check regular organization and cleanliness tasks including cooperation with engineers and regular review of test sample inventory.

Travel Expectation: Limited travel may be needed, primarily for training and supplier collaboration.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related technical field.
5+ years of experience working in a technical or engineering lab environment.
2+ years of direct leadership experience, including mentoring and managing technicians.
Demonstrated experience with hydraulic and electromechanical test equipment.
Proven ability to interpret complex engineering specifications, test procedures, and data.
Ability to troubleshoot and find solutions for technical and procedural issues.
Strong interpersonal, communication, and listening skills.
Strong problem solving and analytical skills.
Good verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to manage multiple responsibilities.

Preferred Qualifications:

Specific experience with automotive or commercial vehicle braking systems (e.g., boosters, calipers, master cylinders, parking brakes).
Ability to interface with cross functional teams at all levels of personnel and management.
Hands-on experience with equipment fabrication, repair, and troubleshooting of electronic control systems.
Experience with test stand control software (e.g., LabVIEW, DASYLab) or similar data acquisition and control platforms.