Laboratory Manager

JOB SUMMARY

The Laboratory Manager oversees all day-to-day operations of a licensed cannabis processing, extraction, and/or testing laboratory, ensuring the highest standards of safety, quality control, throughput, and state and federal regulatory compliance. This role combines hands-on technical expertise in cannabis extraction, post-processing, and analytical testing with strong team leadershipmanaging technicians and, optimizing production workflows, maintaining complex processing and analytical equipment, and upholding rigorous Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) aligned with state cannabis program requirements.

Location: On site. Monroe, OH

Pay: $80,000 - $85,000

Operations & Workflow Management

Oversee day-to-day extraction, processing, and/or testing operations to ensure production schedules and throughput goals are met safely and efficiently

Monitor inventories of cannabis raw material, solvents, reagents, and consumables; coordinate with licensed vendors and distributors to manage procurement and control costs

Maintain accurate, real-time records within the state seed-to-sale tracking system (METRC) and reconcile inventory against physical counts

Track and analyze operational metrics (e.g., turnaround times, extraction yields, potency consistency, error rates) using tracking tools and spreadsheets

Identify bottlenecks in laboratory and processing workflows and implement continuous improvement strategies

Team Leadership & Personnel Development

Lead, train, and mentor laboratory and processing staff, ensuring thorough onboarding for new technical Lab team members

Prepare work schedules, assign daily tasks, and monitor individual and team productivity

Conduct regular performance evaluations, provide constructive feedback, and foster a collaborative, accountability-driven lab culture

Equipment Maintenance & Technical Oversight

Supervise the operation, calibration, cleaning, and preventative maintenance of extraction and lab equipment (e.g., CO2/hydrocarbon/ethanol extraction systems, rotary evaporators, vacuum ovens, distillation systems, chromatography and other analytical instruments)

Troubleshoot technical issues and equipment malfunctions promptly to minimize operational downtime

Maintain comprehensive maintenance logs, equipment SOPs, and service records

Quality Control (QC) & Regulatory Compliance

Enforce strict adherence to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), state cannabis Division of Cannabis Control/program regulations, and internal SOPs

Manage Quality Control (QC) protocols, auditing batch records, Certificates of Analysis (COAs), and testing data (potency, pesticides, residual solvents, microbials) for accuracy and compliance prior to final release

Lead investigation of Out-of-Specification (OOS) results, failed batches, non-conformances, or deviations, establishing corrective and preventative actions (CAPA), including product holds, recalls, or destruction per state requirements

Serve as primary point of contact for state regulatory inspections and audits, ensuring all documentation is inspection-ready

Environmental Health & Safety (EHS)

Serve as a primary champion for workplace safety, ensuring all team members follow chemical hygiene plans (including flammable solvent handling), PPE requirements, and hazardous and cannabis waste disposal rules

Participate actively in workplace safety, helping drive safety audits, risk assessments, and incident investigations

Maintain up-to-date Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and ensure compliance with OSHA and relevant state environmental and cannabis-specific safety standards

COMPETENCIES:

Leadership & Communication: Ability to delegate effectively, resolve team conflicts, and communicate complex technical concepts clearly

Problem-Solving: Strong diagnostic skills for addressing process deviations and mechanical equipment issues

Attention to Detail: Uncompromising commitment to precision, record-keeping, and safety standards

Adaptability: Capability to prioritize tasks effectively in a fast-paced, evolving regulatory environment

Strong proficiency in data analysis and tracking tools (e.g., Excel, LIMS, ERP systems, or seed-to-sale software such as METRC)

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, ELIGIBILITY and TRAINING:

3+ years of hands-on experience in a cannabis extraction required.

3+ years in a supervisory, lead technician, or team management role required.

Demonstrated experience maintaining and troubleshooting complex laboratory and extraction equipment and instruments

Must be at least 21 years of age and able to pass a state-required cannabis industry background check and obtain any applicable state work permit/badge

Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Biology, Chemical Engineering, or related field preferred; equivalent hands-on cannabis industry experience will be considered

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

Drop Down Selection

1. Sitting

Occasionally

18. Lifting

2. Standing

Continuously

10 lbs. or less

Occasionally

3. Walking

Continuously

11 to 25 lbs.

Frequently

4. Bending Over

Continuously

26 to 50 lbs.

Occasionally

5. Crawling

Occasionally

51 to 75 lbs.

Not Applicable

6. Climbing

Occasionally

76 to 100 lbs.

Not Applicable

7. Reaching Overhead

Occasionally

Over 100 lbs.

Not Applicable

8. Crouching

Frequently

19. Carrying

9. Kneeling

Frequently

10 lbs. or less

Continuously

10. Balancing

Occasionally

11 to 25 lbs.

Frequently

11. Pushing or pulling

Frequently

26 to 50 lbs.

Occasionally

12. Talking

Continuously

51 to 75 lbs.

Not Applicable

13. Repetitive use of hands/arms

Continuously

76 to 100 lbs.

Not Applicable

14. Repetitive use of legs

Continuously

Over 100 lbs.

Not Applicable

15. Grasping

Continuously

20. Hearing

Continuously

16. Eye/Hand Coordination

Not Applicable

21. Visual Acuity

Continuously

17. Fine Manipulation

Frequently

22. Subject to Noise

Continuously

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Ascend Wellness Holdings (AWH) is a vertically integrated cannabis cultivator, processor and provisioning center operator with assets in Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania. We seek to foster a robust and inclusive cannabis industry through a premium, unmatched customer-focused retail experience. We are looking to build a world-class team that will help carry out our mission of helping to shape the future of cannabis as a leading healthcare solution. We are committed to improving the quality of our patients lives by offering unrivaled quality, consistency and meticulously curated products that satisfy our customers unique, individual needs. When it comes to customer service experience, our dispensaries will set a new standard of excellence, emphasizing health and wellness by a highly knowledgeable team. A team that is committed to our values, our people, and our communities; we are looking for people who are inspired by our vision and stay dedicated to our mission as we continuously expand.

EEO STATEMENT

Ascend Wellness Holdings, Inc. ("AWH") and its subsidiaries is an equal opportunity employer and celebrate the population of differences and does not discriminate in its hiring / hiring practices, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Salary

$80000 - $85000 USD per year
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