Lab Manager, Space

Costa Mesa · Costa Mesa, CA (OC-00) · USD 146,000-194,000 · 1+ years experience · Full-time · Onsite · Posted Oct 2, 2026

At a glance

The Lab Manager will oversee the day-to-day operations, readiness, and discipline of Space Manufacturing lab spaces across three locations.
This is a hands-on working-manager role responsible for facility systems, cleanroom contamination-control programs, safety, equipment, and material flow.
The role involves building and leading a team of technicians and specialists to support the development and low-rate builds of spaceflight hardware.

Manage day-to-day operations of lab spaces including gowning/anterooms, air showers, test bays, and assembly zones.
Build and lead a site support team including contamination-control, facilities, and lab technicians.
Serve as the single site point of contact for facilities, coordinating building services, maintenance, and repairs.
Own the contamination-control program for ISO 5–8 cleanrooms, including protocols, monitoring, and certification.
Coordinate cleanroom and facility systems upkeep such as AHUs, environmental monitoring, and specialty gases.
Act as the day-to-day safety point of contact, enforcing safe work practices and managing hazardous-material storage.
Manage lab equipment, assets, calibration/metrology programs, and material flow.
Drive lab standards and documentation, including operating procedures and audit-ready records.
Lead the transition of work into new facilities and manage the wind-down of temporary spaces.
Partner with AI&T, manufacturing engineering, and program teams to sequence work and maintain WIP flow.

5+ years operating or managing a manufacturing lab, cleanroom, or comparable controlled production environment.
Bachelor’s degree in engineering, a technical/science discipline, or equivalent hands-on experience.
3+ years of hands-on experience operating or managing an ISO-classified cleanroom (ISO 5–8 or equivalent).
2+ years working with cleanroom facility systems including HVAC/AHUs, environmental monitoring, and certification.
Hands-on safety experience with hazardous-material and compressed/specialty-gas handling and storage.
1+ year acting as a floor- or lab-level safety point of contact.
Experience managing lab equipment, calibration/metrology programs, and asset tracking for 50+ tools.
Experience owning facilities and readiness for 2+ distinct lab or cleanroom spaces simultaneously.
2+ years leading or mentoring a team in a formal management or team-lead capacity.
Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance.

2+ years in aerospace, defense, semiconductor, medical-device, or optics/sensor manufacturing.
Familiarity with ISO 5 (Class 100) operations and open-die / optical / sensor assembly cleanliness requirements.
Experience standing up a new lab or cleanroom, or bringing 1+ new cleanroom phases/areas online.
Familiarity with quality and workmanship standards such as IPC-610/620, AS9100, or NASA-STD-8739 series.
Experience coordinating EHS programs and specialty-gas / hazmat storage at scale.
Currently possesses and is able to maintain an active U.S. Top Secret security clearance.