OPT Laboratory Manager Jobs
Laboratory Manager roles are a strong fit for F-1 OPT students with degrees in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, or related sciences. Most positions require hands-on lab experience, which aligns well with STEM OPT extensions. Your 12-month standard OPT window, extendable to 36 months under STEM OPT, gives employers a meaningful runway.
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Get Access To All JobsFood Safety Leader / Laboratory Manager
Simpsonville
Requisition ID: 54724
If you are a current employee click here to apply.
Sealed Air designs and delivers packaging solutions that protect essential goods transported worldwide, preserve food, enable e-commerce and digital connectivity, and help create a global supply chain that is touchless, safer, less wasteful, and more resilient. We strive to foster a caring, high-performance growth culture that will deliver consistent, sustainable profitable growth and accelerate our performance – a culture where accountability is clear and aligned, and where we reward business outcomes and impact. That culture guides everything we do, including how we partner with our customers and suppliers, how we attract and retain top talent, and how we create and deliver value to our stakeholders. In 2025, Sealed Air generated $5.4 billion in sales and has approximately 16,100 employees who serve customers in 119 countries/territories.
Job Summary
Responsible for leading the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of the site’s Food Safety and Quality Management System to ensure compliance with regulatory, customer, and SQF requirements. Manages Quality Control laboratory operations, including staffing, testing, and equipment oversight, to ensure timely and accurate evaluation of raw materials and finished products. Provides cross-functional leadership to drive a culture of food safety, quality excellence, and continuous improvement throughout the facility.
Key Responsibilities
- Oversee the development, implementation, maintenance, and continuous improvement of the site’s Food Safety and Quality Management System in accordance with SQF, regulatory, and customer requirements
- Ensure full compliance with SQF Code requirements, including maintaining certification, managing re-certification processes, and ensuring ongoing audit readiness
- Identify process and procedural deficiencies; develop, implement, and verify corrective and preventive action (CAPA) plans to meet or exceed compliance standards
- Provide leadership and oversight for core food safety and quality programs, including:
- HACCP
- Product Traceability and Recall Readiness
- Supplier Approval, Verification, and Monitoring
- Environmental Monitoring Program
- Food Defense and Food Fraud Prevention
- Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs)
- Allergen Management Program
- Document Control and Record Management
- Business Continuity and Crisis Management
- Control of Foreign Matter Contamination
- Pest Prevention and Control
- Serve as the site SQF Practitioner, ensuring the system is properly implemented, validated, and verified
- Lead internal, external, and third-party audits including SQF certification audits, regulatory inspections (e.g., DHEC), and customer audits; ensure timely and effective closure of all findings
- Develop and maintain audit programs, including internal audits and supplier/contract manufacturer audits to ensure compliance with food safety and quality standards
- Provide food safety and quality training to all employees
- Plan, manage, and supervise Quality Control laboratory operations, ensuring adequate staffing, proper testing procedures, equipment calibration, and timely release of materials and products
- Collaborate cross-functionally with Engineering, Operations, Process Improvement, and Purchasing to define and monitor critical-to-quality attributes for raw materials and finished products
- Facilitate Measurement System Analysis (MSA) and implement improvements to ensure accuracy and reliability of testing and inspection systems
- Execute performance management responsibilities for direct reports, including hiring, training, coaching, performance reviews, and disciplinary actions
Qualifications
- HAACP and PCQI certification required
- Strong knowledge of SQF, FSSC, or BRC standards and requirements required
- Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Chemistry, or related field preferred
- 3+ years of experience in food safety and quality within a manufacturing environment
- Strong knowledge of GMPs and audit processes
Pay Transparency
Salary Range: $81,900-$141,335
The range disclosed complies with applicable state and local pay transparency laws. Offers within this range will be determined by considering relevant factors including education, experience, and internal alignment. This position may also be eligible for annual performance bonuses and other incentive programs. Sealed Air offers a competitive benefits package that includes health, dental, vision, 401(k), paid time off, and other benefits designed to promote well-being.
Requisition id: 54724
Relocation: Yes
Sealed Air is committed to attracting, selecting, and developing talent that reflects the diversity of the communities and customers we serve. We take pride in our selection process to identify, infuse, and grow talent to align with our culture, values, and norms. Sealed Air prioritizes talent development, fostering a culture of continuous growth and career progression. The company is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants for employment and to all employees, without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, protected disability, veteran status, or any other protected status in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.
Please be cautious of fraudulent recruiting efforts using the Sealed Air name or logo. Sealed Air will never request private information during the application process, such as a Driver's License or Social Security Number. If you have any concerns about information received from SEE during the application process, please reach out to us directly at globalta@sealedair.com.
WHY WORK AT SEALED AIR?
It is our responsibility to leverage what we have to affect positive and meaningful change for our communities and planet using Sealed Air’s global resources and expertise.
Corporate sustainability - it’s about improving the lives of people around the world by addressing pressing needs in the communities where we and our customers operate.
Customer Success - meeting our customers' needs. At Sealed Air it’s more than a goal, it’s an integral part of our business practices, our innovative solutions, and our values.
Leaving our communities better than we found them through dedication of time, talent and resources.
Food Safety Leader / Laboratory Manager
Simpsonville
Requisition ID: 54724
If you are a current employee click here to apply.
Sealed Air designs and delivers packaging solutions that protect essential goods transported worldwide, preserve food, enable e-commerce and digital connectivity, and help create a global supply chain that is touchless, safer, less wasteful, and more resilient. We strive to foster a caring, high-performance growth culture that will deliver consistent, sustainable profitable growth and accelerate our performance – a culture where accountability is clear and aligned, and where we reward business outcomes and impact. That culture guides everything we do, including how we partner with our customers and suppliers, how we attract and retain top talent, and how we create and deliver value to our stakeholders. In 2025, Sealed Air generated $5.4 billion in sales and has approximately 16,100 employees who serve customers in 119 countries/territories.
Job Summary
Responsible for leading the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of the site’s Food Safety and Quality Management System to ensure compliance with regulatory, customer, and SQF requirements. Manages Quality Control laboratory operations, including staffing, testing, and equipment oversight, to ensure timely and accurate evaluation of raw materials and finished products. Provides cross-functional leadership to drive a culture of food safety, quality excellence, and continuous improvement throughout the facility.
Key Responsibilities
- Oversee the development, implementation, maintenance, and continuous improvement of the site’s Food Safety and Quality Management System in accordance with SQF, regulatory, and customer requirements
- Ensure full compliance with SQF Code requirements, including maintaining certification, managing re-certification processes, and ensuring ongoing audit readiness
- Identify process and procedural deficiencies; develop, implement, and verify corrective and preventive action (CAPA) plans to meet or exceed compliance standards
- Provide leadership and oversight for core food safety and quality programs, including:
- HACCP
- Product Traceability and Recall Readiness
- Supplier Approval, Verification, and Monitoring
- Environmental Monitoring Program
- Food Defense and Food Fraud Prevention
- Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs)
- Allergen Management Program
- Document Control and Record Management
- Business Continuity and Crisis Management
- Control of Foreign Matter Contamination
- Pest Prevention and Control
- Serve as the site SQF Practitioner, ensuring the system is properly implemented, validated, and verified
- Lead internal, external, and third-party audits including SQF certification audits, regulatory inspections (e.g., DHEC), and customer audits; ensure timely and effective closure of all findings
- Develop and maintain audit programs, including internal audits and supplier/contract manufacturer audits to ensure compliance with food safety and quality standards
- Provide food safety and quality training to all employees
- Plan, manage, and supervise Quality Control laboratory operations, ensuring adequate staffing, proper testing procedures, equipment calibration, and timely release of materials and products
- Collaborate cross-functionally with Engineering, Operations, Process Improvement, and Purchasing to define and monitor critical-to-quality attributes for raw materials and finished products
- Facilitate Measurement System Analysis (MSA) and implement improvements to ensure accuracy and reliability of testing and inspection systems
- Execute performance management responsibilities for direct reports, including hiring, training, coaching, performance reviews, and disciplinary actions
Qualifications
- HAACP and PCQI certification required
- Strong knowledge of SQF, FSSC, or BRC standards and requirements required
- Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Chemistry, or related field preferred
- 3+ years of experience in food safety and quality within a manufacturing environment
- Strong knowledge of GMPs and audit processes
Pay Transparency
Salary Range: $81,900-$141,335
The range disclosed complies with applicable state and local pay transparency laws. Offers within this range will be determined by considering relevant factors including education, experience, and internal alignment. This position may also be eligible for annual performance bonuses and other incentive programs. Sealed Air offers a competitive benefits package that includes health, dental, vision, 401(k), paid time off, and other benefits designed to promote well-being.
Requisition id: 54724
Relocation: Yes
Sealed Air is committed to attracting, selecting, and developing talent that reflects the diversity of the communities and customers we serve. We take pride in our selection process to identify, infuse, and grow talent to align with our culture, values, and norms. Sealed Air prioritizes talent development, fostering a culture of continuous growth and career progression. The company is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants for employment and to all employees, without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, protected disability, veteran status, or any other protected status in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.
Please be cautious of fraudulent recruiting efforts using the Sealed Air name or logo. Sealed Air will never request private information during the application process, such as a Driver's License or Social Security Number. If you have any concerns about information received from SEE during the application process, please reach out to us directly at globalta@sealedair.com.
WHY WORK AT SEALED AIR?
It is our responsibility to leverage what we have to affect positive and meaningful change for our communities and planet using Sealed Air’s global resources and expertise.
Corporate sustainability - it’s about improving the lives of people around the world by addressing pressing needs in the communities where we and our customers operate.
Customer Success - meeting our customers' needs. At Sealed Air it’s more than a goal, it’s an integral part of our business practices, our innovative solutions, and our values.
Leaving our communities better than we found them through dedication of time, talent and resources.
See all 155+ OPT Laboratory Manager Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new OPT Laboratory Manager Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding OPT Sponsorship as a Laboratory Manager
Lead with your STEM OPT timeline upfront
Tell employers early that your STEM degree qualifies you for a 36-month OPT period. Many lab hiring managers don't know this distinction. Framing your authorization as a three-year window removes the common objection that OPT students are a short-term hire.
Highlight lab-specific technical credentials
Certifications in biosafety, chemical hygiene, or equipment calibration strengthen your application considerably. Employers hiring Laboratory Managers want proof of compliance knowledge, not just bench experience. List any safety training, SOPs you've authored, or audits you've supported directly on your resume.
Target research institutions and university labs
Academic and government research labs are experienced with OPT and CPT work authorization. They hire international students regularly and often have designated HR contacts who understand DSO reporting requirements, making the authorization conversation significantly smoother than with small private employers.
Show evidence of supervisory or coordination experience
Laboratory Manager roles require managing staff, budgets, and compliance, not just running experiments. Document any experience supervising lab assistants, ordering supplies, or coordinating between research teams. This differentiates you from candidates with strong technical skills but no operational background.
Understand your reporting obligations before interviews
OPT requires you to report employer changes to your DSO within 10 days. Know this process thoroughly so you can answer employer questions about your status confidently. Employers who are hesitant about OPT often relax when a candidate demonstrates they understand the compliance requirements.
Ask about H-1B sponsorship during the offer stage, not before
Raise the H-1B visa question after you have demonstrated your value through interviews. Laboratory Manager is a specialty occupation that qualifies for H-1B, so the pathway exists. Bringing it up too early can stall conversations before employers have seen what you bring to the role.
Laboratory Manager OPT: Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Laboratory Manager role qualify for STEM OPT extension?
It depends on your underlying degree, not the job title itself. If your degree is in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, environmental science, or another STEM field on the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List, and your Laboratory Manager role is directly related to that field, you can apply for the 24-month STEM OPT extension. Your DSO must verify the connection between your degree and your job duties.
Can I work as a Laboratory Manager on standard 12-month OPT?
Yes. Laboratory Manager is a post-completion OPT-eligible position as long as the role is directly related to your degree field and you maintain valid OPT authorization throughout employment. You must report the employer to your DSO within 10 days of starting. If your degree qualifies as STEM, you can apply for the extension before your standard OPT expires to stay authorized longer.
Do Laboratory Manager employers typically sponsor H-1B visas?
Many do, particularly in pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, research hospitals, and university settings. Laboratory Manager meets the specialty occupation standard because the role typically requires a bachelor's degree or higher in a specific scientific field. Employers in regulated industries, such as those operating under FDA or EPA oversight, are generally more familiar with H-1B sponsorship than smaller private labs.
How do I find Laboratory Manager jobs that are open to OPT candidates?
Migrate Mate is the best place to start. The platform is built specifically for F-1 OPT students and filters for employers who are open to sponsoring or hiring international candidates. Searching there saves you from applying to positions where OPT status will immediately disqualify you, which is a common and time-consuming problem when using general job search platforms.
What happens to my OPT status if I'm between Laboratory Manager jobs?
You have a 90-day cumulative unemployment allowance during standard OPT, which is reduced to 60 days if you're on STEM OPT extension. Unemployment is tracked from your OPT start date, not from when you leave a job. If you exceed the limit, your OPT is automatically invalidated. Actively documenting your job search and maintaining contact with your DSO during any gap is essential.