STEM OPT Laboratory Manager Jobs
Laboratory Manager roles qualify for STEM OPT when your degree falls under an approved CIP code in life sciences, chemistry, or engineering. Your employer must be enrolled in E-Verify, and the 24-month extension gives you up to 36 months total to build supervisory lab experience while pursuing long-term sponsorship.
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Get Access To All JobsLOCATION: Corpus Christi, TX
TITLE: LABORATORY MANAGER
SUMMARY: The Laboratory Manager is responsible for the overall laboratory performance and execution of the laboratory processes. The Laboratory Manager supervises and coordinates activities of personnel engaged in performing chemical and physical tests required for quality control of processes and products by performing the following duties.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: include the following. Other duties may be designed.
- Advises assistant managers, coordinators, supervisors, technicians on test procedures to ensure the overall quality of submitted materials.
- Overall responsibility for SQC, Calibrations and Quality Assurance of the laboratory.
- Overall responsibility to ensure all Quality Assurance Programs are designed, implemented and utilized by laboratory personnel.
- Randomly analyzes test information to determine operating efficiency of process or equipment and to diagnose malfunctions.
- Confers with scientists or engineers to conduct analyses, interpret test results, or develop nonstandard tests.
- Directs adjustments to formulas and processes based on test results.
- Directs personnel to conduct research in developing custom products and investigates complaints on existing products.
- Assists in monitoring, measuring, and assessing corporate quality assurance practices and protocols for continual improvement.
- Recommends measures to improve testing procedures, use of equipment, and needs for new equipment.
- Analyzes and resolves, or assists workers in solving work problems.
- Markets actively for new clients.
- Overall responsibility for ensuring the proper amount of supplies and resources is on hand to efficiently run laboratory operations at required levels.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: Manages assistant managers, coordinators, and supervisors who supervise all employees in the laboratory. Is responsible for the overall direction, coordination, and evaluation of this unit.
Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization’s policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE: Prefer bachelor’s degree from four-year College or University; five to ten years related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
LANGUAGE SKILLS: Ability to read, analyzes, and interprets general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.
MATHEMATICAL SKILLS: Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to
LOCATION: Corpus Christi, TX
TITLE: LABORATORY MANAGER
SUMMARY: The Laboratory Manager is responsible for the overall laboratory performance and execution of the laboratory processes. The Laboratory Manager supervises and coordinates activities of personnel engaged in performing chemical and physical tests required for quality control of processes and products by performing the following duties.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: include the following. Other duties may be designed.
- Advises assistant managers, coordinators, supervisors, technicians on test procedures to ensure the overall quality of submitted materials.
- Overall responsibility for SQC, Calibrations and Quality Assurance of the laboratory.
- Overall responsibility to ensure all Quality Assurance Programs are designed, implemented and utilized by laboratory personnel.
- Randomly analyzes test information to determine operating efficiency of process or equipment and to diagnose malfunctions.
- Confers with scientists or engineers to conduct analyses, interpret test results, or develop nonstandard tests.
- Directs adjustments to formulas and processes based on test results.
- Directs personnel to conduct research in developing custom products and investigates complaints on existing products.
- Assists in monitoring, measuring, and assessing corporate quality assurance practices and protocols for continual improvement.
- Recommends measures to improve testing procedures, use of equipment, and needs for new equipment.
- Analyzes and resolves, or assists workers in solving work problems.
- Markets actively for new clients.
- Overall responsibility for ensuring the proper amount of supplies and resources is on hand to efficiently run laboratory operations at required levels.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: Manages assistant managers, coordinators, and supervisors who supervise all employees in the laboratory. Is responsible for the overall direction, coordination, and evaluation of this unit.
Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization’s policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE: Prefer bachelor’s degree from four-year College or University; five to ten years related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
LANGUAGE SKILLS: Ability to read, analyzes, and interprets general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.
MATHEMATICAL SKILLS: Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to
See all 65+ STEM OPT Laboratory Manager Jobs
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding STEM OPT Authorization as a Laboratory Manager
Verify your CIP code covers laboratory management
Check your degree's CIP code against the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List before applying. Biology, chemistry, and biomedical engineering codes routinely qualify, but interdisciplinary or applied science degrees sometimes need a closer look from your DSO.
Confirm E-Verify enrollment before accepting offers
Ask HR directly whether the employer is actively enrolled in E-Verify, not just registered. Labs inside universities, hospital systems, and contract research organizations sometimes operate under a parent entity's enrollment, which affects your I-983 filing address.
Frame your I-983 training plan around supervisory competencies
Laboratory Manager roles involve overseeing staff, managing compliance protocols, and budgeting, so your I-983 must connect those duties to your STEM degree's learning objectives. Vague training goals are a common reason DSOs push back on approval.
Use O*NET to match job duties to your degree field
Pull the Laboratory Manager occupation profile from O*NET and map its listed knowledge areas to your degree's coursework. That alignment strengthens both your I-983 narrative and any future specialty occupation argument when your employer transitions you to H-1B visa sponsorship.
Target employers with active H-1B filing history for lab roles
Identify which research institutions, biotech firms, and pharmaceutical companies have filed LCAs for laboratory or scientific management positions through Migrate Mate, so you're applying where long-term sponsorship is already part of the hiring pattern.
Time your STEM OPT application to cover the cap-gap window
If your employer files an H-1B petition before your OPT end date, the cap-gap rule automatically extends your work authorization through September 30. File your STEM OPT extension with USCIS well before your initial OPT expires so there's no gap in lab authorization.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Laboratory Manager role qualify for STEM OPT?
Yes, if your underlying degree carries an approved STEM CIP code and the job duties connect directly to that field. Laboratory Manager positions in life sciences, chemistry, engineering, and related disciplines typically qualify. Your DSO reviews the I-983 training plan to confirm the role meets the practical training standard before approving the extension.
What E-Verify requirement applies to my Laboratory Manager employer?
Your employer must be actively enrolled in E-Verify as a condition of employing you on STEM OPT. Enrollment alone isn't enough if the specific worksite or subsidiary isn't covered. Before signing an offer, ask HR to confirm the legal entity listed on your I-983 is the enrolled E-Verify participant, not just a related organization.
What goes into an I-983 training plan for a Laboratory Manager position?
The I-983 must describe how your day-to-day duties, such as supervising lab staff, maintaining regulatory compliance, managing equipment procurement, and overseeing experimental protocols, relate to your STEM degree. Generic job descriptions copied from the posting aren't sufficient. Your supervisor signs the plan, and your DSO reviews it against ICE's practical training criteria before approving.
How does the cap-gap rule protect my work authorization as a Laboratory Manager?
If your employer files an H-1B petition on your behalf before your STEM OPT expires, the cap-gap provision extends your work authorization automatically through September 30 of that fiscal year. You can continue managing the lab without interruption during adjudication. USCIS issues a cap-gap notice you can present to your employer as authorization documentation.
Where can I find Laboratory Manager jobs at employers who sponsor STEM OPT workers?
Migrate Mate filters Laboratory Manager listings to show only employers enrolled in E-Verify and with documented LCA filing history for STEM roles, so you're not spending time on positions where sponsorship is unlikely. You can search by degree field and location to identify research institutions, biotech companies, and healthcare systems that have already built STEM OPT hiring processes.