Manager of Chemical-Environmental Engineering Laboratories, College of Engineering and Computer Science - UT Chattanooga

The College of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga invites applicants for a Manager of Chemical/Environmental Engineering Laboratories. Under the direction of College and Departmental leadership, the Manager of Chemical/Environmental Engineering Laboratories manages the day-to-day operation of assigned instructional and research laboratories. The position maintains safe, hygienic, clean, organized, functional, instruction-ready, and visitor-ready facilities; coordinates assigned chemical hygiene and laboratory safety functions; manages chemical inventories and safety data sheet access; maintains and troubleshoots equipment; trains users in safe operation; supports faculty-led instructional and research activities; and develops technical documentation and approved laboratory improvements.

Laboratory Scope

• Oversight of Chemical Engineering instructional laboratories, including process controls, makerspace activities, and unit operations – absorption, distillation, heat transfer, and reaction kinetics.
• Oversight of Chemical Engineering research laboratories, supporting bioprocesses, catalysis, materials science, materials characterization, and related faculty or sponsored work.
• Shared/coordinated oversight with Civil Engineering of Environmental Engineering instructional and research laboratories, supporting microplastics, water treatment, hydrology, and related activities.
• Shared/coordinated oversight with Civil Engineering of Geomaterials instructional and research laboratories
• Shared equipment or safety coordination with other CECS programs where instruments, utilities, or hazard classes overlap (e.g., fluid mechanics, mechatronics, mechanics of materials).

Chemical Hygiene, Laboratory Safety, and Facility Hygiene 

• Upon formal designation by UTC in the applicable Chemical Hygiene Plan, serve as CECS Chemical Hygiene Officer and operational coordinator for assigned chemical hygiene functions.

• Serve as the primary day-to-day contact for chemical hygiene, laboratory safety, hygienic conditions, technical housekeeping, and related concerns within assigned laboratories; document concerns, coordinate the responsible response, and track corrective actions.
• Develop, maintain, and revise assigned chemical hygiene materials, laboratory-specific safety procedures, hazard assessments, emergency procedures, inspection materials, and required user training records.
• Coordinate required approvals, procurement, receipt, labeling, storage-compatibility review, safety data sheet access, handling, inventory reconciliation, and disposal requests for hazardous chemicals, compressed gases, and related materials.
• Complete or coordinate departmental inspections, route hazards or deficiencies to the responsible authority, maintain response documentation, and support compliance with applicable university policies and safety requirements.

Laboratory Operations and Readiness 

• Coordinate access, scheduling, laboratory setup and reset, work orders, shutdowns, service interruptions, utilities, compressed gases, consumables, and day-to-day operational priorities.
• Maintain assigned laboratories in a safe, hygienic, clean, orderly, labeled, functional, instruction-ready, and visitor-ready condition; coordinate storage improvements, signage, custodial needs, and Facilities requests as appropriate.
• Perform between-term inventory reconciliation, preventive maintenance, laboratory reset, research support, procurement, documentation, and approved modernization work.

Equipment Management and Technical Support

• Operate, inspect, test, troubleshoot, and maintain assigned process equipment and analytical instruments; evaluate condition and coordinate repair, replacement, retirement, or vendor service as needed.
• Develop and maintain preventive maintenance schedules, service histories, equipment status records, calibration or verification records, and lists of required parts, accessories, and consumables.
• Support equipment specification, quotation review, procurement, installation, acceptance testing, commissioning, relocation, return-to-service testing, and retirement.

Inventory, Procurement, and Documentation 

• Maintain current inventories of chemicals, equipment, supplies, spare parts, materials, and compressed gases, including container-level and storage-location records, labels, and required reconciliations.
• Develop and administration approved QR- or barcode-supported systems for point-of-use access to current safety data sheets, hazard information, cabinet and container identification, equipment information, inventory records, and reporting or update forms.
• Prepare or recommend requisitions, obtain quotations, coordinate receiving and storage, and maintain an organized repository of current SOPs, quick-reference guides, equipment instructions, service records, troubleshooting records, and user-training resources.

Laboratory User Training, Instructional Support, and Research Support 

• Train faculty, staff, and students in safe equipment, process, software, and facility use; coordinate user onboarding and maintain applicable training and access records.
• Provide technical and operational support for faculty-led laboratory classes and research, including equipment and material preparation, safe-operation demonstrations, scheduling, and troubleshooting. Faculty retain course design, instruction, assessment, instructor-of-record duties, and direct supervision.
• Support approved student projects, faculty research, sponsored work, and contract testing through experimental setup, instrument operation, sample intake, chain-of-custody records, data export, supplies, records, and basic method or data-quality checks within the position's technical scope.

Laboratory Development, Outreach, and External Coordination 

• Plan and implement approved continuous improvement and modernization projects for instructional and research laboratories, including process-control and thermo-fluids experiments, by translating faculty-defined requirements into specifications, bills of materials, procurement, assembly, programming, testing, safety review, commissioning, piloting, and documentation.
• Coordinate approved laboratory tours, recruitment events, accreditation visits, sponsor visits, workshops, demonstrations, conferences, and other visitor-facing activities, including technical setup and laboratory presentation.
• Support approved relationships with industry, agencies, and university partners for laboratory capabilities, applied research, and contract-testing activities consistent with departmental priorities and university agreements and oversight.

Role Boundaries and Coordination 

• UTC Department of Public Safety (DPS) retains principal authority regarding law enforcement, emergency management, and threat assessment, and environmental health and safety. This position will coordinate with UTC DPS as needed on tasks within its purview.
• UTC Office of Research Integrity (ORI) retains principal authority regarding compliance with university, state, and federal regulations. This position will coordinate with UTC ORI as needed for work tasks within its purview.
• Principal investigators and instructors retain responsibility for research protocols, course design, instruction, assessment, direct supervision, and instructor-of-record duties. This position supports laboratory operation and equipment use but does not teach courses.
• Direct management is limited to assigned facilities and duties. Work involving other CECS areas is performed through shared equipment, safety, or operational coordination.
• The proposed schedule covers recurring work during and between academic terms. After-hours or on-call duties are included only when separately authorized and scheduled.

The ideal candidate will possess the following (KSAs): 

• Strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills
• General computer skills and competency in using Microsoft Office suite

Application Procedures and Review 

Applicants should prepare to submit the following information within our online application system for consideration:

• Cover letter/letter of interest, including professional certifications/trainings.

• CV/Resume, including up-to-date personal contact information (email, phone, etc.)

• Unofficial transcripts

• Additionally, candidates will need to include names, titles, and email addresses for three (3) references for confidential letters of recommendation to be requested.

Application review will begin October 28, 2026 and continue until the position is filled. Priority consideration may be given to applicants who submit complete application materials by the initial review date.

Minimum

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering or a closely related field, with two years of relevant experience in academia or industry

• Experience working with hazardous chemicals and operating chemical process equipment

Preferred

• Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering or a closely related field, with two or more years of experience in chemical process safety and operations

• Experience with process controls software (e.g., LabVIEW, Siemens PCS) and/or process simulation software (e.g., CHEMCAD, Aspen)

Work Location

• University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Chattanooga, Tennessee
• This is a fully on-site position. 

Compensation and Benefits

• UT Market Range: MR09
• Anticipated hiring salary: $65,000 – 70,000
• Find more information on the UT Market Range structure 

• Find more information on UT Benefits