Staff Engineering Laboratory Manager

CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage—domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats.

CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, and London. For more information, please visit www.chaosinc.com.

Role Overview:

CHAOS is seeking a Staff Engineering Laboratory Manager to own the day-to-day operation, readiness, security, and continuous improvement of the company’s engineering laboratories. These laboratories support the development, integration, verification, and fielding of advanced aerospace and defense systems, including RF sensors, electronics, mechanical systems, effectors, and ruggedized hardware.

You will manage both classified and unclassified laboratory environments and serve as the central point of coordination among engineering teams, facilities, IT, security, safety, suppliers, and outside service providers. You will allocate laboratory space, establish operating practices, procure and maintain test equipment, manage calibration and asset records, coordinate facility repairs and improvements, and ensure that laboratories are safe, secure, functional, and available to support evolving engineering priorities.

This role is ideal for an organized, technically capable builder and operator who enjoys working directly with engineers and technicians, solving practical problems, and building the infrastructure required to support a growing hardware organization.

This is a full-time, on-site position in El Segundo, CA.

This requisition is open to candidates who may be considered for a lower or higher job level. Final level and grade will be determined based on relevant experience, skills, and qualifications.

Responsibilities:

• Own the daily operation, readiness, security, and continuous improvement of classified and unclassified engineering laboratories, test areas, shops, and support spaces

• Allocate laboratory space, equipment, storage, and shared resources based on program priorities, safety requirements, security constraints, and available capacity

• Establish and maintain laboratory operating procedures, work-control practices, housekeeping standards, safety requirements, and equipment-use policies

• Manage the procurement, installation, acceptance, maintenance, repair, calibration, certification, and retirement of laboratory equipment, tooling, fixtures, computers, and consumables

• Maintain accurate asset, calibration, maintenance, service, and laboratory-readiness records

• Coordinate with facilities personnel and outside contractors on repairs, infrastructure modifications, utilities, HVAC, electrical power, grounding, cooling, lighting, and laboratory improvements

• Coordinate with IT to install and maintain laboratory networking, computing, instrumentation interfaces, isolated test networks, and related digital infrastructure

• Partner with security, information-assurance, and safety personnel to manage controlled access, visitors, classified-area requirements, inspections, training, hazard controls, and corrective actions

• Manage laboratory budgets, equipment purchases, service contracts, suppliers, calibration providers, contractors, and facility-improvement projects

• Provide laboratory orientation and training; support engineering programs during integration, qualification testing, field-test preparation, production transition, and sustainment

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, engineering technology, facilities management, laboratory management, operations, or a related technical field; equivalent practical experience may be considered

• Five or more years of experience managing engineering laboratories, test facilities, research facilities, manufacturing-support areas, or comparable technical environments

• Experience managing laboratory equipment, asset inventories, calibration programs, maintenance activities, facility repairs, contractors, and service providers

• Experience supporting hardware development, test, manufacturing, aerospace, defense, or research organizations

• Strong organizational, prioritization, problem-solving, and communication skills, with the ability to manage changing priorities and multiple concurrent activities

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office or comparable tools; experience with asset-management, maintenance-management, calibration-management, or facilities-management software is desirable

• Ability to work full-time on-site and obtain and maintain the security clearance required for assigned laboratory responsibilities

• Ability to work full-time on-site and obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance required for assigned laboratory responsibilities

Preferred Requirements:

• Master's degree in an engineering or business discipline

• Experience operating both classified and unclassified laboratories, including familiarity with NISPOM, controlled access, security inspections, export controls, and coordination with a Facility Security Officer

• Active U.S. security clearance

• Experience supporting RF, electronics, mechanical, environmental, propulsion, robotics, or flight-test laboratories

• Experience managing a machine-shop facility

• Experience with laboratory networking, isolated test networks, instrumentation systems, electrical distribution, grounding, HVAC, cooling, compressed gases, or backup power

• Experience managing capital-equipment purchases, operating budgets, service contracts, facility-improvement projects, or laboratory technicians

• Facility-management, project-management, or comparable professional certification

Why CHAOS?

• Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company

• Additional benefits: 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more

• Our Perks: Free daily lunch, ‘No meeting Fridays’, unlimited PTO, casual dress code

• Compensation Components: Competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonuses

• Team Growth: 350 employees and counting across 5 global offices

Salary Range: $163,000 - $224,000

The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations.

Recruiting Agencies: CHAOS Industries does not accept unsolicited resumes or outreach. Unsolicited submissions will not be reviewed or compensated.

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