Laboratory Manager
Laboratory managers run the day to day operations of a testing or research laboratory, keeping results accurate, staff safe and turnaround times on track.
- Median salary*
- $119,600
4.2%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 2,800
3.7%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +20.4%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Moderate
- automation risk
- Average hours
- 43/wk
+3h vs all jobs
- Shortage status
- Not in shortage
national
They work in hospital pathology, university and research institutes, and food, environmental and pharmaceutical testing companies, where the lab holds an accreditation that has to be maintained. The role differs from a scientist's or technician's because the manager answers for other people's work as well as the science: quality systems, budgets, rosters and safety sit with them. In smaller labs the manager often carries a technical workload too, which is why most arrive after several years on the bench.
How much do laboratory managers earn?
The median full-time salary for a laboratory manager is $119,600 per annum, before tax, up $25,100 since 2018.
Pay moves more with the employer than with the job title, because hospital and public health labs pay under enterprise agreements that carry shift and on-call loadings, while private pathology, mining and pharmaceutical labs set their own rates. The size of the laboratory, the scope of its accreditation and whether the manager also holds a scientific qualification all shift the figure.
What does a laboratory manager do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Supervising scientists and technicians, and allocating work across testing schedules
- Maintaining quality systems and preparing the laboratory for accreditation audits
- Managing budgets, purchasing and instrument maintenance
- Writing and reviewing standard operating procedures and safety protocols
- Reporting results to clients, clinicians or senior management, and investigating when something goes wrong
What skills do laboratory managers need?
Employers look for laboratory analysis, operations management, regulatory compliance, backed by LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System) fluency and strong people leadership.
Specialist skills
- Laboratory analysis
- Operations management
- Regulatory compliance
- Risk and internal controls
- Budgeting and forecasting
- Project management
- Data analysis
Software and tools
- LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System)
- LabWare LIMS
- Thermo Fisher SampleManager
- Microsoft Excel
- Quality management software
General skills
- People leadership
Is the job growing?
About 2,800 people work as laboratory managers in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 20.4% over the decade to 2035. That's very strong growth. Few roles in Australia are expanding this fast, and it points to solid demand for years to come.
How do you become a laboratory manager?
Here's the path most laboratory managers take, step by step.
- 1Complete a science degree
A bachelor degree in science, medical laboratory science, chemistry or microbiology is the standard starting point, and around 38% of laboratory managers hold one. Choose a course with plenty of practical laboratory hours, because employers ask about hands-on instrument time at your first interview.
- 2Spend several years on the bench
Most managers arrive after working as a medical laboratory scientist, chemist, analyst or technician. That time is where method validation, quality control and instrument troubleshooting become second nature, and it is usually what convinces an employer you can supervise the people doing the work.
- 3Take on quality and supervisory duties
Put your hand up for accreditation preparation, rostering, training new staff or ordering, and consider a short course or postgraduate certificate in laboratory management or quality systems. These duties are the closest thing to a trial run for the manager's job and they tend to appear in selection criteria.
- 4Add postgraduate study or professional accreditation where it applies
Around 30% of laboratory managers hold a postgraduate qualification, and a masters in a scientific discipline or in management helps in research and hospital pathology. In diagnostic labs, accreditation through the Australian Institute of Medical and Biological Scientists is often expected of the scientists you will supervise.
Ready to apply as a laboratory manager?
Whether you're working toward becoming a laboratory manager or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a laboratory manager move to?
Moving into Research and Development Manager typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $30,500 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research and Development Manager Laboratory managers with research project and compliance experience can lead research and development teams, often requiring further management study.Known move | +$30,500 | 34% | reskill |
| General Manager Laboratory managers use operational and compliance leadership to move into general management, though broader business and financial skills are needed.Known move | +$28,600 | 23% | reskill |
| Quality Manager Laboratory managers bring testing oversight, compliance and quality systems experience to quality management roles, though formal quality qualifications may be needed.Known move | +$28,300 | 29% | reskill |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a laboratory manager?
The typical laboratory manager is 45 years old; 52% are men, 86% work full-time, and full-timers average 43 hours a week.
- 45
- Median age
- 48%
- Female share
- 86%
- Full-time
- +3h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a laboratory manager?
The job runs on a weekly rhythm of schedules, results and reviews, with accreditation audits and budget rounds adding the peaks. Much of the day goes on other people's work: checking results before release, unblocking a stalled run, or answering a client who needs an explanation. It suits people who want to be accountable for a system rather than only for their own analyses, and who can switch between a technical problem and a staffing one without losing the thread.
What people like
- Technical problems still land on your desk. Managers who keep their analytical skills sharp are the ones staff turn to when an instrument drifts or a method stops behaving, and for many that variety is the best part of the job.
- You can see whether the systems work. A roster that holds up through a busy week, a validated method, an audit that closes without findings: the results of management show up in whether the lab runs smoothly.
- Training people early in their careers. Walking a technician through their first accreditation round, or a scientist into a supervisory role, is a large part of the job in labs that grow their own staff.
- The results lead somewhere. Environmental, food and hospital testing feeds decisions about safety and treatment, which keeps the documentation tied to something real.
What people find hard
- Responsibility without full control. The manager answers for turnaround times, safety and accreditation, but delivery depends on staff, instruments and sample volumes that arrive without much warning.
- Paperwork competes with the science. Quality documentation, audits and budget work take the hours that used to go to bench work, and in smaller labs both sets of duties sit with the same person.
- Breakdowns become your problem. When a key analyser stops, the manager finds the service call, the backup method and the explanation for clients, sometimes after hours.
- Covering a departure or long leave. Recruiting a replacement takes time, and until someone starts the manager is often back on the bench filling the gap.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ laboratory managers?
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services employs the largest share of laboratory managers, followed by Education and Training.
Top employing industries
- 1Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
- 2Education and Training
- 3Health Care and Social Assistance
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Bachelor degree | 38.2% | |
|---|---|---|
| Postgraduate | 30.1% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 15.2% | |
| Certificate III/IV | 6.7% | |
| Year 12 or below | 6.3% |
Will AI replace laboratory managers?
Laboratory management sits in the middle: the instruments and information systems in a lab have been automating for decades, and AI adds to that in reporting, quality trend analysis and scheduling. What stays with people is the accountability accreditation systems require, method validation, troubleshooting when a result does not make sense, and the judgement calls about staff and priorities.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Compiling results, QC trends and budgetsLIMS reporting, dashboards and drafting tools already assemble routine results, QC summaries and monthly cost reports, which leaves the manager to interpret them and decide what to act on.30%high
- Managing staff, rosters and trainingRostering software and AI scheduling tools can fill shifts around instrument capacity, but performance conversations, training plans and covering for a sick technician remain the manager's work.25%moderate
- Quality systems and accreditation auditsAI can flag trending QC data before an audit, yet the manager still signs off corrective actions and answers the assessor's questions about how the lab proved a method was fit for purpose.25%low
- Troubleshooting instruments and methodsWhen an analyser gives drifting results on a batch of samples, someone has to work out whether it is the instrument, the reagent or the sample, and that diagnosis is usually hands on.20%low
Moves least exposed to AI
These career moves from laboratory manager work are rated low for AI exposure:
- Research and Development Manager
Some skill overlap (34%), reskill to get there, and a low automation-risk profile.
Common questions about becoming a laboratory manager
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do laboratory managers earn?
$119,600 per year before tax for the median full-time laboratory manager. Hospital and public health labs pay under enterprise agreements with shift and on-call loadings, while private pathology, mining and pharmaceutical labs set their own rates. The size of the lab and whether you also hold a scientific qualification move the figure.
How do you become a laboratory manager?
Most start with a science degree, work several years on the bench as a scientist or technician, then take on quality, rostering or training duties before applying for a management role. Employers look for evidence that you can carry an accreditation audit and manage a budget, not only that you produce good results.
Are laboratory managers in demand?
Laboratory managers are currently not in shortage, and employment is projected to grow 20.4% over the decade to 2035. It is a small occupation at about 2,800 people, so openings tend to come from retirements and from managers moving into broader quality or operations roles.
Will AI replace laboratory managers?
Not the role as a whole, though parts of it are changing. Automation and laboratory information systems already handle instrument runs, data capture and routine reporting, and AI is moving into quality trend analysis, scheduling and draft reporting. Accreditation accountability, method validation and the judgement calls when a result or a person needs attention stay with the manager.
What can a laboratory manager move into?
Quality management, research and development management and general management are the usual moves. Quality manager roles pay $28,300 more on the median and draw on the same audit and compliance work. Research and development management pays $30,500 more and suits managers with a research background, while general management, at $28,600 more, calls for broader financial and commercial experience than most labs provide.
Do you need a postgraduate degree to manage a laboratory?
No. The most common qualification among laboratory managers is a Bachelor degree, held by around 38% of them, and plenty of managers hold nothing beyond it. Postgraduate study is more common in hospital and research settings, where a masters or a PhD can be expected alongside management experience.
Related roles
- Quality Manager
- Research and Development Manager
- General Manager
- Laboratory Technician
- Medical Laboratory Scientist
- Chemist
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