Fabrication Lab Manager

Make your mark at Comcast -- a Fortune 30 global media and technology company. From the connectivity and platforms we provide, to the content and experiences we create, we reach hundreds of millions of customers, viewers, and guests worldwide. Become part of our award-winning technology team that turns big ideas into cutting-edge products, platforms, and solutions that our customers love. We create space to innovate, and we recognize, reward, and invest in your ideas, while ensuring you can proudly bring your authentic self to the workplace. Join us. You’ll do the best work of your career right here at Comcast. (In most cases, Comcast prefers to have employees on-site collaborating unless the team has been designated as virtual due to the nature of their work. If a position is listed with both office locations and virtual offerings, Comcast may be willing to consider candidates who live greater than 100 miles from the office for the remote option.)

Job Summary

The Global Industrial Design team is transforming how customers access and enjoy entertainment, communications and home management services across the world. We look for and create opportunities to educate, enlighten and whenever possible, delight, both new and existing customers. Our goal is to build long-lasting relationships using enhanced flows, smart features and self-healing solutions to foster trust and loyalty. By assembling the country’s top designers and thinkers, we’re rapidly becoming the premier environment for building and launching one-of-a-kind experiences that make everyday life easier and more entertaining for millions of people. At Comcast, our Global Design team puts people at the heart of everything we do, and we are looking for an inquisitive, enthusiastic Fabrication Lab Manager to join our team as we develop the future of entertainment and connected products together

Job Description

The Fabrication Lab Manager is responsible for leading all lab activities, from managing project workflows and ensuring a safe working environment to maintaining advanced machinery such as 3D printers, CNC mills, and laser cutters. This role requires a blend of technical expertise, project management skills, and leadership to support engineers, designers, and researchers in turning concepts into functional models. 

This role is based on our cutting-edge Comcast Technology Center in downtown Philadelphia. It is not eligible for sponsorship

Key Responsibilities:

General

• Deliver high quality work on tight schedules in a dynamic, agile product environment.
• Maintain a critical eye and an obsessive attention to detail.
• Work closely with industrial designers to understand and deliver on customer needs and expectations while also creating functional mockups for evaluation and testing.
• Determine materials, construction, mechanisms, shapes, color, surface finish, manufacturing processes.
• Be and enthusiastic learner, user and advocate of our game-changing technology, products and services, especially our digital tools and experiences.
• Win as a team. Make big things happen by working together and being open to new ideas.

Lab operations and project management

• Manage and prioritize multiple prototyping projects from concept to completion, ensuring projects are delivered on time and within budget.
• Allocate lab resources, including equipment and technician time, to support various internal and external stakeholders.
• Coordinate with design, engineering, and manufacturing teams to understand project requirements and translate them into physical prototypes.
• Administer the lab's management system to track projects, create bills of materials, and maintain documentation. 

Equipment and technology management

• Oversee the maintenance, calibration, and repair of all lab equipment, including additive manufacturing (3D printers) and subtractive manufacturing (CNC machines) tools.
• Research and evaluate new prototyping technologies and processes to continuously improve the lab's capabilities and efficiency.
• Negotiate and manage equipment service contracts and warranty agreements with internal facility partners and vendors. 

Safety and training

• Develop, implement, and enforce safety protocols and best practices for lab operations.
• Conduct safety training and certifications for all lab users on equipment operation and material handling.
• Maintain a safe, clean, and organized lab environment. 

Team leadership and cross-functional collaboration

• Mentor and advise industrial design and engineering team members.
• Foster a culture of innovation, continuous improvement, and collaboration within the lab and across the organization.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for project leads, communicating progress, managing expectations, and troubleshooting technical challenges. 

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in design, engineering, or a related field. Masters sometimes preferred.
• Proven experience in a hands-on prototyping or manufacturing environment.
• 5-8 years of management or supervisory experience in a laboratory or makerspace setting. 
• Extensive hands-on knowledge of rapid prototyping technologies, such as 3D printing (Polyjet and FDM), CNC milling, and laser cutting.
• Proficiency with Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software (e.g., SolidWorks, Fusion 360, AutoCAD).
• Strong understanding of various materials, their properties, and applications in prototyping consumer electronics. 
• Exceptional project management, organizational, and multitasking abilities to handle competing priorities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills to effectively collaborate with diverse teams.
• Strong leadership, problem-solving, and analytical skills to address complex issues.
• A passion for technology, innovation, and collaboration. 

Core Responsibilities

• Understands the scope of programs as defined by the business requirements and budget process. Participates in key planning milestones and acts as a guide for the core program team from initiation through execution and completion.
• Works to identify and obtain participation from required cross-functional core team members, including matrixed project managers, with guidance from Strategic Business Initiative or senior staff.
• Creates program plans and maintains program record. Works with the core team to identify and schedule all the work required to fulfill program scope, including identification and management of critical path.
• Assists in the development and implementation of key goals, objectives and success criteria for the program. Ensures proper documentation.
• Supports the budget and resource forecasting exercise.
• Identifies and analyzes risks and issues.
• Tracks and manages the program schedule and task details included in the program plan. Analyzes the actual performance against the plan and makes adjustments consistent with plan objectives. Works with Strategic Business Initiative to assist in action item resolution and track completion. Ensures program milestones are accomplished and ensures overall timelines are met. Documents all major plan changes in scope, approach and date delivery.
• Communicates updates on major milestones and keeps all stakeholders informed of progress and issues. Manages proposed changes to program parameters and works with Enterprise Program Management and Program Managers to ensure appropriate processes and communications are followed.
• Monitors and ensures quality of program deliverables. Works with core team and key field resources to develop and monitor deployment schedule, strategies and tools to support the implementation of programs in the field through trials and controlled customer deployments.
• Consistent exercise of independent judgment and discretion in matters of significance..
• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Disclaimer:

• This information has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees in this role. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications.

Comcast is an equal opportunity workplace. We will consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

Skills:

Leadership; Laboratory Management; Computer-Aided Design (CAD); Prototyping; Design

Base pay is one part of the Total Rewards that Comcast provides to compensate and recognize employees for their work. Most sales positions are eligible for a Commission under the terms of an applicable plan, while most non-sales positions are eligible for a Bonus. Additionally, Comcast provides best-in-class Benefits to eligible employees. We believe that benefits should connect you to the support you need when it matters most, and should help you care for those who matter most. That’s why we provide an array of options, expert guidance and always-on tools, that are personalized to meet the needs of your reality – to help support you physically, financially and emotionally through the big milestones and in your everyday life. Please visit the compensation and benefits summary on our careers site for more details.

Education

Bachelor's Degree

While possessing the stated degree is preferred, Comcast also may consider applicants who hold some combination of coursework and experience, or who have extensive related professional experience.

Relevant Work Experience

5-7 Years