Head of Laboratory

The Company

Our client is a prominent textile and apparel manufacturer headquartered in Lahore, Pakistan. Established in 1992, our client has evolved into one of the largest vertically integrated knitted apparel producers in the country, offering comprehensive solutions from fabric production to finished garments. They are proudly partnering with some of the world's most iconic brands including Nike, adidas, Levi's, UNIQLO, Ralph Lauren, Lacoste, and Reebok. With a deep commitment to innovation, sustainability, and operational excellence, our client has built a reputation for delivering high-quality, end-to-end solutions at scale. As strategic partners to many of their global clients, they operate at the forefront of the apparel industry and continue to evolve through cutting-edge technologies and world-class talent.

Our client's operations span the entire apparel manufacturing value chain — from knitting, dyeing, and finishing to cutting, embroidery, printing, stitching, and garment washing — giving them full control over quality, efficiency, and lead times. While they produce a wide range of garments, their core strengths lie in cotton and cotton-polyester fleece fabrics, supporting categories such as T-shirts, polos, hoodies, sweatshirts, and sweatpants. With a focus on continuous improvement, our client is actively investing in leadership to enhance Right First Time (RFT%) rates, streamline complex dyeing profiles, strengthen the handoff from R&D to production, and reduce time to market.

Our client fosters a performance-driven, collaborative culture where innovation is encouraged and excellence is rewarded. The company is headquartered in Lahore, Pakistan, where all strategic operations are centralized. This position requires candidates to be based full-time in Lahore and work fully onsite at their office and manufacturing facility.

Purpose of the Role

To lead the wet lab function in delivering accurate, efficient, and commercially viable dyeing solutions for bulk and sampling operations. The role is critical in ensuring shade consistency, achieving right-first-time performance, and accelerating time-to-market through high-quality lab dips and precise recipe development using state-of-the-art technology.

Key Responsibilities

1. Lab Dip & Recipe Development

• Lead and manage lab dip creation for customer submissions, sampling, and production.
• Ensure alignment of lab dips with customer standards using Datacolor and spectrophotometry.
• Develop, validate, and approve bulk recipes for production with a strong focus on reproducibility and efficiency.

2. Technology & Systems Integration

• Oversee the operation and maintenance of advanced lab equipment including:
• Rapid lab dyeing machines (e.g., Ahiba, SDL).
• Lawer Auto Dispensing & Dosing Systems.
• Mini stenter for fabric finishing simulations.
• Datacolor software suite (Match Textile, Tools, Monitor).
• Colour Service Auto Dosing & Dyeing Units.
• Drive digital recipe integration with OrgaTEX and bulk dyeing systems to reduce human error and improve traceability.

3. Lab-to-Bulk Reproducibility

• Ensure seamless lab-to-bulk transition with high reproducibility rates.
• Conduct RCA (Root Cause Analysis) for any shade mismatches, working closely with production and QA to resolve.

4. People & Process Management

• Lead and mentor a team of colorists, dyeing technicians, and lab assistants.
• Set KPIs for lab responsiveness (e.g., TAT for lab dips, % right-first-time bulk recipes).
• Continuously train team on new dye classes, customer requirements, and system enhancements.

5. Innovation & Efficiency

• Evaluate and introduce new dyestuffs, auxiliaries, and process improvements in partnership with chemical suppliers and R&D.
• Optimize chemical and dye usage to reduce cost and environmental impact without compromising on quality.

6. Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Serve as a key technical interface between:
• Production (for bulk recipe deployment).
• R&D (for new color/fabric developments).
• QC (for shade approval standards and sign-offs).
• Planning and Merchandising (for TAT and customer alignment).