Lead Scientific Excellence in Ontario's Geoscience Laboratories
Join the
Ministry of Energy and Mines as the
Manager, Geoscience Laboratories and take the next step in your leadership career at the Geoscience Laboratories where science, advancement, and impact come together.
We're looking for a motivated and collaborative leader to guide a team of highly skilled scientific and technical professionals delivering critical geoscience services that support Ontario's mining sector, economic development, and responsible resource management. This is a unique opportunity to step into a management role where you'll influence cutting-edge research, modernize laboratory operations, and help shape the future of geoscience in Ontario.
In this role, you won't just manage operations, you'll build a strong, inclusive and results-driven team, foster continuous improvement, and ensure the delivery of reliable scientific results that inform decision-making across government and industry.
If you're ready to lead with purpose, inspire scientific excellence, and make a lasting impact on Ontario's future, we want to hear from you!
The Ontario Public Service: Strengthening Ontario, together.
A career in the Ontario Public Service (OPS) is driven by purpose. We're building a stronger Ontario by delivering programs and services that make a real difference in people's lives. If you share this ambition, you'll find a workplace that reflects the diversity of the people we serve and empowers you to lead with confidence.
Why Your Leadership Belongs Here
- Purpose that drives you: Lead work that matters. Your leadership will shape policies, programs, and services that improve lives across the province—every day.
- A culture that supports you: Thrive in a flexible, inclusive, and respectful workplace that values your well-being and empowers you to bring your whole self to work.
- A career that grows with you: Explore leadership opportunities across ministries and sectors. With access to mentorship, learning, and mobility, your career can evolve here.
- Recognition that reflects your impact: We value the difference you make. You'll receive competitive pay, a defined-benefit pension, and benefits that support your well-being—plus meaningful recognition for your contributions.
We believe great leadership starts with high standards and strong support. In the OPS, that means showing up with authenticity, acting with integrity, and having the courage to do what's right, even when it's hard.
As a leader, you'll shape a team culture that sparks innovation, supports collaboration, and champions inclusion. You'll help build a workplace that is diverse, anti-racist, and accessible, where everyone feels safe, respected, and able to thrive.
You won't be doing it alone. We invest in our leaders through mentorship, learning opportunities, and cross-ministry networks that help you grow your impact and connect with peers across the organization.
Leadership is about impact, and in this role, you'll have the opportunity to make a meaningful one.
As Manager, Geoscience Laboratories, you will:
- Lead, coach and develop a team of highly specialized scientific and technical staff, fostering a collaborative, inclusive and high-performing work environment.
- Oversee end-to-end laboratory operations, including sample intake, preparation, analytical testing, and reporting, ensuring analytical services are effectively prioritized, coordinated and aligned with ministry and client needs, and adhere to quality assurance/quality control standards and accreditation requirements (e.g., ISO).
- Provide scientific and technical oversight on analytical methods, instrumentation, and data quality, ensuring accuracy, reliability, and continuous improvement of testing procedures.
- Act as a key liaison between laboratory services and ministry clients, providing technical advice on sampling strategies, analytical approaches, and interpretation of results.
- Drive innovation and continuous improvement by advancing emerging geoscience techniques, analytical methods, technologies and equipment.
- Ensure the quality and integrity of laboratory services by establishing and monitoring performance measures, accreditation standards and quality assurance processes.
- Manage laboratory resources and operations, including facilities, specialized equipment procurement, financial planning, and health, safety and compliance programs; and oversee lifecycle management of laboratory equipment, including maintenance planning, calibration, and capital acquisition.
Your ability to align your team's efforts with broader organizational goals will be key to your success, and to the success of the people we serve.
Meet Your New Team
The Mining Policy and Sector Development Division (MPSDD) plays a pivotal role in strengthening the ministry's policy capacity and expanding its support across a broad range of areas, including mining and minerals sector investments and geoscience initiatives that enhance sector competitiveness and advance Ontario's economic prosperity.
MPSDD also serves as a key liaison, facilitating coordination and collaboration with other ministries, various levels of government, Indigenous communities, industry stakeholders, and the public. This ensures that policy initiatives are informed, inclusive, and aligned with broader provincial and national priorities.
The Geo Services Section delivers chemical and physical analyses of inorganic materials at the Geoscience Laboratories, as well as cartographic, editorial, and publication services for geoscience products. The section also provides warehouse, library, and archiving services.
To learn more about Geoscience in Ontario please click here.
In this role, you will report to
John Beals, Senior Manager, GeoServices Section.
John Beals is the Senior Manager of the Geo Services Section within the Ontario Geological Survey. He leads multidisciplinary teams delivering laboratory, analytical, and geoscience support services that underpin Ontario's mineral development and geoscience programs. John is committed to building inclusive, high-performing teams and advancing modern, innovative laboratory practices that support high-quality scientific outcomes.
- Leadership Experience: You bring demonstrated leadership experience, including managing staff, setting priorities, and fostering an inclusive, high-performing team environment. You have experience coaching staff, addressing performance and labour relations issues, and aligning team objectives with organizational priorities.
- Team Management, Coaching and Inclusive Leadership:You have management, leadership, and coaching skills to lead staff, set work priorities and standards, evaluate performance, and manage employee relations issues, while demonstrating a proven track record of promoting equitable practices that value diversity and inclusion and foster an engaged, respectful workplace.
- Staff Motivation, Judgement and Organizational Skills:You have the ability to motivate and inspire staff to achieve results in a fast-paced, rapidly changing environment, while demonstrating strong judgement and organizational skills to manage a high volume of work, balance competing priorities, and meet deadlines.
- Human Resources Knowledge:You bring knowledge of human resources theories, principles, policies, and collective agreements to support organizational capacity, including succession planning, performance and talent management, organizational design, and labour relations.
- Compliance and Legislative Oversight:You have experience with legislation and overseeing compliance in a laboratory workplace setting.
- Stakeholder Engagement and Influence: You have superior written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to influence and negotiate with partners and stakeholders to achieve collaborative solutions to complex issues.
- Conflict Resolution and Expectations Management: You can effectively manage expectations, anticipate challenges, and resolve significant obstacles and conflicts.
- Strategic Communication and Advisory Skills:You have strong interpersonal and communication skills to provide sound direction and advice to a range of internal and external clients and to represent the ministry on committees and working groups.
- Partnership Building and Collaboration:You have the ability to build and maintain effective networks and teams across organizational units, as well as with Indigenous communities, external stakeholders, and collaborators to gather input, build consensus, and deliver on priorities.
- Geoscience Expertise: You have working knowledge of geoscience and laboratory analytical processes to provide advice, technical direction, and oversight to a team of highly specialized scientific staff.
- Awareness of Emerging Trends:You stay informed of current and emerging developments in geoscience.
- Legislation and Policy Interpretation:You have the ability to interpret and apply legislation to assess regulatory changes, strategic policy directions, and emerging issues.
- Laboratory Operations and Health & Safety:You have knowledge of laboratory practices, including federal and provincial health and safety legislative requirements, to plan and manage health and safety programs.
- Procurement and Resource Management:You have knowledge of the OPS Procurement Directive to coordinate large purchases related to equipment and supplies.
- Quality Assurance and Control:You have an understanding of quality assurance and quality control principles in relation to geoanalytical facilities. You have experience with quality assurance and quality control principles, laboratory accreditation standards, and performance monitoring to ensure the integrity and reliability of analytical results.
If you are excited about this position and meet most, but not all, of the listed qualifications, please still consider applying. We recognize that no one person might have every qualification in this job ad, and you just might be the right candidate!
Think this role could be right for you?
We're here to support you every step of the way. These short videos can help you feel confident and prepared:
- Navigating Our Hiring Process(2 min) – Get a clear overview of each stage in our structured hiring process so you know what to expect and how to prepare.
- Application Preparation Tips(4 min) – Learn how to showcase your leadership experience in ways that align with how we evaluate applications during the screening stage, increasing your chances of being shortlisted.
Take a few minutes to explore these resources. They're designed to set you up for success.
We are building an inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We encourage everyone interested in working with us to apply, including people with disabilities, Indigenous, Black and racialized individuals, as well as people from all ethnicities, cultures, sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions.
Our hiring process is accessible, consistent with Ontario's
Human Rights Code and the
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. We are working to prevent and remove barriers in our hiring processes and can offer accommodation to address specific needs related to Code-protected grounds such as disability, family status and religion. For more information about accommodation during the hiring process please contact us.
Learn more about the work the OPS is doing to create an inclusive, anti-racist, accessible and diverse workplace:
- diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives
- accessibility
- Anti-Racism Policy
