Donald Cortes helps people breathe easy. He's a chemical laboratory director who tests air quality. He and the four lab technicians that work under him ensure the levels of chemicals in the air are within safe limits.
Inhabitants of a building might complain about odor or irritation. Air samples are analyzed by gas chromatography. Individual chemicals are identified and their levels are measured. Even the tiniest concentration can cause irritation or unpleasant odors.
"If you're dealing with odorants, you often have to detect at less than one part per billion," Cortes says. "There are a lot of odorants that nobody can measure, they're so low. Usually, those are the odors that you've developed a sensitivity to, because they indicate something that's bad, like sour milk...or bad fish."
Cortes says there are two important qualities that every lab chief should have.
"You have to be a good manager," he says. "You get a lot of complex situations that you have to manage.
"And you have to have good integrity," Cortes adds. "If someone buys a car, they know if it's good quality. If you're driving down the road and the hood pops open, or something of that sort, you'll take it back and say, 'This is bad quality.'
"But when you're talking about analytical chemistry, when someone gets a report with numbers, they have no idea what the quality is from that. So the laboratory manager has to make decisions, and you have to trust that they're making the right decisions, because you don't get a feel for it like when you buy a product in the store."
A lab chief also has to be good at chemistry and math. And the ability to work with your hands is an asset.
"A lot of times, you have instrument problems and you have to go in there and fix them," Cortes says. "So you have to be good both electronically and mechanically."
Even the most highly skilled lab chief, however, faces challenges. It comes with the job. The ability to stay organized and set priorities is key.
"Time is always an issue," Cortes says. "Usually, when clients have big questions, it's because they're in trouble and they need to solve something right away. So there is never enough time to do the full research that academic people like to do. You really have to keep the focus narrowed."
Joseph Guth has owned and operated several laboratories over the past 40 years. The former lab director has also taught chemistry at the university level. He now works as an expert witness and consultant.
Guth says an important quality for a lab chief is "being able to get individuals to work fully with each other in an open and cooperative manner."
Also important are the technical skills. There is little room for error. Guth says the lab chief should "have sufficient first-hand experience in the full range of testing and sampling activities that the lab is offering so that the director can both help those who have problems to solve them, and to recognize when someone has not performed well and needs further training.
"Erroneous or incomplete results can be catastrophic for the clients, so we always maintained a 'zero tolerance' policy regarding our laboratory work and the resulting reports."
That need for accuracy is why most companies only hire lab chiefs with real-world experience. The lab chief needs to understand all the workings of the lab. Senior-level positions rarely go to new graduates.
"They tend to be the jobs requiring 10 years' experience or more," says Gale Thirlwall-Wilbee. She's the manager of outreach and career services with a chemical institute.
The need for accuracy also means companies tend to get their lab chiefs from within their own ranks. "Most promote from within, in my experience," Guth says.
"It's mandatory that the director know what each person in the lab knows and does. The director is the final authority for how well or poorly the lab performs."
Being the final authority gives one a sense of accomplishment and authority. But it also has its downside. The career isn't for everyone, Guth says.
"If you are only looking for a 9-to-5 job, there are many other things out there that would be more suitable," he says. "As lab director, the work stays with you at least 80 percent of your waking time, including weekends. It is not a normal kind of job. It is a profession and a career."