Lab Operations Excellence Manager

Unilabs; Porto; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Unilabs is seeking a LAB Operations Excellence Manager in Portugal to drive continuous improvement and operational excellence across laboratory modalities. You will lead Lean initiatives, standardize SOPs, and build data-driven performance dashboards to support HQ standards and regulatory compliance.

The role emphasizes capability building, change management, and collaboration with IT, Medical, and Commercial teams to enable automation and digital transformation in diagnostic operations.

Qualifications

• 5–8 years in Laboratory or Diagnostics Operations
• Lean or Six Sigma certification preferred
• Experience with data analytics and KPI management
• Knowledge of healthcare compliance frameworks
• Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration

Responsibilities

• Lead Lean based initiatives to optimize end-to-end laboratory processes and workflows
• Standardize and enforce SOPs and operating models across modalities for consistency and cost efficiency
• Identify bottlenecks, ensure adherence to TAT and First-Time-Right performance
• Coordinate operational reviews and benchmark performance against standards
• Define and track KPIs and develop dashboards to monitor trends
• Partner with IT, Medical, and Commercial teams to drive AI, automation and digital transformation
• Support HQ standards, change management, and continuous improvement culture
• Ensure compliance with Health & Safety and accreditation requirements

Skills

Lean Six Sigma

Data analytics

Process improvement

Project management

Stakeholder management

Change management

Education

Master's degree

Engineering or Healthcare Management

Job description

About Unilabs

Headquartered in Geneva and part of the A.P. Moller Group, Unilabs is one of Europe’s leading medical diagnostics companies, offering a complete range of laboratory, pathology, genetics, and imaging services to patients across 16 countries. Unilabs invests heavily in technology, equipment, and people - using digital technologies in its state-of-the-art laboratories and imaging institutes - to improve the lives of close to 100 million people every year.

About the role

The LAB Operations Excellence Manager is responsible for driving continuous improvement and operational excellence (e.g., Quality, Cost, Safety), by across all modalities of the Laboratory Operations in the market.

This role ensures that Unilabs delivers world-class diagnostic laboratory services through process optimization and standardization, capability building, and data-driven performance management.

It acts as a centre of excellence for operational best practices, supporting the Market Head of LAB Operations in aligning with HQ standards, regulatory requirements, and strategic business goals.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement

• Lead Lean based initiatives, in articulation with the Laboratory Directors, to optimize end-to-end laboratory process and workflows.
• Standardize and enforce implementation of SOPs and operating models across modalities to ensure consistency, quality, and cost efficiency.
• Identify and eliminate bottlenecks, ensuring adherence to Turnaround Time (TAT) and First-Time-Right performance metrics.
• Coordinate operational reviews, benchmarking performance against internal and external standards.

Performance Management

• Define and track operational KPIs across modalities (e.g., TAT, compliance rate, and capacity metrics).
• Develop dashboards and reporting mechanisms to monitor performance trends and enable data-driven decision-making.
• Drive corrective actions and ensure continuous alignment with HQ standards.

Innovation, Automation & Transformation

• Partner with IT, Medical, and Commercial teams to lead AI, automation, and digital transformation initiatives in laboratory operations.
• Introduce new technologies that improve efficiency and diagnostic accuracy (e.g., AI to support diagnostic, predictive maintenance).
• Ensure process harmonization across laboratory modalities.

Capability Building & Change Enablement

• Promote a continuous improvement culture by training and mentoring operational teams on process management and problem-solving techniques.
• Facilitate local adoption of global standards and processes and support leadership in change management communication.

Compliance, Quality & Safety

• Ensure all operational processes comply with Health and Safety regulations,
• Work with Medical & Quality to ensure all operational processes comply with accreditation standards, monitor non-conformities and drive preventive actions and lessons learned.
• Participate in risk assessments and support internal/external audits.

People & Culture

• Manage and develop the technical and professional skills of team members, enhancing delivery against strategic and operational goals
• Ensure effective communication flows to foster engagement, alignment with Unilabs' vision and culture

Education

University degree in Engineering, Healthcare Management, or related field (Master's preferred)

Experience

• 5-8 years of experience in Laboratory or Diagnostics Operations (preferable), with at least 3 years in process improvement roles.
• Proven experience in Operational Excellence, Lean or Six Sigma (Green/Black Belt preferred).
• Strong understanding of Laboratory operations and workflows, from sample collection to results delivery. (preferable)
• Experience with data analytics tools, dashboarding and KPI management.
• Solid project management experience and skills
• Familiarity with AI and digital health technologies used in diagnostic operations. (preferable)
• Knowledge of healthcare compliance frameworks. (preferable)
• Strong influencing and stakeholder management in cross-functional environments.
• Analytical, structured, and results-oriented mindset with a focus on problem-solving.
• Excellent networking, communication and influencing abilities.
• Change leadership and ability to embed continuous improvement culture.

Languages

• Excellent communication skills in English (oral and written).
• Additional languages are a plus