Associate Director of Operations

Charles River; Kansas; On-site; USD 115,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus incentives

401K

Paid time off

Stock purchase program

Health and wellness coverage

Employee wellbeing support

Work-life balance flexibility

Job summary

Charles River is seeking an Associate Director of Operations for the Kansas site in Stilwell, KS, to lead the Technical Operations Department and drive strategic initiatives for non-clinical studies. This role will develop workforce plans, budgets, and process improvements while ensuring regulatory compliance and alignment with business goals.

The position oversees study execution and team development at a global CRO.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree (B.A./B.S.) in Animal Science or related; Master's preferred.
• Minimum 8 years of technical experience in a non-clinical research environment; 5 years of progressive leadership.
• Experience in strategic planning, workforce planning, budgeting, organizational development, and cross-functional leadership.
• LATG certification/licensure preferred.
• Strong leadership, organizational, communication, decision-making and problem-solving skills; ability to manage multiple priorities and influence stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight of Technical Operations to ensure successful non-clinical studies.
• Develop and implement strategies, operational objectives, and long-range plans for growth and excellence.
• Lead workforce, capacity and resource planning to ensure staffing and expertise.
• Collaborate with cross-functional partners to coordinate study activities and optimize resources.
• Monitor performance via KPIs and drive continuous improvement.
• Identify operational risks and develop mitigation strategies for continuity and compliance.
• Champion productivity, quality, safety, and employee development initiatives.
• Represent Technical Operations in interactions with sponsors, consultants, regulators, auditors, and external stakeholders.
• Direct and develop managers and staff to achieve objectives and maintain high performance.
• Lead talent management, recruitment, succession planning, performance management, and HR collaboration.
• Oversee onboarding, technical training, leadership development, and career growth programs.
• Develop, manage, and monitor operating and capital budgets in line with objectives.
• Oversee SOPs, policies, and procedures to ensure compliance with standards.
• Partner with HR to maintain organizational structures and role clarity.
• Foster a culture of safety, quality, compliance, accountability and continuous improvement.
• Support daily technical activities with hands-on leadership.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Budgeting

Workforce planning

Cross-functional leadership

Communication

Problem-solving

Regulatory compliance awareness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Animal Science or related

Master's degree preferred

Job description

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For 75 years, Charles River employees have worked together to assist in the discovery, development and safe manufacture of new drug therapies. When you join our family, you will have a significant impact on the health and well‑being of people across the globe. Whether your background is in life sciences, finance, IT, sales or another area, your skills will play an important role in the work we perform. In return, we’ll help you build a career that you can feel passionate about.

Job Overview

Charles River Laboratories (CRL) is seeking an Associate Director of Operations to join our team at the Kansas site in Stilwell, KS.

This site is the first of its kind, bridging CRL’s Discovery and Safety Assessment business units, while bringing automation to standard lead optimization toxicology study models to deliver rapid study results to our clients. When you join our team, you will have a significant impact on the health and well‑being of people across the globe.

As Associate Director of Operations, you will provide strategic and operational leadership for the Technical Operations Department, with responsibility for ensuring the effective execution of technical activities performed in support of non‑clinical research studies. In this role you will develop and implement operational strategies, workforce plans, operational objectives, and process improvements to support the integrative toxicology strategy and business goals while maintaining compliance with applicable regulations and company standards. You will also partner with cross‑functional leaders to optimize study execution, resource utilization, employee development, and organizational performance.

The pay range for this position is $115,000 - $125,000 USD/annually. Please note this range varies based on factors including, but not limited to, experience, skills, education, certifications, and location.

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight of Technical Operations to ensure the successful execution of non‑clinical studies and alignment with organizational objectives.
• Develop and implement strategies, operational objectives, and long‑range plans that support business growth, operational excellence, and organizational goals.
• Lead workforce, capacity, and resource planning activities to ensure appropriate staffing, technical expertise, and operational readiness to meet current and future business needs.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional partners to coordinate study‑related activities, optimize resource utilization, and support efficient study execution.
• Monitor departmental performance through key performance indicators and operational metrics; identify opportunities for improvement and implement corrective actions as needed.
• Identify operational risks and develop mitigation strategies to ensure business continuity, regulatory compliance, employee safety, animal welfare, and successful study outcomes.
• Champion initiatives that enhance productivity, quality, efficiency, employee engagement, development and retention, animal welfare, customer satisfaction, and continuous improvement.
• Serve as a representative of Technical Operations in interactions with Sponsors, Consultants, regulatory agencies, auditors, inspectors, and other external stakeholders.
• Direct and develop managers, supervisors, and departmental personnel to achieve operational objectives and maintain high levels of performance and accountability.
• Lead talent management activities, including recruitment, succession planning, employee development, performance management, compensation recommendations, and employee relations matters in partnership with Human Resources.
• Ensure training and development needs are identified and addressed through the implementation of effective onboarding, technical training, leadership development, and career growth programs.
• Develop, manage, and monitor operating and capital budgets, ensuring responsible financial stewardship and alignment with business objectives.
• Oversee the development, implementation, and maintenance of systems, equipment, SOPs, policies, and procedures to ensure compliance with company policies and industry standards.
• Partner with Human Resources to maintain organizational structures, job descriptions, and role clarity that support effectiveness and employee success.
• Foster a culture of safety, quality, compliance, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Support and lead staff through hands‑on support of daily technical activities.
• Perform all other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree (B.A./B.S.) or equivalent in Animal Science or related discipline. Master's degree preferred.
• Experience: Minimum of 8 years of related technical experience in a non‑clinical research environment. Minimum of 5 years of progressive leadership experience, including management of supervisors, managers, and/or large technical teams.
• Demonstrated experience in strategic planning, workforce planning, budgeting, organizational development, and cross‑functional leadership.
• Certification/Licensure: LATG preferred.
• Other: Strong leadership, organizational, communication, decision‑making, and problem‑solving skills. Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, influence stakeholders, and drive organizational results.

WORKPLACE REQUIREMENTS:

• Employees must be able to lift, move, manipulate, and/or hold heavy objects up to and including 50 pounds; this includes work materials, equipment, and/or animals.
• Must be able to perform procedures, which require, talking, hearing, standing or sitting for long periods of time, entering data into a computer, using appropriate instruments, reaching with hands and arms, working in narrow spaces, and wearing safety equipment (PPE) according to OSHA regulations and company standards.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Works in a research environment, which requires use of sharp objects, working around mechanical parts, working with or near known or unknown toxic or caustic chemicals and/or biological hazards, exposure to fumes and airborne particles, working at noise levels ranging from moderate to loud.
• The employee regularly works with live animals with risk of exposure to allergens, zoonotic disease, and biohazards.
• The noise level in the work environment ranges from low to high depending upon the species housed.

About Safety Assessment
Charles River is committed to helping our partners expedite their preclinical drug development with exceptional safety assessment services, state‑of‑the‑art facilities and expert regulatory guidance. From individual specialty toxicology and IND enabling studies to tailored packages and total laboratory support, our deeply experienced team can design and execute programs that anticipate challenges and avoid roadblocks for a smooth, efficient journey to market. Each year approximately 300 investigational new drug (IND) programs are conducted in our Safety Assessment facilities.

About Charles River
Charles River is an early‑stage contract research organization (CRO). We have built upon our foundation of laboratory animal medicine and science to develop a diverse portfolio of discovery and safety assessment services, both Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and non‑GLP, to support clients from target identification through preclinical development. Charles River also provides a suite of products and services to support our clients’ clinical laboratory testing needs and manufacturing activities. Utilizing this broad portfolio of products and services enables our clients to create a more flexible drug development model, which reduces their costs, enhances their productivity and effectiveness to increase speed to market.

With over 20,000 employees within 110 facilities in over 20 countries around the globe, we are strategically positioned to coordinate worldwide resources and apply multidisciplinary perspectives in resolving our client’s unique challenges. Our client base includes global pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, government agencies and hospitals and academic institutions around the world.

At Charles River, we are passionate about our role in improving the quality of people’s lives. Our mission, our excellent science and our strong sense of purpose guide us in all that we do, and we approach each day with the knowledge that our work helps to improve the health and well‑being of many across the globe. We have proudly worked on 80% of the drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the past five years.

We’re committed to providing benefits that elevate your quality of life. Based on your position these may include: bonus/incentives based on performance, 401K, paid time off, stock purchase program, Health and wellness coverage, employee and family wellbeing support programs, and work life balance flexibility.

Charles River is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, mental or physical disability, family status, pregnancy, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

It is unlawful in some states (including Massachusetts) to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

For more information, please visit www.criver.com.

Nearest Major Market: Kansas City
Job Segment: Operations Manager, Toxicology, Biology, Biotech, Employee Relations, Operations, Science, Human Resources