Manager Lab Operations

Nelson Laboratories, LLC; Salt Lake City (UT); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Sotera Health is seeking a Lab Operations Manager for Nelson Labs to lead talent acquisition, training, and retention while partnering with HR and leaders on employee issues. The role supports operational oversight and regulatory compliance in a dynamic lab environment.

The position emphasizes leadership, cross-functional collaboration, and adherence to safety and quality standards across the Nelson Labs unit within Sotera Health.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with potential for people management; introduction to leadership training required.
• Laboratory science education, experience, or certifications preferred.
• Business/Management training preferred.

Responsibilities

• Acquire, train, develop, and retain employees; conduct regular one-on-one meetings with direct reports.
• Collaborate with HR to identify issues and lead improvement conversations; support profitable growth and service delivery.
• Manage staffing, performance standards, and succession planning to maintain business continuity.

Skills

People management

Leadership

Communication

Problem solving

Cross-functional collaboration

Change management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Laboratory science background

Business/Management training

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Outlook

Job description

The name Sotera Health was inspired by Soteria, the Greek goddess of safety, and reflects the Company’s unwavering commitment to its mission, Safeguarding Global Health®. Sotera Health Company is a leading global provider of mission‑critical sterilization and lab testing and advisory services for the healthcare industry. With a combined tenure across our businesses of nearly 200 years and our industry recognized scientific and technological expertise, we help to ensure the safety of millions of patients and healthcare practitioners around the world every year. Across our 64 facilities worldwide, we have over 3,000 employees who are dedicated to safety and quality. We are a trusted partner to more than 5,800 customers in over 50 countries, including more than 40 of the top 50 medical device companies and 9 of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies.

Job summary

The Lab Operations Manager is primarily focused on the acquisition, training, development, and retention of employees. They also work with Human Resources and leaders to identify employee issues and lead conversations for improvement. They support the Senior Lab Operations Manager as they provide business and strategic oversight of a department and day-to-day operations, including resource and staffing needs. Additionally, the Lab Operations Manager is accountable for regulatory compliance, policy and procedural compliance, and oversight of technical issues relating to tests conducted in the section.

Essential Duties

Talent Management

Acquire, train, develop, and retain employees. Regularly meet one on one with direct reports. Work with Human Resources and leaders to identify employee issues and lead conversations for improvement. Manage direct reports as they work to carry out the profitable volume growth, quality, service delivery, employee engagement and other department objectives. Ensure that personnel receive adequate communication and direction to perform their job functions by setting clear performance standards and expectations. Work with the HR team to develop succession plans for SME and key roles to maintain business continuity. Partner with the HR team to develop retention plans.

Department Level Operations & Strategic Oversight

Support the Senior Lab Operations Manager as they work to improve and maintain quality of services by trending quality issues and by developing and implementing action plans with the Quality Assurance Department and employees. Work with the Senior Lab Operations Manager as they help execute the Nelson Labs’ business unit strategy and ensure alignment with our One Company values, mission, and goals. This includes: Customer focus to enhance customers’ service experience, including turnaround times. Ensure the NL service standard is known and practiced. Emphasis to leverage systems and drive overall competitiveness. Intervene to address escalated client issues. Preserve the company focus on data and personal integrity. Ensure regulatory compliance is maintained. Guide implementation of all company safety initiatives. Operational Excellence – working with Sr. Lab Operations Managers Understand and manage business unit P&L, budget and financial metrics. Plan for business resources, personnel, CapEx using financial models and ROI. Maintain and monitor production metrics in accordance with NL performance goals. Scheduling - optimize testing workflow across departments and ensure resources and personnel are adequate to accomplish the work in process and to meet business needs with client expectations for delivery and service. Work on continuous improvement to increase efficiencies and reduce waste. Manage and control expenditures within agreed upon budgets. Manage utilization and key production metrics with visibility to staff Execute the section training program to ensure resource availability and business continuity Manage and forecast supply chain to minimize or eliminate testing interruptions.

Education and experience requirements

• Bachelor degree with a potential for people management; Introduction to leadership training required.
• Laboratory science education, experience, or certifications preferred.
• Business/Management training preferred.

Competencies of this position

• Strong people management capability
• Desire to develop others
• Ability to manage priorities and organize time
• Good communication skills - written and verbal
• Ability to manage conflict and have difficult conversations
• Problem solving – employee issues, laboratory processes, customer challenges
• Must be able to work cross functionally and break down silos to ensure we deliver an excellent customer experience.
• Be a change advocate
• Persuasion and negotiation skills with staff
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office products, especially with Excel and Outlook

Work Environment

This job operates in a professional office and lab environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, keyboards, computer mouse, phones, photocopiers, projectors and file cabinets. This role occasionally enters into the lab to perform work.

Physical requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met to perform the essential job functions. Must be able to move/traverse 10% of the day and remain in a stationary sitting/standing position at a desk while using a computer, keyboard, computer mouse and phone 90% of the day. This position does not require heavy lifting greater than 50lbs.

Sotera Health goes to market through its three best-in-class businesses – Sterigenics®, Nordion® and Nelson Labs®. Sterigenics is a leading global provider of outsourced terminal sterilization and irradiation services for the medical device, pharmaceutical, food safety and advanced applications markets. Nordion is the leading global provider of Co‑60 and gamma irradiators, which are key components to the gamma sterilization process. Nelson Labs is a global leader in outsourced microbiological and analytical chemistry testing and advisory services for the medical device and pharmaceutical industries.

Come Make a Difference with Us

Sotera Health is driven by its mission, Safeguarding Global Health®.

Along with our three best-in-class businesses – Sterigenics®, Nordion® and Nelson Labs® – we are a leading global provider of mission‑critical end‑to‑end sterilization solutions and lab testing and advisory services for the healthcare industry.