Microbiology Lab Manager

Certified Group; Burbank (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Certified Group is seeking a Microbiology Laboratory Manager to oversee the Burbank microbiology laboratory operations, ensuring accurate, compliant, and timely testing for local and national clients.

Lead supervision of supervisors and analysts, ensure cGMP compliance, data integrity, and efficient workflow while managing resources and client expectations. Strong LabWare experience preferred.

Qualifications

• Experience in managing a microbiology laboratory in a regulated setting.
• Strong understanding of cGMP, QA/QC, and data integrity.

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily microbiology operations in a GMP‑registered lab in Burbank.
• Ensure timely testing, OTD, and compliant result reporting.

Job description

Certified Group is committed to partnering with customers to deliver innovative scientific solutions and expertise – So The World Can Trust In What It Consumes™. Our network of 30+ North American and European laboratories serves the food & beverage, dietary supplements, cosmetics, OT C, tobacco/nicotine, cannabis, and hemp industries.

Our Brands

Certified Group is comprised of a set of specialized brands that collectively deliver laboratory testing, regulatory consulting, and certification & audit services across highly regulated industries:

• Certified Laboratories – Provides comprehensive analytical and microbiological testing, primarily supporting food, beverage, cosmetics, OT C, and dietary supplement industries.
• Food Safety Net Services (FSNS) – A leading network of ISO-accredited laboratories across North America, focused on food safety testing, operational support, and technical services for the food industry.
• Labstat – A global leader in contract research and testing for nicotine, tobacco, cannabis, hemp, and next‑generation products, with deep expertise in analytical chemistry and toxicology.
• EAS Consulting Group – A regulatory consulting firm offering expert guidance, training and auditing support across FDA, USDA, and other regulated sectors, powered by a large network of independent advisors.
• FSNS Certification & Audit – Provides accredited third‑party auditing and certification services, including food safety, animal welfare and GMP programs.

Job Summary

The Microbiology Laboratory Manager is responsible for the day‑to‑day operations of the Burbank Microbiology laboratory ensuring accurate, compliant, and timely testing for the local and national customer base. Burbank is a GMP-registered facility supporting microbiological testing of OT C drug product, cosmetics/personal care products, antibiotic products and sterility-related . The Manager is accountable for all quality, customer, people, financial and workflow activities within Microbiology. The role operates with a strong general manager mindset balancing scientific rigor and cGMP discipline with business acumen, resource optimization, customer engagement and continuous improvement. Particular focus is required on on‑time delivery (OTD) backlog control, timely PET/stability/sterility starts, method suitability readiness and accurate execution in LabWare.

Purpose

So the world can trust in what it consumes.

Mission

Partner with customers to deliver innovative scientific solutions and expertise.

Values

start with the customer, commit to safety and quality, drive to deliver, act with integrity and support the team.

Leadership Accountabilities

• Quality Excellence: Promote a culture where cGMP compliance, data integrity, technical accuracy and adherence to approved methods and SOPs are embedded into every action. Ensure the laboratory remains audit‑and inspection‑ready.
• Customer-Focus: Ensure timely, high‑quality results and proactive, factual communication on delays, study starts, technical concerns and revised timelines to build trust and protect key customer relationships.
• People-Centricity: Maintain a safe, engaging, accountable environment. Be present and accessible ensuring supervisors and analysts are trained, supported, cross‑trained and developed to perform at their best.
• Profitability: Manage labor, overtime, inventory, supplies, capacity and other controllable costs while improving OTD, productivity, utilisation and sustainable laboratory contribution.
• Innovation: Drive continuous improvement through root‑cause problem solving, standard work, LabWare workflow improvement, automation and cross‑site best‑practice sharing.

Behavioral & Functional Competencies

• Strategic Leadership: Think beyond daily execution to align resources, capability and capacity with Burbank and broader COS objectives; anticipate risks before they become customer or compliance issues.
• Quality Champion: Use sound microbiological and regulatory judgement to ensure work is technically defensible, methods are appropriate and issues are escalated and corrected promptly.
• Customer Orientation: Build confidence through reliable commitments, transparency, responsiveness and professional management of technical or service escalations.
• Team Empowerment: Develop supervisors, technical leads and analysts; create clear accountability while building bench strength and reducing single‑point dependencies.
• Operational & Financial Acumen: Use OTD, backlog aging, turnaround time, productivity staffing, quality and financial metrics to set priorities and make timely business decisions.

Responsibilities

Core Operations

• Foster a high‑performing Microbiology laboratory environment aligned with Certified Group standards, Burbank cGMP expectations and customer commitments.
• Lead daily operations using a balanced scorecard that includes OTD backlog volume and aging, test starts, turnaround time, late work, staffing‑capacity, quality events and customer‑critical commitments.
• Conduct daily huddles with supervisors and technical leads to set priorities, rebalance work, remove bottlenecks and ensure available resources are properly utilised.
• Actively manage sample flow from receipt/intake and SME review through test start, incubation/reading, technical review and result release; eliminate avoidable queue time between steps.
• Ensure timely initiation and execution of PET/AET, stability, sterility, microbial limits, specified‑organism, suitability, growth‑promotion and other microbiological work within the site’s approved scope.
• Maintain accurate and timely use of LabWare for Microbiology status, holds, scheduling, test initiation, result entry and internal visibility.
• Maintain technical competence across the department and ensure sufficient SME coverage and cross‑training for critical methods, shifts and review functions.
• Proactively manage organisms, media, reagents, controls, sample quantities and other prerequisites so procurement or readiness issues do not repeatedly delay testing.

Quality & Safety

• Lead operations in accordance with applicable cGMP requirements, the Corporate Quality Management System, ISO/IEC 17025 requirements where applicable, approved SOPs, validated/verified methods and customer‑specific requirements.
• Ensure the laboratory is inspection‑ready for FDA, customer, accreditation and internal audits. Be present during audits and ensure supervisors and SMEs can clearly explain their processes, controls, investigations and records.
• Partner with Quality and R&D/Validation on method suitability, verification, validation, transfer, deviations, validation, and technical risk assessments; testing must remain within the site’s qualified and approved scope.
• Ensure deviations OOS/OOT results laboratory investigations, CAPAs and quality events are initiated promptly, scientifically sound and completed within established timelines.
• Maintain appropriate aseptic contamination‑control environmental cleaning/disinfection and material‑flow practices for sterility and other sensitive microbiological activities.
• Monitor incubators, autoclaves, biosafety/clean‑air equipment, environmental‑monitoring devices and other critical systems to ensure qualification calibration maintenance and readiness.

Customer Engagement

• Represent Certified Group with professionalism and care in all customer interactions with a focus on trust retention and growth.
• Ensure timely and accurate responses to customer questions and concerns especially around test suitability, study starts, delays, technical risk and revised completion dates.
• Provide clear factual and consistent updates when results or study starts are at risk avoid unsupported timelines and ensure commitments reflect actual laboratory capacity and technical requirements.
• Participate in customer calls investigations, technical reviews, audits and business reviews as needed coordinate closely with Client Experience to present one consistent message.

People Leadership

• Anticipate staffing needs based on volume and test mix and design schedules across shift weekends PET/sterility/stability activities and customer commitments.
• Recruit interview select onboard train and retain high‑quality talent maintain structured qualification and cross‑training plans for methods equipment systems and cGMP responsibilities.
• Coach supervisors and technical leads to create a high performance environment with clear accountability for safety quality productivity training communication attendance and customer commitments.
• Reduce single‑point dependencies by building technical depth across critical methods and shift including succession planning for supervisors SMEs and review functions.
• Maintain a visible daily presence in the laboratory to observe operations reinforce standards recognise performance and provide real‑time coaching and feedback.
• Partner with Human Resources on performance management and employee‑relations matters ensuring documentation is timely thorough and consistent.

Profitability

• Manage Microbiology financial performance by aligning labour overtime staffing supplies inventory vendor costs and operating plans with budget and laboratory contribution expectations.
• Use workload productivity utilisation