Site General Manager

X4 Engineering; Cherry Hill Township (NJ); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

X4 Engineering in Cherry Hill, NJ is seeking an experienced Site General Manager to lead a large, regulated laboratory testing operation. You will own the site’s overall performance, including P&L, quality, and customer relationships, while developing the organization and driving growth.

The role requires senior leadership experience in a high-volume laboratory, with a strong focus on compliance, profitability and operational excellence to deliver superior client outcomes.

Qualifications

• Significant experience managing regulated laboratory operations.
• Previous P&L and budget ownership.
• Experience leading sizeable teams and multiple levels of leadership.
• Strong understanding of laboratory quality systems and regulatory requirements.
• Proven ability to drive profitability and customer growth.

Responsibilities

• Take full ownership of the site's P&L, budget, revenue, profitability and operating performance.
• Develop and execute annual business plans and financial targets.
• Lead day-to-day operation of a high-volume, regulated testing laboratory.
• Establish KPIs and performance management across the laboratory.
• Partner with sales and commercial teams to drive revenue growth and customer retention.
• Build and develop a high-performing leadership team and succession plan.

Skills

Regulated labs

P&L ownership

Leadership

Commercial awareness

Change management

Data-driven decisions

Customer focus

People leadership

Job description

We are seeking an experienced Site General Manager to lead a large, regulated laboratory testing operation in Cherry Hill, NJ.

This is a senior leadership position with responsibility for the overall performance of the site, combining laboratory operations, P&L ownership, commercial growth, quality, customer relationships and people leadership.

The successful candidate will operate as the mini-CEO of the site, with significant autonomy to drive performance, develop the organization and grow the business while maintaining the highest standards of laboratory quality and regulatory compliance.

This is an opportunity for an experienced laboratory leader who wants to move beyond purely technical or operational management and take full ownership of a business.

Key Responsibilities

P&L & Business Leadership

• Take full ownership of the site's P&L, budget, revenue, profitability and operating performance.
• Develop and execute annual business plans and financial targets.
• Monitor revenue, margins, operating costs, productivity and EBITDA performance.
• Identify opportunities to improve profitability through pricing, productivity, capacity utilization and cost control.
• Report business performance and strategic priorities to senior leadership.
• Make informed decisions around capital expenditure, resources and organizational investment.

Laboratory Operations

• Lead the day-to-day operation of a high-volume, regulated testing laboratory.
• Ensure laboratory capacity, staffing and resources are aligned with demand and customer requirements.
• Drive improvements in turnaround time, productivity, utilization and operational efficiency.
• Establish clear KPIs and performance management processes across the laboratory.
• Ensure effective sample flow, scheduling, workload management and delivery against customer commitments.
• Identify operational bottlenecks and implement continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ensure appropriate maintenance, calibration and utilization of laboratory equipment and infrastructure.

Quality & Regulatory Compliance

• Maintain a strong culture of quality, safety and regulatory compliance across the site.
• Ensure the laboratory operates in accordance with applicable accreditation, regulatory and quality requirements.
• Partner closely with Quality and Technical leadership on audits, corrective actions, proficiency testing and continuous improvement.
• Ensure laboratory processes, documentation and technical practices meet required standards.
• Maintain accountability for quality performance while balancing operational efficiency and commercial objectives.
• Lead and develop a sizeable laboratory organization, including managers, supervisors, technical personnel and support functions.
• Build a high-performing leadership team and develop succession capability within the site.
• Set clear objectives, KPIs and performance expectations.
• Recruit, retain and develop key laboratory and operational talent.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement and customer focus.
• Make organizational and staffing decisions based on business demand and performance.
• Partner with sales and commercial teams to drive revenue growth and customer retention.
• Develop strong relationships with key customers and act as a senior escalation point.
• Identify opportunities for new services, additional testing volumes and market expansion.
• Support pricing, commercial negotiations and strategic account development.
• Understand customer requirements and ensure the laboratory consistently delivers against expectations.
• Use customer feedback and market intelligence to identify opportunities to improve the business.
• Identify and implement initiatives that improve laboratory productivity, quality, customer experience and profitability.
• Lead business transformation and operational improvement projects.
• Evaluate opportunities to expand laboratory capabilities, services and capacity.
• Drive a data-led approach to decision making.
• Establish a culture where operational performance and continuous improvement are embedded into the organization.

Candidate Profile

We are looking for an established laboratory operations leader who has progressed into broader business leadership.

• Significant experience managing regulated laboratory operations.
• Previous responsibility for laboratory personnel, technical operations and day-to-day laboratory performance.
• Demonstrable experience operating within an accredited or highly regulated laboratory environment.
• Previous P&L and budget ownership, ideally for a multi-million-dollar laboratory or technical services business.
• Experience leading sizeable teams and managing through multiple levels of leadership.
• Strong understanding of laboratory quality systems, regulatory requirements and accreditation.
• Proven track record of improving operational performance, productivity, turnaround times or profitability.
• Strong commercial awareness and experience working with customers and/or sales teams.
• Experience managing change, continuous improvement and organizational development.

Preferred Backgrounds

Experience in one or more of the following environments would be particularly relevant:

• Industrial hygiene
• Analytical testing
• Chemical testing
• Pharmaceutical testing
• Food testing
• Other regulated third-party laboratory environments

Direct experience in built environment testing is advantageous but not essential for the right laboratory leader with strong transferable experience.

Leadership Characteristics

The successful candidate will be:

• Commercially minded – understands revenue, margin, EBITDA and growth.
• Operationally rigorous – knows how to run a high-throughput laboratory effectively.
• Quality driven – understands that regulatory compliance and technical quality are non-negotiable.
• Entrepreneurial – comfortable taking ownership and making decisions.
• Data driven – uses KPIs and financial information to manage performance.
• Customer focused – understands the importance of service, turnaround time and retention.
• A strong people leader – capable of developing managers and building a high-performing organization.
• Change oriented – comfortable improving processes and challenging the status quo.

What This Role Offers

This is a genuine business leadership opportunity, rather than simply a laboratory management position.

The successful individual will have the opportunity to take ownership of a significant laboratory operation, influence its strategy and culture, drive commercial and operational performance, and directly impact the growth and profitability of the business.

For an ambitious laboratory leader, this represents an opportunity to operate with the autonomy and accountability of a General Manager / Business Unit President while remaining closely connected to the technical and scientific environment.