Sr Manager Lab Operations - Healthcare Reprocessing

Nelson Laboratories, LLC; Salt Lake City (UT); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Sotera Health is seeking a Senior Manager of Laboratory Operations in Utah to lead a high‑performing laboratory within the Healthcare Reprocessing Group. You will oversee laboratory operations, drive continuous improvement, and partner with cross‑functional teams to support growth and exceptional customer experiences.

The role emphasizes strategic leadership, managing budgets and resources, and developing managers and technical staff while ensuring safety, quality, and regulatory compliance

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; leadership experience managing teams, supervisors, or managers.
• Experience overseeing operations, performance metrics, workforce planning, and business processes.
• Experience working in a regulated environment.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for a high‑performing laboratory.
• Lead and develop managers and technical teams; build leadership pipeline.
• Drive continuous improvement and cost/quality optimization initiatives.
• Partner cross‑functionally to support business growth and exceptional customer experiences.
• Manage departmental budgets, resource planning, staffing, and capital investments.
• Monitor workflows, capacity planning, and laboratory utilization to meet customer demands.

Skills

Leadership experience

Operations management

Performance metrics

Project management

Communication & relationship-building

Change leadership

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Degree in a scientific discipline / laboratory field

Tools

Quality management systems

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.

Lead Operations. Develop Talent. Drive Growth.

Are you a proven operations leader who thrives at the intersection of science, business, and people leadership?

We are seeking a Senior Manager of Laboratory Operations to provide strategic and operational leadership for a high‑performing laboratory within our Healthcare Reprocessing Group. In this role, you will oversee laboratory operations, lead and develop managers and technical teams, drive continuous improvement initiatives, and partner cross‑functionally to support business growth and exceptional customer experiences.

This position is ideal for a leader who enjoys balancing operational execution with long‑term strategy while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and service excellence.

What You'll Do

Lead Laboratory Operations & Business Performance

• Provide overall leadership for laboratory operations, ensuring quality, efficiency, and service excellence.
• Drive performance against key business metrics, including quality, utilization, productivity, turnaround time, customer satisfaction, and financial goals.
• Partner with senior leadership to execute strategic initiatives and support long‑term business growth.
• Manage departmental budgets, resource planning, staffing strategies, and capital investment initiatives.
• Monitor and optimize operational workflows, capacity planning, and laboratory utilization to meet customer expectations and business demands.
• Champion continuous improvement efforts that increase efficiency, improve quality, and reduce waste.

Develop and Inspire Teams

• Lead, coach, and develop managers, supervisors, and technical teams.
• Build a strong leadership pipeline through succession planning, employee development, and talent retention strategies.
• Establish clear expectations, provide regular feedback, and create an environment that encourages accountability and engagement.
• Foster a culture built on collaboration, integrity, customer focus, and continuous learning.

Drive Customer and Business Growth

• Partner closely with Sales, Consulting, and other cross‑functional teams to expand laboratory capabilities and support profitable growth.
• Help strengthen customer relationships by ensuring high‑quality service delivery and timely turnaround times.
• Address escalated customer concerns and identify solutions that enhance the overall customer experience.

Ensure Quality, Compliance & Safety

• Maintain compliance with all applicable regulatory and quality requirements, including GMP, GLP, ISO, and other industry standards.
• Partner with Quality and Technical leaders to proactively identify trends, investigate issues, and drive corrective actions.
• Promote a culture of safety and ensure adherence to company policies and procedures.

Lead Change & Continuous Improvement

• Support organizational growth initiatives, including integration activities related to acquisitions and business expansion.
• Serve as a change leader, helping teams successfully adopt new processes, technologies, and ways of working.
• Break down organizational silos and foster collaboration across departments to achieve shared business objectives.

What Makes You Successful

We're Looking For a Leader Who Brings

• Exceptional people leadership and talent development skills
• Strong business and operational acumen
• Experience managing budgets, resources, and performance metrics
• A continuous improvement mindset with a track record of driving operational excellence
• Excellent communication, influencing, and relationship‑building skills
• The ability to navigate change and lead teams through growth and transformation
• Strong project management and organizational skills
• A customer‑focused approach with the ability to balance business objectives and service excellence

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree
• Leadership experience managing teams, supervisors, or managers
• Experience overseeing operations, performance metrics, workforce planning, and business processes
• Experience working in a regulated environment

Preferred

• Degree in a scientific discipline, laboratory science, microbiology, biology, chemistry, engineering, or related field
• Laboratory operations leadership experience
• Experience within medical device, healthcare, life sciences, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, testing, or related regulated industries
• Experience with quality systems and regulatory standards including GMP, GLP, and/or ISO requirements

Why Join Us?

This is an opportunity to lead a critical laboratory operation that directly supports the safety and effectiveness of healthcare products used around the world. You'll have the autonomy to influence strategy, develop future leaders, improve operational performance, and help shape the growth of a rapidly evolving business.

If you're a collaborative leader who enjoys building high‑performing teams while driving meaningful business results, we'd love to hear from you.

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.