About this role
About the Role Nelson Labs is seeking a highly strategic and technically strong Senior Lab Operations Manager to lead our Sterilization team within the Quality Assurance organization. This role focuses on sterilization validation services, specifically Ethylene Oxide and steam sterilization validations for medical device and pharmaceutical products. The Senior Lab Operations Manager will oversee approximately 16 employees, including 3–4 direct reports, and will drive operational growth, technical excellence, customer satisfaction, and continuous improvement initiatives.
What You'll Do
- Lead daily operations for the Sterilization department
- Oversee sterilization validation activities including EO and steam sterilization programs
- Drive operational efficiency, turnaround time improvements, and production performance
- Provide technical leadership in sterilization validation processes and regulatory compliance
- Ensure laboratory resources, staffing, and workflows are optimized to support business needs
- Support departmental growth initiatives and expansion opportunities
- Partner with Sales, Consulting, and Operations teams to enhance customer service offerings
- Contribute to operational strategy and long-term planning initiatives
- Drive operational excellence and process improvement efforts
- Lead and mentor direct reports and laboratory personnel
- Support employee development, succession planning, and performance management
- Foster a collaborative, accountable, and customer-focused culture
- Guide training program development to support technical competency and business continuity
- Ensure compliance with GMP, GLP, ISO, and company quality standards
- Maintain focus on regulatory readiness, procedural adherence, and data integrity
- Partner with Quality Assurance to address quality trends and corrective actions
- Work collaboratively across departments to support customer delivery and operational alignment
- Serve as a change advocate during organizational and operational initiatives
What We're Looking For
- Minimum 5 years of experience in:
- Laboratory operations
- Manufacturing or validation-focused operations
- Leadership within regulated industries
- Strong microbiology knowledge
- Hands-on laboratory experience
- Validation experience, including equipment validation and facility validation
- Experience in sterilization validation environments strongly preferred
- Education: Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in Biology, Microbiology or related scientific discipline
- Strong candidates may come from: Sterilization facilities, Medical device manufacturing, Validation-focused operations, Manufacturing leadership environments
- Highly preferred: Ethylene Oxide sterilization, Steam sterilization, Sterility assurance programs
Nice to Have
- EO and steam sterilization experience
- Experience working within sterilization validation and sterility assurance programs
Compensation & Benefits
- Salary and benefits not disclosed in the posting