General Manager, Process Safety Testing

DEKRA SERVICES INC•Princeton, NJ

6d•$150,000 - $190,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The General Manager, Process Safety Testing is the on-site business, people, safety, and technical leader for the Princeton Process Safety Testing Laboratory. This role is responsible for creating and sustaining a strong safety culture, developing leaders and employees, fostering accountability, and building an engaged, high-performing team. The General Manager provides leadership and oversight for the DEKRA Princeton Process Safety Laboratory, with responsibility for P&L performance, safety, equipment reliability, quality, and profitable growth. The role combines engineering and production-minded leadership with laboratory experience and serves as a visible partner to customers, Sales, Marketing, Consulting, and shared services. This position also serves on the Process Safety North America leadership team. The General Manager translates market demand into executable laboratory capacity by improving local processes, increasing asset reliability and utilization, maintaining accreditations and regulatory compliance, and delivering a consistent customer experience across the Process Safety business. Long-term success in this role requires more than operational and technical leadership. This position is responsible for strengthening the site’s culture, developing people and local leaders, and reinforcing an environment where safety, accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement shapes how the organization operates every day. DEKRA's Princeton Process Safety Laboratory utilizes state-of-the-art equipment to help clients around the world understand and manage the risks associated with industrial dusts, powders, gases, vapors, and reactive chemicals. Serving industries such as pharmaceuticals, food, chemical processing, energy, and advanced materials, the laboratory conducts a wide range of process safety tests that support safer facility design, regulatory compliance, and operational excellence. The team work alongside experienced scientists and engineers in a collaborative, hands-on environment, generating critical safety data that helps prevent incidents, protect employees, and improve industrial processes across some of the world's most innovative companies.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, chemistry, or a related technical field
Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in process safety testing, laboratory operations, technical services, engineering operations, or a closely related environment, including personnel leadership.
Demonstrated experience leading operations or laboratories with P&L, budgeting, forecasting, and capital-planning responsibility.
Proven ability to use data and operational metrics to make sound decisions and improve business performance.
Strong electrical and mechanical knowledge, with demonstrated ability to diagnose equipment failures, identify root causes, and implement practical, effective solutions.
Practical knowledge of hazardous laboratory operations; experience with combustible dust, chemical reaction hazards, flammability, thermal stability, or related testing is strongly preferred.
Proven ability to improve operational performance using standard work, metrics, Lean or Kaizen methods, capacity planning, and equipment-reliability practices.
Commercial judgment and experience supporting technical sales, key accounts, proposals, pricing, and business development in a technical-services environment.
Strong leadership, communication, coaching, and change-management skills; able to translate strategy into clear priorities and dependable execution.
Demonstrated ability to collaborate across Sales, Marketing, Finance, HR, Legal, IT, and global technical teams.
Self-directed and comfortable balancing customer needs, technical risk, employee development, operational priorities, and financial performance.

Nice To Haves

experience with combustible dust, chemical reaction hazards, flammability, thermal stability, or related testing is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Own the Princeton site P&L, annual operating plan, forecasts, capital priorities, and performance against revenue, margin, and budget commitments.
Lead the site growth plan by connecting market opportunities, pricing, capacity, staffing, and investment decisions; identify risks early and bring practical solutions to senior leadership.
Provide on-site leadership for daily laboratory operations in partnership with laboratory managers and technical leads, with clear ownership, priorities, and escalation paths.
Establish and monitor practical operating metrics, including safety, quality, turnaround time, backlog, sample throughput, capacity, equipment utilization, on-time delivery, and financial performance.
Drive standard work and continuous improvement across inquiry, test selection, quoting, project setup, scheduling, execution, reporting, invoicing, and collections handoffs.
Implement digital or AI-enabled improvements that reduce rework, shorten cycle time, improve visibility, and create a consistent customer experience.
Ensure critical equipment has effective preventive maintenance, repair, reliability, calibration, spare-part, and capital replacement plans; coordinate vendors and global technical resources as needed.
Work with lab managers to match staffing and skills to demand, identify constraints before they affect delivery, and build scalable laboratory capacity without compromising safety or quality.
Actively contribute to a culture of safety and health by demonstrating accountability, communication, and oversight in the following key areas: Strategic Alignment, Accountability, Performance Monitoring, Reports, Communication & Engagement, Incident Management, and Corrective Actions.
Serve as a credible technical leader for process safety testing and ensure that testing is performed with purpose, sound technical judgment, and clear connection to customer needs.
Maintain ISO/IEC 17025 and other applicable accreditations and certifications; ensure the laboratory consistently follows approved quality systems, methods, documentation, and review requirements.
Champion DEKRA safety programs and values and maintaining a psychologically safe operating culture in a hazardous testing environment.
Ensure compliance with applicable government regulations, site permits, controlled-material requirements, and internal policies.
Maintain a high-performing, collaborative site team with clear roles and responsibilities.
Coach and develop laboratory managers, technical experts, engineers, technicians, and administrative support; mentor emerging leaders and strengthen succession and technical bench depth.
Create consistent communication rhythms, including site updates, cross-functional operating reviews, one-on-ones, and issue escalation before problems become significant.
Lead organizational change with clear, timely communication and operational continuity, including knowledge transfer from experienced leaders and technical experts.
Promote a One Process Safety culture across Testing, Consulting, Sales, Marketing, and shared services while maintaining clear local accountability for Princeton operations.

Benefits

Access to competitive health care and retirement benefits
Paid time off
Mental health well-being resources
Opportunities to learn and develop
Medical & prescription, dental, vision (including Domestic Partners)
Critical Illness & Hospital Indemnity supplemental insurance
Company Health Savings Account contribution
Flexible Spending Account for eligible health care and dependent care expenses
Paid time off such as vacation, sick leave, and floating holidays
Mental and emotional support resources through our Employee Assistance Program
Wellness Program to increase activity and health habits, with ability to earn participation rewards
Paid Parental Leave
Travel Assist (Domestic/International)
401(k) plan, with an employer match
Company paid Short- & Long-Term Disability benefits
Group term life insurance with options to buy-up for self and others
Working Advantage – DEKRA’s official corporate discount program
Education Assistance Program
Student Loan Repayment Assistance
Internal training and development resources to grow your career
LEAD Forward Leadership Development Program
Annual Career Goal Setting and Performance Review cycle participation