Microbiology Laboratory Services Supervisor

Certified Laboratories Inc•Omaha, NE

13h

About The Position

At Certified Group, we deliver expert solutions and rigorous testing our customers can trust—on time, every time—so the world can have confidence in what it consumes. As a leading North American provider of laboratory testing, regulatory consulting, and certification and audit services, Certified Group brings together trusted brands including Food Safety Net Services (FSNS), FSNS Certification & Audit, Certified Laboratories, EAS Consulting Group, and Labstat International Inc. We support a wide range of industries, including food & beverage, dietary supplements & NHPs, cosmetics, OTC and personal care products, tobacco, nicotine, cannabis, and hemp. We are united by a shared culture and core values: Start with the Customer, Drive to Deliver, Commit to Safety and Quality, and Believe in the Team—including believing in you. The Opportunity The Laboratory Services Supervisor is responsible for frontline leadership and daily execution of laboratory operations. This role ensures accurate, compliant, and timely testing across assigned laboratory disciplines (e.g., Microbiology, Chemistry, Sample Login/Intake, Media Preparation, etc.) while directly supervising laboratory technicians. The Supervisor operates as a hands-on technical leader, driving workflow stability, reinforcing quality standards, coaching team members, and ensuring safe and efficient operations. The Supervisor ensures consistent daily execution aligned to productivity, quality, customer service, and safety expectations. This leader upholds our purpose – so the world can trust in what it consumes – by modeling our mission and values: Purpose: So the world can trust in what it consumes. Mission: Partner with customers to deliver innovative scientific solutions and expertise. Values: with the customer, commit to safety and quality, drive to deliver, act with integrity and support the team. Leadership Accountabilities: 1. Quality Excellence: Promote a culture where quality is embedded into every action of self and others. Proactively coach the team on adhering to all SOPs and regulatory standards, accuracy and continuous improvement. 2. Customer-Focus: Ensure timely, high-quality results and solutions that build trust with our partners, meet and exceed customer expectations and enhance our reputation in the market to expand business opportunities. 3. People-Centricity: Maintain a safe, engaging, and inclusive environment. Be present and accessible, ensuring team members are supported, empowered, trained and motivated to perform at their best and reach their full potential. 4. Profitability: Understanding and awareness of the drivers of profitable growth; including but not limited to managing labor, inventory and optimizing all resources to ensure sustainable, efficient operations. 5. Innovation: Enable a team that is relentlessly focused on continuous improvement, learning openly from defects, and championing problem-solving, new ideas to improve service, quality, and efficiency.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in science, business or related field required is required.
Minimum three (3) years’ experience in an operations setting leading an hourly workforce or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Strong ability to interpret technical and regulatory documents and exercise sound judgement.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to interpret complex business, technical and regulatory documents.
Skilled in developing reports, business correspondence and standard operating procedures.
Confident in presenting to and engaging with senior leadership, peers, customers, and cross-functional teams.
Demonstrated capability to solve practical problems using sound judgement, especially in dynamic or ambiguous situations.
Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
Excellent organizational and time-management abilities.
Critical thinking and independent problem-solving skills.
Ability to interpret written, verbal, and visual instructions.
Comfortable working in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
Ability to lead and supervisor a team.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience in commercial laboratory testing or manufacturing environments is preferred, specifically testing samples such as food, cosmetics or tobacco with exposure to safety and quality protocols.

Responsibilities

Promote disciplined adherence to SOPs, ISO 17025 standards, GLP, and applicable regulatory requirements.
Ensure accuracy of testing, defensible data integrity, and proper documentation.
Coach technicians on quality control requirements and laboratory best practices.
Ensure that the laboratory is briefed and ready for all external audits. Ensure staff readiness to brief their designated parts for the external auditor. Be present throughout the audit to learn firsthand improvement opportunities.
Maintain a clean, well-organized, sanitary laboratory environment, coordinating with facilities and maintenance teams as required.
Promote a culture of safety, ensuring the lab working environment meets safety standards and protocols.
Demonstrates the ability to multitask and transition efficiently between operational priorities while maintaining accuracy and professionalism in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
Maintain proficiency in all applicable laboratory systems, including LIMS, ensuring accurate data entry, sample tracking, result validation, and proper documentation to support defensible data integrity.
Lead and actively participate in daily operational huddles to review volume forecasts, staffing plans, quality concerns, equipment status, and priority testing. Ensure clear communication of daily objectives and alignment of resources to meet service commitments.
Identify workflow inefficiencies and partner with direct manager on continuous improvement opportunities to enhance throughput, labor utilization, and team effectiveness.
Allocate staffing across departments based on volume, complexity, and priority.
Executes additional duties and responsibilities as required.
Directly supervise laboratory technicians.
Enable a high-performance environment where employees are empowered to do their best and drive accountability for results across all aspects of their job descriptions.
Prioritize talent retention by creating a culture where employees are engaged, supported, and given opportunities to grow to their full potential.
Monitor turnover trends, implement strategies to reduce turnover, and emphasize cross-training to build flexibility, career advancement, and team capability.
Provide structured training and enable employes to build skills and progress through established career paths.
Conduct effective performance reviews and ongoing 1:1 conversations that capture both technical and behavioral aspects of performance, provide meaningful feedback, assess current job satisfaction, and discuss aspirations for career growth.
Anticipate laboratory staffing needs by planning for appropriate headcount based on volume, especially as volume patterns change. Effectively design employee schedules to match volume patterns across one or more shifts.
Ensure timely and accurate reporting of laboratory results
Escalate out-of-specification results appropriately
Support the Manager in resolving client inquiries or concerns
Maintain professionalism and responsiveness in all customer interactions