Sr. Lab Operations Manager - Sterilization
About The Position
Nelson Labs is seeking a highly strategic and technically strong Senior Lab Operations Manager (Sr. LOM) to lead their Sterilization team within the Quality Assurance organization. This team focuses on sterilization validation services, specifically Ethylene Oxide (EO) and steam sterilization validations for medical device and pharmaceutical products. The Sr. LOM will oversee approximately 16 employees, including 3–4 direct reports, and will play a key role in driving operational growth, technical excellence, customer satisfaction, and continuous improvement initiatives. This role requires a leader with strong validation and operational experience who can strategically grow the business, improve efficiencies, and strengthen technical capabilities within the department.
Requirements
- Minimum 5 years of experience in: Laboratory operations
- Manufacturing or validation-focused operations
- Leadership within regulated industries
- Strong microbiology knowledge required
- Hands-on laboratory experience required
- Validation experience required, including: Equipment validation
- Facility validation
- Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in: Biology
- Microbiology
- Related scientific discipline
Nice To Haves
- Experience in sterilization validation environments strongly preferred
- Sterilization facilities
- Medical device manufacturing
- Validation-focused operations
- Manufacturing leadership environments
- Ethylene Oxide (EO) sterilization
- Steam sterilization
- Sterility assurance programs
Responsibilities
- 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
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
