Scientific Leader, Lab Operations

Eurofins Scientific is an international life sciences company, providing a unique range of analytical testing services to clients across multiple industries, to make life and our environment safer, healthier and more sustainable. From the food you eat, to the water you drink, to the medicines you rely on, Eurofins works with the biggest companies in the world to ensure the products they supply are safe, their ingredients are authentic and labelling is accurate. Eurofins is the global leader in food, environment, pharmaceutical and cosmetic product testing and in agroscience Contract Research Organisation services. Eurofins is one of the market leaders in certain testing and laboratory services for genomics, discovery pharmacology, forensics, advanced material sciences and in the support of clinical studies, as well as having an emerging global presence in Contract Development and Manufacturing Organisations. The Group also has a rapidly developing presence in highly specialised and molecular clinical diagnostic testing and in-vitro diagnostic products. In over just 30 years, Eurofins has grown from one laboratory in Nantes, France to 55,000 staff across a decentralised and entrepreneurial network of 900 laboratories in over 50 countries. Eurofins offers a portfolio of over 200,000 analytical methods to evaluate the safety, identity, composition, authenticity, origin, traceability and purity of biological substances and products. SCIENTIFIC LEADER, LAB OPERATIONS Multi-Site | P&L Ownership | Personnel Management Position Summary The Scientific Leader, Lab Operations is a senior-level hybrid scientist-operator responsible for the end-to-end performance of laboratory testing operations across multiple sites. This leader owns full P&L accountability for their portfolio, drives operational excellence, ensures scientific integrity and regulatory compliance, and develops high-performing teams. This role is ideal for a credentialed scientific professional who has built commercial acumen alongside deep technical expertise and has a track record of scaling complex, multi-site testing environments. Key Responsibilities P&L & Financial Ownership Own revenue, margin, and cost targets across a defined portfolio of laboratory testing sites Develop and manage annual operating budgets; provide monthly financial reporting to executive leadership Identify and execute cost-reduction and revenue-expansion initiatives without compromising quality or throughput Partner with commercial/business development teams to support pricing strategy, client retention, and new business proposals Lead capital expenditure planning, including equipment investment justification and ROI analysis Multi-Site Lab Operations Oversee daily operations across multiple laboratory sites, ensuring consistency in workflows, turnaround times, and quality standards Establish and enforce standardized operating procedures (SOPs), capacity planning models, and resource allocation frameworks across sites Drive continuous improvement initiatives (Lean, Six Sigma, or equivalent) to optimize throughput, reduce waste, and improve TAT Monitor and act on KPIs including sample volume, capacity utilization, instrument uptime, and client satisfaction metrics Lead cross-site coordination for surge capacity, disaster recovery protocols, and operational contingency planning Scientific & Technical Leadership Serve as the scientific authority for testing methodologies, instrumentation, and data integrity across all reporting sites Ensure laboratories maintain and continuously improve accreditation standing (ISO 17025, CAP, CLIA, A2LA, or equivalent as applicable) Drive validation, verification, and implementation of new testing platforms and emerging analytical technologies Stay current on regulatory landscape changes; proactively update practices to maintain compliance with EPA, FDA, DOT, or relevant governing bodies Serve as a technical escalation point for complex client issues, out-of-specification results, and method failure investigations Personnel Management & Organizational Development Lead, develop, and retain a multi-site team spanning lab managers, supervisors, scientists, and analysts (typically 25–100+ FTEs) Build a performance culture through regular 1:1s, transparent goal-setting, and structured development plans Identify and grow internal talent; champion succession planning and high-potential development programs Partner with HR on workforce planning, compensation banding, and talent acquisition for technical roles Foster a culture of psychological safety, accountability, and scientific rigor Client & Stakeholder Engagement Serve as the operational point of escalation for key accounts; participate in QBRs, client audits, and capability presentations Collaborate with sales and client services to ensure SLA adherence and proactive communication around capacity or TAT issues Support business development efforts including site tours, proposal input, and technical presentations Required Bachelor's degree or higher in a scientific discipline (Chemistry, Biology, Environmental Science, Biochemistry, or related field); advanced degree strongly preferred 7+ years of progressive laboratory operations experience, with at least 3 years in a multi-site leadership role Demonstrated P&L ownership with full budget accountability in a laboratory or technical services environment Proven track record leading teams of 20+ across geographically dispersed locations Experience in any testing environment: environmental, food, pharmaceutical/bioanalytical, clinical, materials, genomics, or equivalent regulated laboratory sector Strong working knowledge of laboratory accreditation standards and applicable regulatory frameworks Demonstrated ability to implement operational improvement methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma, or equivalent) Additional Information We support your development! 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