Laboratory Director

Job Description

Eurofins Environment Testing is seeking a Laboratory Director to lead our team!  The Laboratory Director is responsible for ensuring a positive operating margin, meeting or exceeding annual budgetary goals, and overseeing daily laboratory operations to efficiently meet client needs while achieving quality and production objectives. This role involves supervising personnel, ensuring compliance with corporate and regulatory policies, and providing leadership and direction. The Director serves as a liaison with corporate business partners, champions company policies and mission, and provides technical support to client services, sales, and other departments. Additionally, they support Group Leaders in managing staff and production to align with company goals.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide overall operational, and administrative leadership for laboratory operations, ensuring efficiency, quality, compliance, and financial performance.
• Drive revenue growth and profitability while minimizing the cost of product delivery and meeting turnaround time, quality, and customer service objectives.
• Partner closely with Laboratory Managers, Group Leaders, and the Business Unit Manager to prioritize operational initiatives, review financial performance, implement cost controls, and achieve KPIs and budget targets.
• Oversee the implementation of new technologies, methods, and systems into production to support business growth, regulatory requirements, and continuous improvement.
• Lead and support the Project Management team, including the development of customer relationship and retention strategies to enhance service quality and long-term partnerships.
• Maintain strong customer relationships and support high-level client negotiations by contributing technical expertise, operational insight, and long-term strategic planning.
• Foster a positive, high-performing laboratory culture that emphasizes teamwork, accountability, safety, engagement, and professional development.
• Coordinate and oversee staff development, coaching, training, performance management, and succession planning across laboratory and operations teams, ensuring fair and legally compliant employee practices in collaboration with HR.
• Conduct performance appraisals, recommend compensation adjustments aligned with performance and budget guidelines, and take corrective actions as needed.
• Coach and mentor Group Leaders and Supervisors to strengthen leadership capability, accountability, and operational effectiveness.
• Establish, implement, and monitor productivity, quality, and safety metrics; identify improvement opportunities and enact contingency plans when performance deviates from targets.
• Lead health, safety, quality, ethics, and compliance initiatives, ensuring all company policies and regulatory requirements are communicated, understood, and followed.
• Collaborate with Quality Assurance to develop, implement, and review standard operating procedures and ensure sustainable, audit-ready processes across departments.
• Partner with the Business Unit Manager to review financial performance and implement cost control measures.
• Provide monthly performance reports and identify improvement opportunities.
• Actively participate in workforce planning, recruitment, and interview processes, clearly articulating required skills and competencies to support current and future operational needs.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Finance, HR, IT, Sales, and corporate partners to ensure alignment, effective resource utilization, and adoption of best practices.
• Provide clear communication of company initiatives, goals, and expectations to employees, reinforcing engagement and organizational alignment.
• Perform other duties and special projects as assigned to support business objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead business operations with a focus on profitability, efficiency improvements, and automation.
• Ensure customer satisfaction while developing technical staff skills and maintaining state-of-the-art instrumentation.
• Provide leadership in personnel and equipment management.
• Analyze and recommend staffing and equipment needs while adhering to budget constraints.
• Design and implement production metrics to monitor performance, productivity, and profitability.
• Develop and execute contingency plans to address equipment failures, staffing shortages, production backlogs, and fluctuations in sample volume.
• Lead initiatives to improve analytical capacity, reduce turnaround times, strengthen quality performance, and enhance customer satisfaction.
• Drive continuous improvements to enhance cost-effectiveness and efficiency.
• Supervise, mentor, and train staff while overseeing performance evaluations.
• Perform other duties and special projects as required.

Performance Evaluation Criteria

• Achievement of established revenue growth, profitability, and financial performance targets.
• Effectiveness in managing operational costs, optimizing resources, and improving overall laboratory efficiency.
• Achievement of established laboratory operational goals and key performance indicators, including productivity, turnaround times, quality, and customer satisfaction.
• Consistent achievement of corporate performance objectives and KPIs, ensuring alignment with broader organizational goals and expectations.
• Effectiveness in developing, mentoring, and strengthening the leadership capabilities of key staff members.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a scientific field.
• Minimum of 7 years of environmental lab management experience.
• Strong leadership, initiative, and team-building skills.
• Experience with laboratory operations and services.
• Experience managing a team of at least 20 scientists and technicians.
• Proven ability to manage business operations with profit/loss responsibility.
• Expertise in VOC analysis under SW846 or EPA TO method guidelines.
• Strong decision-making, problem-solving, and delegation abilities.
• Ability to handle contracts and negotiations effectively.
• Proficiency in GCMS techniques and instrumentation.
• Track record of improving laboratory efficiency and profitability.
• Knowledge of federal and state employment laws.
• Experience in leading quality system improvements, including audits and corrective action plans.
• Ability to engage with key clients and discuss technical and business solutions.
• Demonstrated leadership in both downsizing and business growth scenarios.
• Excellent communication, organizational skills, and attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively, with adaptability and a positive attitude.
• Willingness to travel occasionally to other laboratory locations.
• Authorization to work in the United States indefinitely without restriction or sponsorship
• Professional working proficiency in English is a requirement, including the ability to read, write and speak in English

Additional Information

Compensation Range: $110,000 - $125,000 per year depending on level of experience and qualifications.

Position is full-time, and exempt from overtime pay with a Monday - Friday day shift.

Eurofins Environment Testing (USA) provides a compensation range for informational purposes, the actual base compensation may vary based upon, but not limited to, relevant experience and skill set, base compensation of internal peers, business sector, and geographic location.

We offer excellent full-time benefits including comprehensive medical coverage, life and disability insurance, 401(k) with company match, paid holidays and vacation, personal days, and dental and vision options.

We support your development! Do you feel you don’t match 100% of the requirements? Don’t hesitate to apply anyway! Eurofins companies are committed to supporting your career development.

We embrace diversity! Eurofins network of companies believe in strength and innovation through diversity, being an Equal Opportunity Employer. We prohibit discrimination against employees or applications based on gender identity and/or expression, race, nationality, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability, and everything else that makes employees of Eurofins companies unique.

Sustainability matters to us! At Eurofins, we believe sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. Guided by our vision to be the Global Leader in “Testing for Life,” our mission to contribute to a healthier and safer world, and our core values, we are building a strong foundation for Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives. Eurofins’ commitment to sustainability begins within our own companies through a shared responsibility to people and the planet. With climate change posing an imminent threat, Eurofins and its many companies recognize their duty to proactively reduce or offset the environmental impact of essential operations while also helping our clients do the same—serving as a true ESG Enabler.

Find out more in our career page: https://careers.eurofins.com/

Company description: 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 laboratories work with the biggest companies in the world to ensure the products they supply are safe, their ingredients are authentic and labelling is accurate.

The Eurofins network of companies is the global leader in food, environment, pharmaceutical and cosmetic product testing and in discovery pharmacology, forensics, advanced material sciences and agroscience contract research services. It 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. It also has a rapidly developing presence in highly specialised and molecular clinical diagnostic testing and in-vitro diagnostic products.

In over 35 years, Eurofins has grown from one laboratory in Nantes, France to 61,000 staff across a decentralised and entrepreneurial network of ca. 900 laboratories in 61 countries. Eurofins companies offer a portfolio of over 200,000 analytical methods to evaluate the safety, identity, composition, authenticity, origin, traceability and purity of biological substances and products.

In 2025, Eurofins generated total revenues of EUR 7.296 billion, and has been among the best performing stocks in Europe over the past 20 years.

Eurofins USA Environment Testing is a Disabled and Veteran Equal Employment Opportunity employer.

Compensation: 110000 to 125000 (USD) (YEARLY)