Microbiology Lab Manager

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Microbiology, Biology, Biological Sciences, or a closely related scientific field required; master's degree preferred.
• Minimum five years of progressively responsible experience in a microbiology laboratory supporting GMP-regulated testing; experience in OTC/drug, pharmaceutical, cosmetics/personal care, antibiotic, or contract testing environments strongly preferred.
• Minimum three years of direct people-leadership experience; experience leading supervisors or technical leads who oversee hourly laboratory staff strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience with cGMP microbiology and compendial/validated methods, including several of the following: microbial limits/enumeration, specified organisms, PET/AET, method suitability, growth promotion, sterility testing, and aseptic/environmental controls.
• Prior experience in a high-volume, customer-facing third-party laboratory strongly preferred, with demonstrated ability to manage OTD, backlog, capacity, customer escalations, and competing priorities.
• Working knowledge of laboratory investigations, deviations, CAPA, OOS/OOT, change control, audit readiness, training/qualification, and document control.
• Experience with LIMS-based laboratory operations required; LabWare experience preferred.
• Proven track record of using operational and financial KPIs to improve productivity, service, quality, and laboratory performance.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to interpret complex business, technical, quality, and regulatory documents.
• Confident in presenting to and engaging with senior leadership, peers, customers, Quality, and cross-functional teams.
• Mathematical Skills:
• Work with mathematical concepts such as probability, statistical inference, trend analysis, and basic laboratory performance metrics.