Director of Operations Strategy, Food Testing – Rapid Microbiology
About Eurofins
Eurofins is a global leader in bio-analytical testing, supporting food, environmental, pharmaceutical and clinical customers with a network of laboratories worldwide. Our Rapid Microbiology laboratory helps food manufacturers, retailers and ingredient suppliers protect consumers and brands through fast, accurate pathogen and spoilage-organism testing, from raw materials to finished product release.
Role Summary
The Director of Operations Strategy will own the operational strategy and performance roadmap for our rapid microbiology food testing laboratory. This leader will define capacity, workflow, method-deployment and productivity strategy, and will work closely with Laboratory Operations, Quality, Scientific/Technical, Commercial and Finance teams to deliver fast, accurate results at scale. The role requires someone who understands high-volume, turnaround-sensitive microbiology testing and can turn strategy into measurable operational execution.
Key Responsibilities
Strategy and Planning
• Develop and execute a multi-year operations strategy for rapid microbiology food testing (pathogens, indicator organisms, spoilage, environmental monitoring, shelf-life).
• Build capacity and demand plans that reflect seasonal volume swings and customer segments such as meat and poultry, dairy, produce, ready-to-eat, bakery, beverage, pet food and ingredients.
• Lead annual and long-range operating planning, including cost, headcount, throughput and capital targets.
Process Excellence and Turnaround
• Own turnaround-time, on-time-delivery and throughput performance; identify and remove bottlenecks from sample receipt to report release.
• Lead lean and continuous improvement programs across sample receiving, preparation, testing, data review and reporting.
• Standardize workflows and best practices across lab teams and, where applicable, multiple sites.
Methods, Technology and Automation
• Partner with Scientific leadership to evaluate and deploy rapid methods (PCR, immunoassay, automated and next-generation platforms), including validation, verification and rollout plans.
• Drive automation, LIMS and digital initiatives that improve productivity, data integrity and traceability.
• Build business cases for equipment, facility and capacity investments.
Quality, Compliance and Risk
• Ensure operating plans support ISO 17025 accreditation, FDA/FSMA, USDA-FSIS, GFSI and customer audit requirements.
• Partner with Quality to reduce error rates, retests and nonconformances.
• Plan for business continuity, including reagent, consumable and supply chain resilience.
Cross-Functional Leadership
• Align capacity and service commitments with Commercial on new programs, pricing and customer onboarding.
• Partner with Finance on cost per test, margin, labor productivity and P&L performance.
• Develop and mentor operations leaders and build the talent pipeline for technical and supervisory roles.
Qualifications
Required
• Bachelor's degree in Microbiology, Food Science, Life Sciences, Engineering or a related field; MBA or advanced degree strongly preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in laboratory operations, operations strategy, process improvement or business operations within testing laboratories, food safety, diagnostics or life sciences services; at least 5 years in a leadership role.
• Demonstrated track record of improving throughput, turnaround time and cost per test in a high-volume laboratory environment.
• Working knowledge of food microbiology, rapid methods and the regulatory and accreditation environment (FDA/FSMA, USDA-FSIS, GFSI schemes, ISO 17025).
• Strong financial acumen, including capacity modeling, budgeting and P&L management.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to work effectively with scientists, laboratory managers and senior customers.
Preferred
• Lean Six Sigma Green or Black Belt certification.
• Experience with LIMS, laboratory automation and BI tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau).
• Prior experience with M&A integration, new site launches or multi-lab network standardization.
Key Competencies
• Strategic and analytical thinking
• Operational rigor and process discipline
• Scientific credibility with technical teams
• Cross-functional leadership and collaboration
• Quality-first, customer-centric mindset
• Results orientation and accountability
Success Measures (First 12–18 Months)
• Delivery of turnaround-time, on-time-delivery and cost-per-test targets for the rapid microbiology food portfolio.
• Documented multi-year capacity and operations roadmap approved by senior leadership.
• Measurable throughput and productivity improvement
• Successful launch or scale-up of at least two new rapid-method platforms or automation projects.
• Reduced retest and nonconformance rates, with clean audit outcomes.
What We Offer
• Competitive base salary and performance-based bonus
• Comprehensive medical, dental and vision coverage
• 401(k) with company match, paid time off and holidays
• Opportunities for professional development within a global network
In a fast growing group, successful leaders are frequently being offered increased areas of responsibility (subject to geographic mobility).
Eurofins offers international opportunities to strong performers.