Operations Manager I

Overview

Element has a current opening for an Operations Manager to join our growing team in North Liberty, IA. This position is responsible and accountable for providing operational oversight to both administrative and testing departments in a microbiology lab setting.   This position reports to the General Manager for the Iowa City location which is responsible for delivering microbiology and molecular pre-clinical and clinical testing services for the antimicrobial drug development industry supporting pharma, diagnostics, and government sponsored projects.

Responsibilities

• Assure the safety of all colleagues and customers
• Manages the administrative department and functional laboratories (bacterial and fungal microbiology, media production, and molecular) with positivity and a strong team orientation
• Supports functional laboratory managers by reviewing their professional development plans and assisting how they supervise their direct reports’ growth as well as helping them address performance concerns
• Ensures services are provided at the highest quality level and are compliant with internal corporate and external federal and state regulations
• Partners with the IT and Quality Assurance departments to improve and integrate various technology systems
• Demonstrates a high level of accountability, integrity, and responsibility through excellent interpersonal skills
• Role model a strong leadership presence and demonstrate how that drives results across teams
• Provide leadership to assigned teams and demonstrate strong, strategic partnerships with Safety and Health, Quality, Finance, Human Resources, Sales, and Operational Excellence teams
• Execute strategic and organizational goals as mutually defined with Element leadership team by translating corporate initiatives and plans into formal actions plans for the area of influence
• Drive continuous improvement with demonstrated results around an incident free and safe working environment for colleagues, high first-time right performance, and excellent internal and external audit performance
• Bring order, structure, and accountability through regular team meetings
• Develop and foster a positive culture bringing Element’s mission to life and leading in accordance with Element’s values
• Provide strong personal leadership, mentor-ship, and developmental opportunities for assigned supervisors and colleagues
• Identify opportunities for lab colleagues to present papers, network, and share industry knowledge as thought leaders and trusted partners in the industry
• Other duties as assigned to support the broader business and foster a collaborate team environment

Skills / Qualifications

• Masters, MBA, or PhD preferred with over 10 years or more experience in the field of Microbiology or Laboratory Testing Services
• Experience directing or managing a clinical/research laboratory is ideal
• Experience in antimicrobial development is ideal
• Experience spanning accountability for operations, quality, strategic planning, financial management and customer relations
• Financial experience with budgeting and regular forecasting
• Able to motivate by communicating vision and strategy and creating a shared purpose
• A record of innovation and a continuous process improvement attitude
• Strong consensus building skills, leads and supports change, takes appropriate chances
• Achieves business results, by taking action, achieving quality and focusing on the future
• Demonstrates integrity and ethics; sets a personal example
• Services customers by meeting their needs and focusing on customer satisfaction
• A strong training focus that results in successfully developing and motivating people
• Builds and develops partnerships through open lines of communication; values diversity
• Experience in customer centric service businesses

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Company Overview

Element is one of the fastest growing testing, inspection and certification businesses in the world. Globally we have more than 9,000 brilliant minds operating from 270 sites across 30 countries. Together we share an ambitious purpose to ‘Make tomorrow safer than today’.

 

When failure in use is not an option, we help customers make certain that their products, materials, processes and services are safe, compliant and fit for purpose. From early R&D, through complex regulatory approvals and into production, our global laboratory network of scientists, engineers, and technologists support customers to achieve assurance over product quality, sustainable outcomes, and market access.

 

While we are proud of our global reach, working at Element feels like being part of a smaller company. We e