The posting
Job Description
The location is flexible to our labs in the Americas - Northbrook, RTP in Raleigh, NC, Querétaro, Mexico, Fremont, CA
The Director Lab Operations – Americas leads and drives integrated laboratories across United States and Latin America to deliver excellent and efficient service, meeting internal and external customer needs and expectations. The role focuses on achieving goals for cost, productivity, quality, safety, and customer/employee satisfaction. This position collaborates with segments, Customer Operating Units (COUs), and regional leadership on forecasting, prioritization, and planning for capacity and capability, ensuring stability and optimal utilization of regional lab operations. The Director is responsible for implementing productivity improvements, overseeing operating plans, lab footprint, goals, and budgets, and ensuring compliance with quality and accreditation standards.
Responsibilities
- Execute operational strategy for workload balancing and project completion using resources across regional labs.
- Develop and implement plans for future lab footprint and capabilities in collaboration with Strategic Development, Project Management, and other stakeholders.
- Align laboratory goals with COUs to drive excellent customer experience.
- Ensure optimal utilization of laboratory assets (people, equipment, space) to meet/exceed customer expectations.
- Collaborate with TIC and regional leadership to support future strategies and ensure Lab Operations can deliver accordingly.
- Lead operational consistency and best practice implementation for high performance and compliance.
- Drive adoption of automation tools (Labware, Magnesis) and ensure their utilization at all lab levels.
- Partner with Quality & Business Support, Process Excellence & Transformation, Innovation & Technology, and Business Alignment to improve lab quality and operations.
- Maintain strong relationships across the organization to achieve high execution, throughput, and operational success.
- Promote a high-performance environment and culture, managing performance and development of managers and team members.
- Drive employee engagement and satisfaction throughout laboratory operations in the region.
- Implement Lean Sigma initiatives to eliminate waste and improve cost-effectiveness.
- Reduce operational costs annually through process efficiencies and resource utilization.
- Support COUs in achieving revenue targets through timely, high-quality lab services.
- Maintain lab operations within approved budget limits while ensuring service excellence.
- Improve ROI on lab equipment and infrastructure investments.
- Optimize lab footprint to reduce overhead and increase asset utilization.
- Ensure ongoing quality compliance and improvements, maintaining lab accreditations.
- Drive an integrated Lean Sigma culture for continuous improvement.
- Partner with EHS and local teams to drive the highest level of safety standard compliance.
- Develop and coach team members, provide training, career counseling, feedback, and guidance.
- Provide updates to the board upon request.
- Build relationships and credibility with internal and external stakeholders.
- Report to VP Lab Operations.
- Directly manages reports based on span of control requirements.
- Performs other duties as directed.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree required; MBA preferred.
- Minimum 10 years of professional experience, with 5+ years in a senior leadership role.
- Experience working with diverse, global teams.
- Experience managing and delivering impactful communications to internal and external stakeholders.
- Strong interpersonal and influencing skills.
- Strong collaboration and communication skills.
- Ability to inspire, motivate, and influence behaviors to drive change.
- Demonstrated adaptability to rapidly changing priorities.
- Strong analytical mindset.
- Ability to drive standardization and reduce variation in technical environments. Skills Required:
- Leadership: Motivate and inspire teams to achieve common goals; manage performance and development.
- Business Acumen: Understand industry trends, policies, and competition; align strategies with market needs.
- Global Growth Mindset: Align enterprise-wide initiatives with local needs; leverage global team perspectives.
- Analytical & Problem Solving: Use rigorous logic and methods to solve complex problems; drive standardization.
- Project Management: Develop and implement plans for lab operations, including resource allocation and budgeting.
- Communication & Collaboration: Build credible relationships across functions; communicate effectively with stakeholders.
- Change Management: Drive change through strong communication, active listening, and strategic thinking.
- Integrity & Trust: Demonstrate honesty, reliability, and ethical behavior. Total Rewards: We understand compensation is an important factor as you consider the next step in your career. The estimated salary range for this position is $176,000 to $235,000 and is based on multiple factors, including job-related knowledge/skills, experience, geographical location, as well as other factors. This position is eligible for annual bonus compensation with a target payout of 30% of the base salary and a 30% RSU grant. This position also provides health benefits such as medical, dental and vision; wellness benefits such as mental and financial health; and retirement savings (401K) commensurate with the standard rewards offered in each individual location or country. We also provide full-time employees with paid time off including vacation (20 days), holidays including 3 floating holidays (12 days) and sick time off (72 hours).
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About Us
A global leader in applied safety science, UL Solutions (NYSE: ULS) transforms safety, security and sustainability challenges into opportunities for customers in more than 110 countries. UL Solutions delivers testing, inspection and certification services, together with software products and advisory offerings, that support our customers’ product innovation and business growth. The UL Mark serves as a recognized symbol of trust in our customers’ products and reflects an unwavering commitment to advancing our safety mission. We help our customers innovate, launch new products and services, navigate global markets and complex supply chains, and grow sustainably and responsibly into the future. Our science is your advantage.
Our global network of 80+ laboratories is constantly evolving, because the world around us is always changing. We embrace this — we invest in improving our equipment and our skills so we’re one step ahead of the market. One day we could be setting up a burn test and the next, simulating a tornado. And because we’re always evolving, your career will evolve alongside us, whether you’re working on brand new technology or connecting with experts around the globe. Join our team, drive the growth of our organization and deliver real change — in a changing world.
