Associate Director/Business Unit Manager… at Eurofins · Houston

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 works with the biggest companies in the world to ensure the products they supply are safe, their ingredients are authentic and labelling is accurate.

Eurofins is the global leader in food, environment, pharmaceutical and cosmetic product testing and in agroscience Contract Research Organization services. Eurofins 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 Organizations. The Group also has a rapidly developing presence in highly specialized and molecular clinical diagnostic testing and in-vitro diagnostic products.

In over 35 years, Eurofins has grown from one laboratory in Nantes, France to 63,000 staff across a decentralized and entrepreneurial network of ca. 950 laboratories in 60 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 ($8.596 billion), and has been one of the best performing stocks in Europe over the past 20 years.

Job Description

Opportunity Summary:

This is a high-visibility opportunity to establish a new BPT microbiology lab in Houston, Tx. The role includes building out a new laboratory from scratch, standing up a new business and building a new team.

Position Overview:

Eurofins Biopharma Product Testing is seeking an entrepreneurial and operationally strong Associate Director, Business Unit Manager (BUMA) to establish and lead a new microbiology laboratory in Houston, Texas.

This role is responsible for building a new business and laboratory operation from the ground up, including facility readiness, equipment procurement and qualification, staffing, customer relationship development, operational launch, and direct P&L ownership for the Houston lab.

The Houston Microbiology Laboratory will be part of the BPT network of labs on the west coast and report to the Senior Vice President of Biopharma Product Testing for the Western United States. The Houston lab will tap into select functions out west and be supported by a centralized Sales team.

This lab directly supports BPT’s strategy of building a hub-and-spoke model in select geographies to serve the rapidly expanding onshoring of biopharmaceutical manufacturing. The Houston site is also intended to serve as a model for similar satellite laboratories in the future.

Key Responsibilities:

Business Leadership and P&L Ownership:

• Own the financial performance, operating results, and business trajectory of the Houston Microbiology Laboratory.
• Develop and execute short- and long-term business plans that support startup, launch, client adoption, and growth.
• Establish operating metrics, financial targets, management cadence, and business review processes for the site.
• Drive profitability through disciplined resource allocation, operational productivity, service performance, and growth execution.
• Build a scalable operating model that can support future expansion of Houston and serve as a model for other satellite laboratories.

New Lab Startup & Site Establishment:

• Lead the operational startup of the Houston lab from pre-launch through steady-state operations.
• Partner with internal stakeholders and external partners to complete facility setup, including lease transition activities, construction/build-out coordination, laboratory layout, and site readiness.
• Coordinate procurement, installation, setup, qualification, and readiness of new laboratory equipment and supporting infrastructure.
• Establish local workflows, operating practices, management routines, and readiness plans aligned with Eurofins and BPT expectations.
• Ensure the laboratory is prepared for client onboarding, audits, method implementation, and routine operations.

Operations Leadership:

• Serve as the primary site leader for day-to-day Houston laboratory operations.
• Build a culture of accountability, quality, customer focus, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.
• Develop operating cadences, performance dashboards, escalation practices, and team routines appropriate for a small but growing business.
• Identify and implement operational improvements that enhance productivity, reliability, turnaround time, and client experience.
• Make practical, entrepreneurial decisions in an evolving startup environment while maintaining alignment with BPT standards.

Customer & Commercial Engagement:

• Foster strong relationships with existing and prospective clients in the Houston and broader Texas market.
• Serve as the local face of Eurofins BPT for Houston microbiology clients and prospects.
• Partner closely with the Sales team to identify opportunities, support client development, develop the local pipeline, and convert opportunities into sustainable business.
• Represent the Houston lab in client meetings, tours, business development discussions, and operational readiness conversations.
• Translate customer needs and market feedback into operational priorities and growth plans for the lab.

People Leadership & Team Building:

• Hire, onboard, coach, and develop the initial Houston laboratory team.
• Establish clear expectations, role clarity, performance management routines, and development practices for a small high-growth team.
• Create an engaged and accountable team culture that can scale as the business grows.
• Develop local talent while leveraging support, guidance, and subject-matter expertise from the broader BPT network.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Collaborate closely with Quality, Sales, Finance, HR, IT, and other shared support functions.
• Use centralized Quality and Sales support effectively while maintaining local ownership of Houston performance, execution, and client experience.
• Maintain clear communication with leadership regarding launch status, risks, milestones, financial performance, and growth opportunities.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a scientific discipline, engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum of 7 years of direct laboratory, scientific, technical, or operational experience.
• Minimum of 3 years of direct people leadership experience.
• Experience with GMP, biopharmaceutical testing, laboratory quality systems, or regulated laboratory operations.
• Strong operations and technical background with a proven track record of driving operational excellence.
• Demonstrated financial aptitude and business acumen, including experience managing budgets, metrics, operating performance, or business results.
• Customer-oriented leadership style with the ability to build trusted client relationships.
• Strong communication, organizational, prioritization, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to succeed in an entrepreneurial startup environment with evolving priorities, ambiguity, and high visibility.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Direct experience in microbiology testing
• Experience launching a new laboratory, facility, service line, department, or business operation.
• Prior responsibility for a P&L, business unit, site, department, or operational budget.
• Advanced degree, such as an MBA, MS, PhD, or equivalent, is a plus.

Ideal Candidate Profile:

Core Strengths:

• Operational expertise
• Strategic acumen
• Entrepreneurial problem-solving
• Financial aptitude and ownership
• Customer and commercial orientation

Leadership Attributes:

• Bias for action
• Comfort with ambiguity
• Accountability and ownership mentality
• Ability to influence across functions
• Desire to build and scale a new business

Additional Information

Why This Role:

This is a rare opportunity for up-and-coming leadership talent to build a new business and new laboratory from scratch while operating within the support structure of the Eurofins BPT network.

The successful candidate will have meaningful autonomy, direct ownership of results, and significant exposure to senior leadership through the launch and growth of a strategically important Houston presence.

For the right person, this role provides a clear platform to demonstrate business leadership, operational execution, client impact, and scalable growth creation.

Physical Requirements:

• Physical dexterity sufficient to use hands, arms, and shoulders repetitively to operate a keyboard and other office equipment, use a telephone, access file cabinets and other items stored at various levels, including overhead
• Ability to speak and hear well enough to communicate clearly and understandably with sufficient volume to ensure an accurate exchange of information in normal conversational distance, over the telephone, and in a group setting
• Ability to continuously operate a personal computer for extended periods of time (4 or more hours)
• Mental acuity sufficient to collect and interpret data, evaluate, reason, define problems, establish facts, draw valid conclusions, make valid judgments and decisions

The essential physical and mental requirements described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Eurofins BioPharma Testing is committed to promoting an equal employment opportunity workplace environment and is an equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of the Company that all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, citizenship, pregnancy, genetic information (GINA), disability, military and/or veteran status, and/or any other status protected by applicable Federal, state, or local law. The Company’s policy is to recruit, hire, train, promote and administer all employment-related matters on the basis of an individual's qualifications, abilities and efforts without regard to protected status.