The name Sotera Health was inspired by Soteria, the Greek goddess of safety, and reflects the Company’s unwavering commitment to its mission, Safeguarding Global Health®.
Sotera Health Company is a leading global provider of mission-critical sterilization and lab testing and advisory services for the healthcare industry. With a combined tenure across our businesses of nearly 200 years and our industry recognized scientific and technological expertise, we help to ensure the safety of millions of patients and healthcare practitioners around the world every year.
Across our 64 facilities worldwide, we have over 3,000 employees who are dedicated to safety and quality. We are a trusted partner to more than 5,800 customers in over 50 countries, including more than 40 of the top 50 medical device companies and 9 of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies.
Reporting to the Director of Operations, the General Manager is responsible for the overall leadership, performance, and strategic direction of a sterilization facility. The General Manager serves as the senior site leader and is accountable for safety, quality, customer satisfaction, employee engagement, regulatory compliance, operational excellence, and financial performance.
This role leads a cross-functional team across Operations, Customer Service, Logistics, Maintenance, Quality Assurance, Safety, and Training to ensure the facility consistently delivers exceptional service to customers while maintaining compliance with all applicable regulatory requirements.
Key Responsibilities
Site Leadership & Culture
- Provide visible, hands-on leadership that fosters a culture of safety, accountability, engagement, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.
- Build, develop, and retain a high-performing leadership team through coaching, performance management, succession planning, and employee development.
- Promote a positive employee experience that supports retention, productivity, and organizational effectiveness.
- Establish clear performance expectations and ensure alignment with company values and business objectives.
Operational Excellence
- Lead all facility operations to ensure safe, efficient, and compliant processing of customer products.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, productivity, capacity utilization, customer service, cost management, and operational efficiency.
- Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and implement action plans to achieve operational and financial objectives.
- Ensure effective coordination and communication across all site functions to optimize workflow and customer outcomes.
- Identify and implement process improvements, technology enhancements, and best practices that improve site performance.
Customer & Business Partnership
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with key customers, serving as the senior site representative when required.
- Partner with Commercial and Customer Service teams to support business growth, customer retention, and service excellence.
- Resolve escalated customer concerns while maintaining a strong focus on customer satisfaction and long-term partnerships.
- Support strategic initiatives that enhance the company's competitive position and operational capabilities.
Financial Management
- Maintain full accountability for facility financial performance, including operating expenses, labor management, productivity, capital expenditures, and budget adherence.
- Develop and manage annual operating and capital budgets in alignment with corporate objectives.
- Identify opportunities to improve profitability through operational efficiencies, cost control, and resource optimization.
Compliance, Quality & Safety
- Ensure compliance with all applicable regulatory, customer, and company requirements, including FDA, OSHA, NRC, and other governing agencies.
- Champion a culture where safety and quality are foundational to all business activities.
- Maintain a safe, clean, and environmentally responsible workplace.
- Lead site preparedness and response activities related to audits, inspections, and regulatory reviews.
Strategic Planning
- Partner with Operations leadership and corporate functional teams to execute business strategies and achieve organizational objectives.
- Utilize operational and financial data to identify trends, solve problems, and make informed business decisions.
- Lead site planning efforts related to staffing, capacity, capital investments, and long-term growth initiatives.
- Collaborate with executive leadership and functional partners to optimize resources and drive business results.
Qualifications
Education
- Bachelor's degree required; degrees in Engineering, Operations Management, Business, Life Sciences, or a related field preferred. Professional experience also considered.
- MBA or advanced degree desired but not required.
Experience
- Minimum of 10 years of progressive leadership experience in manufacturing, operations, healthcare services, medical products, or other highly regulated environments.
- Minimum of 5 years of progressive management experience leading multiple functional areas.
- Demonstrated experience managing P&L performance, budgets, and operational metrics.
- Experience leading within FDA-regulated, healthcare, medical device, pharmaceutical, sterilization, military, government, or other similarly regulated or compliance-intensive environments preferred.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
- Strong operational leadership and business acumen.
- Proven ability to lead and develop teams while driving accountability and performance.
- Strong understanding of quality systems, regulatory compliance, and safety management.
- Excellent strategic thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
- Demonstrated ability to influence and collaborate across a matrixed organization.
- Exceptional communication, interpersonal, and relationship-building skills.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to leverage data to drive business decisions.
- Ability to balance strategic priorities with day-to-day operational execution.
- Results-oriented leader with a strong sense of ownership, urgency, and accountability.
- Proficiency with business systems, data analysis tools, and Microsoft Office applications.
Special Requirements (EO sites only)
- Must be medically approved for respirator use
- Must be able to tolerate exposure to high temperatures and high humidity (120F and 60% RH for 20 minutes)
Benefits
Sotera Health offers a competitive benefits package that includes:
- Medical, Rx, Dental, Vision, Disability, Life Insurance, Health Savings and Flexible Spending Accounts
- 401(k) program with Company match that immediately vests
- Paid holidays, vacation and sick time
- Free financial planning assistance
- Paid parental leave
- Education assistance
- Voluntary benefits including Critical Illness, Accident, Hospital Indemnity and Pet Insurance
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or protected veteran status. Sterigenics U.S. LLC takes affirmative action in support of its policy to employ and advance in employment individuals who are minorities, women, protected veterans, and individuals with disabilities. We strongly encourage those from underrepresented groups to apply. We strongly encourage those from underrepresented groups to apply.
VEVRAA Federal Contractor
Sotera Health goes to market through its three best-in-class businesses – Sterigenics®, Nordion® and Nelson Labs®. Sterigenics is a leading global provider of outsourced terminal sterilization and irradiation services for the medical device, pharmaceutical, food safety and advanced applications markets. Nordion is the leading global provider of Co-60 and gamma irradiators, which are key components to the gamma sterilization process. Nelson Labs is a global leader in outsourced microbiological and analytical chemistry testing and advisory services for the medical device and pharmaceutical industries.
