Senior Manager, Test Lab

About the role

Danfoss Power Solutions, a global market leader in Power Management and Motion Control for Off-Highway and Industrial applications, has an opening for the Test Lab Manager in its Research, Development and Engineering Test Lab in Minneapolis, MN. This role leads a 15-20 person test lab team to deliver safe and efficient operations enabling the profitable growth of Danfoss Power Solutions. The manager will be responsible for strategic planning and tactical execution of world-class product verification capabilities for hydraulic, electrical, and electronic products.

Responsibilities

• Partner with Business Units, Divisions, and Functions to deliver world-class capabilities for product verification
• Ensure on-time delivery of test services to internal customers
• Lead long-term demand forecasting and short-term prioritization decisions to meet project deliverables and optimize work output and capital utilization
• Provide leadership and accountability for safe lab operations, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement of safety performance in partnership with local Environment, Health and Safety professionals
• Set and execute a multi-year strategy and capital plan aligned to the strategic growth objectives of multiple Divisions and Business Units
• Oversee the hiring, training, and development of Test Lab staff including Supervisors and Technicians
• Participate in and contribute to the global test lab community to share practices, leverage capabilities, and improve cross-site coordination
• Ensure a continuous improvement mindset within the team while developing and maintaining group performance measures (KPI), budget, and work direction
• Keep standard operating procedures and processes relevant and up to date to ensure delivery per applicable ISO Standards
• Own the lab operating budget, cost forecasts, internal cost-allocation processes, utilization targets, and financial performance. Develop corrective actions when demand, staffing, or expenses create material cost-recovery risk

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution
• 5 or more years of progressive leadership experience in an industrial, manufacturing, engineering, or technology environment

Preferred Qualifications

• 5+ years in a manager of people role
• MS in technical field or MBA
• History of building strategic plans and driving capital investment
• Experience with large-scale manufacturing company with multi-national Research, Development, and Engineering teams
• Background in Product Design, Test, or Operations

Skills

• Ability to work in ambiguous situations
• Comfortable leading change
• Ability to influence parallel teams in a multi-function matrix environment
• Ability to lead teams, primarily internal in nature
• Global inter-cultural cross-organizational teaming
• Navigate competing requirements to resolve conflict and improve engineering processes
• Summarize complicated technical situations into easily understood business actions

Benefits

• Promotion from within and support for learning with mentoring, training, and access to global opportunities
• Flexibility, autonomy, and support to do your best work while maintaining a healthy work-life balance
• Focus on well-being
• Inclusive work environment where people of all backgrounds are respected and valued
• 13th salary, annual bonus, paid vacation, pension plans, and personal insurance (varies by country and contract)