Managing Director Food/Laboratory

Managing Director Food Laboratory/Germany

We are looking for a strategic and results-driven Managing Director to lead and grow our German operations, driving commercial success, operational excellence, and cultural transformation within an international, fast-scaling environment.

Role description

As Managing Director, you will be responsible for leading 4 laboratories in Germany within the Normec Foodcare group. You’ll play a key role in driving strategic growth, improving margins, and developing a high-performance culture in a dynamic, fast-scaling environment. This role offers the autonomy to make a lasting impact on a growing international business. You will oversee key laboratories in Niedersachsen (e.g. LVL in Emstek) and Bayern (Nuremberg area, e.g. Institutut Metakom in Feuchtwangen), with the possibility of other companies being integrated over time. Further, you will also be responsible for commercializing opportunities in Poland, where we have a laboratory currently serving the UK market.  You have your own management team and are directly responsible for a team of 4 business unit managers, a sales director and a finance business partner. You report to the MD of the business line Foodcare.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic & Commercial Leadership

• Define and execute a growth strategy to increase revenue and profitability

• Identify and capitalize on new commercial opportunities while refining the company’s value proposition

• Strengthen market positioning and drive long-term client partnerships

• Oversee sales and business development efforts, ensuring alignment with growth objectives

• Lead collaboration between laboratories, both within Germany as with the other Normec Foodcare countries

Financial & Operational Management

• Take full P&L responsibility, with a focus on organic growth and sustainable margin improvement

• Improve cost efficiency, budgeting, and resource allocation to enhance EBITDA

• Introduce data-driven decision-making and implement clear KPIs and reporting structures

• Collaborate closely with finance to ensure accurate forecasting and financial planning

Organizational & Cultural Transformation

• Lead the shift towards greater accountability, structure, and results orientation

• Evolve the organization from a self-managing model to a clearly defined leadership structure

• Strengthen internal leadership and team effectiveness through clear role ownership

• Foster employee engagement and retention by cultivating a high-performance mindset

What we offer

As Managing Director at Normec Foodcare, you will join a rapidly growing organization with a successful and active buy-and-build strategy, backed by experienced leadership and private equity investor Astorg. This is a pivotal leadership position with significant influence on strategic direction and the opportunity to further grow within the Normec network.

Working at this great company also means:

• The opportunity to work in a growing and international organization

• You will be directly employed by the organization with the prospect of a permanent contract

• A competitive salary in line with your experience and the role

• A bonus of 30% of your gross salary per year, when meeting objectives

• You work on site at least 4 days per week, with a maximum of one day working from home. Additionally, there will be monthly travel to the Netherlands

• You will receive a phone, laptop, and a lease car

• Access to the Online Academy with over 800 training courses that you can take based on your personal interests

Your profile

We are seeking an experienced Managing Director with a proven track record in leading multi-unit, service-driven businesses, preferably within the laboratory or food-related services sectors. The ideal candidate is a strategic, results-focused leader who excels at driving commercial growth, managing complex organizations, and building high-performance teams in fast-paced, international environments.

Furthermore, you recognize yourself in the following points:

• 10+ years senior leadership experience with full P&L responsibility, managing multiple business units

• Expertise in commercial growth, margin improvement, and organizational transformation

• Experience in M&A integration, ideally in a Private Equity-backed setting

• Technical or scientific WO-level education; fluent in German and English

• Strategic thinker with strong decision-making and goal-setting abilities

• Entrepreneurial, hands-on, adaptable, and resilient under pressure

• Skilled communicator and team builder with a strong sense of ownership

• Comfortable navigating organizational complexity and driving strategic growth

• Ideally, you live in northern Germany near Bremen, or in the south near Nuremberg, to ensure proximity to our key lab locations

About Normec

Normec is a trusted leader in the Testing, Inspection, Certification, and Compliance (TICC) industry. Our expertise spans critical areas such as water, air, and soil quality, fire and food safety, ensuring the highest standards of quality and security across diverse industries.

Normec Foodcare, one of the business lines of Normec, offers comprehensive solutions in quality and food safety for the food industry. We take care of complete projects in the field of process control, laboratory research, taste tests, QA automation, flexible use of quality managers, training and education, risk management and label control. Every day, more than 1500 experts work on versatile and challenging projects. With extensive experience across various sectors, we ensure security and compliance for our clients while prioritizing integrity and sustainability.

Are you interested?

If you’re interested, we look forward to receiving your application. Please send your CV and motivation letter to recruitment@normecfoodcare.com. We will handle your details confidentially and ensure you hear from us within five working days.

For questions about this vacancy, you can contact Jill Bettonvil, Recruiter at Normec Foodcare, at the phone number +31 6 14889190. She will be happy to assist you!

Looking for a new challenge within the food industry, but is this job not quite right for you? Follow Werken bij Normec Foodcare on LinkedIn to stay updated on the latest news and our job openings.

Acquisition in response to this vacancy is not appreciated.