Developing the Workforce Your Lab Will Need Next

Workforce planning at the organizational level requires more than filling open roles or preparing for retirements. Senior lab leaders must anticipate how changing business priorities, technologies, funding, service demands, and workforce demographics will affect the skills and leadership capacity their organization needs.

This session will examine how to identify future workforce gaps, assess which roles and expertise pose the greatest continuity risk, and connect staffing decisions to the lab’s long-term strategy. It will also position succession planning as a broader organizational responsibility—not simply naming replacements for senior positions.

Attendees will explore ways to build internal talent pipelines, strengthen leadership readiness, preserve critical knowledge, and make targeted development investments that support continuity and growth.

Key learnings

• Identify future workforce and capability gaps before they disrupt operations
• Prioritize roles, skills, and institutional knowledge that present the greatest continuity risk
• Build succession plans that extend beyond senior leadership positions
• Create stronger internal pipelines through targeted development and stretch opportunities
• Align workforce investments with the lab’s strategic direction and future operating needs