The Role

Reporting to the Head of Quality, you will be responsible for ensuring laboratory activities are performed in compliance with GMP and company standards, while supporting product quality, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Key responsibilities include:

• Supervising and developing Quality Assurance personnel, providing technical guidance and day-to-day support.
• Coordinating laboratory workloads and ensuring testing is completed within agreed timelines.
• Managing relationships with external contract testing laboratories and reviewing outsourced chemistry results.
• Overseeing onsite microbiological testing programmes, including environmental monitoring, water testing, and routine microbiological analysis.
• Reviewing laboratory data and ensuring results are accurately recorded and investigated where required.
• Supporting investigations into out-of-specification (OOS), out-of-trend (OOT), and atypical results.
• Ensuring laboratory procedures, documentation, and records comply with GMP requirements.
• Assisting with internal and external audits and regulatory inspections.
• Maintaining laboratory equipment, calibration, and maintenance programmes.
• Working closely with QA, Production, and Warehouse teams to support site quality objectives.
• Contributing to quality metrics, trend analysis, and management reporting.

About You

We are interested in hearing from candidates who can demonstrate:

• Experience working within a QC, analytical, microbiology, or laboratory environment in a regulated industry.
• A strong understanding of GMP and laboratory compliance requirements.
• Experience reviewing laboratory data and investigating Quality deviations or non-conformances.
• Excellent organisational and problem-solving skills.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively across multiple departments.
• A proactive approach to continuous improvement and laboratory excellence.

For candidates looking to step into supervision, previous leadership experience is not essential, although experience mentoring, training, or supporting colleagues would be highly advantageous.

Desirable Experience

• Degree qualification in Microbiology, Chemistry, Biology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or a related scientific discipline.
• Experience within pharmaceuticals, healthcare products, nutraceuticals, food supplements, or other regulated manufacturing sectors.
• Exposure to microbiological testing techniques and environmental monitoring programmes.
• Experience managing outsourced laboratory testing providers.
• Knowledge of GLP, GMP, Quality Risk Management, and laboratory investigations.
• Experience participating in audits and regulatory inspections.