Laboratory Support Specialist

4100 - Belgium - VWR International BV; Eigenbrakel; On-site; EUR 42,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Avantor in Belgium seeks a proactive Laboratory Support Specialist to ensure smooth lab operations and high-quality scientific support. You will maintain equipment, assist with UPLC/MS preparation, support chromatography systems, and help with QC runs and routine operations.

The role emphasizes 5S, safety compliance, and collaboration with scientists to enable research activities in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Laboratory Sciences or equivalent.
• Experience in chemistry/analytical/pharma/lab environments.
• Familiarity with lab equipment and workflows.

Responsibilities

• Perform routine cleaning and maintenance of lab equipment and safety systems.
• Prepare solvents for UPLC/MS systems and support purification activities.
• Support QC runs and analytical testing readiness.
• Maintain inventory and stock of lab consumables.
• Participate in 5S and continuous improvement activities.

Skills

Attention to detail

Team player

Microsoft Office

Good communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Chemistry or Analytical Chemistry

Tools

HPLC

UPLC

LC-MS

Job description

The Opportunity: Executes day-to-day lab operations & support objectives at customer facilities, following a defined standard output or set of procedures, focused on minimizing laboratory workflow interruptions. Problems and issues faced are generally recurring and solutions are typically known and/or prescribed. More complex problems are solved by applying methods learned through experience and/or using available support. Activities may include PPE and/or safety station checks and maintenance, reviewing defibrillators, extinguishers and dispensing areas to confirm working order, storage, tracking and distribution of chemicals/materials ensuring accurate inventory control, and hazardous waste collection and recycling. Collects, documents, and organizes data and observations. Communicates activity records, service level metrics and other information requiring some explanation or interpretation to team members, supervisors or customers. We are looking for a proactive and organized Laboratory Support Specialist to support Sciences laboratory operations. The successful candidate will play a key role in ensuring laboratory equipment, , analytical systems, and scientific support activities are maintained to the highest standards, enabling scientists to focus on research activities. This position is ideal for someone with a background in Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Laboratory Sciences, or equivalent practical laboratory experience.

Key Responsibilities

Lab Equipment Support

• Perform routine cleaning and maintenance of laboratory equipment.
• Clean refrigerator doors, seals, and perform freezer defrosting activities.
• Clean vacuum pump cabinets and cryostat/QDa filters.
• Replace activated charcoal filters and solvent waste vent filters.
• Clean rotary evaporator baths and ultrasonic baths.
• Clean analytical system OA components.
• Clean lyophilization equipment and associated filters.
• Clean NMR spinners and other specialized analytical equipment.

Technical Laboratory Support

• Prepare solvents for UPLC/MS systems.
• Support purification activities through filling and emptying purification racks.
• Perform recovery testing on purification systems.
• Assist with preparation activities for qNMR analyses.
• Support routine laboratory technical operations.

Scientific Support Activities

• Prepare QC plates for analytical testing.
• Inject standards and perform quality control runs on analytical systems.
• Ensure analytical systems are operational and ready for laboratory use.

Quality & Continuous Improvement

• Participate in laboratory 5S activities and workplace organization projects.
• Maintain compliance with laboratory procedures and safety requirements.
• Identify opportunities to improve laboratory processes and efficiency.

Candidate Profile

Required Education

Bachelor's degree in: Chemistry Analytical Chemistry Biochemistry Chemical Engineering Laboratory Sciences OR Equivalent experience in a pharmaceutical, research, analytical, or laboratory environment.

Required Experience

• Experience working in chemistry, analytical, pharmaceutical, biotech, or research laboratories.
• Familiarity with laboratory equipment and scientific workflows.
• Experience handling laboratory consumables and stock management is an asset.
• Experience supporting chromatography systems (HPLC, UPLC, LC-MS) is highly desirable.

Technical Skills

• Knowledge of laboratory good practices (GLP/GMP awareness is a plus).
• Understanding of analytical laboratory environments.
• Ability to follow SOPs and documented procedures.
• Comfortable with routine equipment maintenance and troubleshooting support.
• Good computer literacy (Microsoft Office).

Personal Skills

• Strong attention to detail.
• Well organized and structured.
• Hands-on and service-oriented mindset.
• Reliable and accountable.
• Team player with strong communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic laboratory environment.

Preferred Background

• We are particularly interested in candidates who: Have a Chemistry background or experience
• Have previous experience in pharmaceutical or biotech laboratories.
• Enjoy combining technical laboratory work with operational support activities.
• Are comfortable interacting with scientists and laboratory users daily.

#LI-ONSITE Disclaimer: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of employees assigned to this position.

Avantor is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

Why Avantor? Dare to go further in your career. Join our global team of 14,000+ associates whose passion for discovery and determination to overcome challenges relentlessly advances life-changing science. The work we do changes people's lives for the better. It brings new patient treatments and therapies to market, giving a cancer survivor the chance to walk his daughter down the aisle. It enables medical devices that help a little boy hear his mom's voice for the first time. Outcomes such as these create unlimited opportunities for you to contribute your talents, learn new skills and grow your career at Avantor. We are committed to helping you on this journey through our diverse, equitable and inclusive culture which includes learning experiences to support your career growth and success. At Avantor, dare to go further and see how the impact of your contributions set science in motion to create a better world.

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Avantor®, a Fortune 500 company, is a leading global provider of mission-critical products and services to customers in the biopharma, healthcare, education & government, and advanced technologies & applied materials industries. Our portfolio is used in virtually every stage of the most important research, development and production activities in the industries we serve. One of our greatest strengths comes from having a global infrastructure that is strategically located to support the needs of our customers. Our global footprint enables us to serve more than 225,000 customer locations and gives us extensive access to research laboratories and scientists in more than 180 countries. We set science in motion to create a better world.