Microbiology Manager

Sci-Rec; Leipzig; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Sci-Rec, a well-established German laboratory services organisation, seeks an experienced Head of Microbiology to lead a significant microbiology function. You will oversee a scientific team and ensure high standards of quality, efficiency and customer service while driving capacity and technical capability.

The role demands strong leadership, deep knowledge of ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation, and a commercial, process‑improvement mindset.

Qualifications

• Degree in Microbiology, Biology, Biotechnology, Life Sciences or related discipline.
• Significant experience in microbiological laboratory testing.
• Experience leading a microbiology laboratory or technical team.
• Strong knowledge of ISO/IEC 17025 and accredited environments.
• Proven leadership, mentoring and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Take overall leadership responsibility for the microbiology department.
• Lead, develop and mentor laboratory managers, scientists and technical personnel.
• Ensure microbiological testing is performed accurately, efficiently and in line with quality standards.
• Maintain ISO/IEC 17025 compliance and accreditation activities.
• Manage departmental KPIs including productivity, turnaround times and service delivery.
• Drive continuous improvement across laboratory processes and workflows.
• Support method implementation, validation and technical development.
• Represent the microbiology function during audits and external assessments.

Skills

Leadership

Regulatory knowledge

Quality control

Stakeholder management

Process improvement

Operational planning

Communication

Education

Microbiology, Biology, Biotechnology, Life Sciences

Job description

Location: Germany

Sector: Laboratory Testing / Analytical Services

Employment: Permanent, Full-Time

The Opportunity

A well-established and growing laboratory services organisation is looking to appoint an experienced Head of Microbiology to lead a significant microbiology function within its German operation. This is a senior technical and operational leadership position with responsibility for the performance, quality and continued development of the microbiology department. The successful individual will lead an established scientific team, ensuring the laboratory delivers consistently high standards of quality, efficiency and customer service while continuing to improve capacity, processes and technical capability.

Key Responsibilities

• Take overall leadership responsibility for the microbiology department.
• Lead, develop and mentor laboratory managers, scientists and technical personnel.
• Ensure microbiological testing is performed accurately, efficiently and in accordance with relevant quality standards.
• Maintain a strong culture around ISO/IEC 17025, accreditation, quality and regulatory compliance.
• Take ownership of departmental KPIs including productivity, turnaround times, quality and service delivery.
• Manage laboratory capacity, workflow, staffing levels and resource requirements.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across laboratory processes and workflows.
• Identify opportunities to improve automation, efficiency and laboratory throughput.
• Support method implementation, validation and ongoing technical development.
• Ensure appropriate investigation and resolution of non-conformances, technical issues and customer escalations.
• Work collaboratively with quality, commercial, customer service and wider laboratory teams.
• Support the development and introduction of new testing capabilities.
• Contribute to departmental budgeting, equipment investment and resource planning.
• Ensure laboratory personnel are appropriately trained, competent and supported in their development.
• Represent the microbiology function during audits, inspections and external assessments.

Candidate Profile

We are looking for an established microbiology professional with strong leadership experience gained within a commercial or regulated laboratory environment.

You are likely to have:

• A degree in Microbiology, Biology, Biotechnology, Life Sciences or a related scientific discipline.
• Significant professional experience within microbiological laboratory testing.
• Previous experience managing a microbiology laboratory, department or significant technical team.
• Strong knowledge of ISO/IEC 17025 and accredited laboratory environments.
• Experience leading laboratory teams and developing scientific personnel.
• Strong understanding of microbiological testing techniques, method validation and quality control.
• Experience managing laboratory workload, capacity and turnaround times.
• Demonstrable experience improving laboratory processes, productivity or efficiency.
• A structured, analytical and commercially aware approach to laboratory management.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.

Experience within food, beverage, water, consumer products, environmental, pharmaceutical or related analytical testing environments would be highly relevant.