Chemistry Principal Scientist

Eurofins; Linlithgow; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company Pension Plan

Healthcare Cash Plan

Life Assurance Scheme (4x salary)

Employee Wellbeing Programs

Free parking

Job summary

Eurofins is seeking a Food Chemistry Specialist to coordinate daily operations and provide technical leadership across laboratory teams. You will guide method development, troubleshoot instrumentation, and ensure quality data and timely reporting while supporting audits and client interactions.

The role is a fixed-term contract ending 31 October 2027, based in the UK with a 40-hour week, Monday to Friday. Visa sponsorship is not available for this role.

Qualifications

• ISO17025 / UKAS accredited lab experience.
• Analytical techniques with controlled procedures and turnaround times.
• Experience with chromatography, wet chemistry and immunoassays.
• Knowledge of GC, HPLC, IC or similar techniques.
• Strong IT skills and MS Office proficiency.
• Excellent attention to detail and quality mindset.
• Clear communication and ability to liaise with teams and customers.

Responsibilities

• Act as technical authority for food chemistry methods and data interpretation.
• Provide scientific leadership to laboratory staff.
• Troubleshoot analytical and instrumentation issues.
• Lead method development and improvements.
• Transfer methods between Eurofins laboratories.
• Support technical strategy and capability planning with BU manager.
• Attend audits, accreditation activities and customer visits.
• Ensure timely delivery of high-quality data and updated documentation.

Job description

Eurofins Scientific is an international life sciences company, providing a unique range of analytical testing services to clients across multiple industries, to make life and our environment safer, healthier and more sustainable. From the food you eat, to the water you drink, to the medicines you rely on, Eurofins laboratories work with the biggest companies in the world to ensure the products they supply are safe, their ingredients are authentic, and labelling is accurate.

The Eurofins network is dedicated to delivering testing services that contribute to the health and safety of society and the planet, and to its corporate responsibility to protect the environment and ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion across its companies around the world.

We’re proud to be an armed forces-friendly place to work and welcome applications from reservists, armed forces veterans (including the wounded, injured and sick), as well as cadet instructors, and military spouses and partners.

Job Description

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.

The purpose of this role will be to be responsible for coordinating resource for daily food chemistry operations and specific projects. You will provide technical and quality advice and expertise to the relevant operations teams, internal group functions and to the clients.

This is a fixed term contract ending 31/10/2027. Working40 hours per week - Monday to Friday08:30 - 17:00.

• Act as the technical authority for food chemistry methods and analytical interpretation.
• Provide scientific leadership and guidance to laboratory staff.
• Support complex troubleshooting of analytical and instrumentation issues.
• Support optimisation and troubleshooting of analytical instrumentation.
• Deliver technical training and competency assessments.
• Support development of the laboratory skills matrix.
• Lead method development and improvement activities.
• Assess emerging technologies and analytical approaches.
• Support transfer of methods between Eurofins laboratories.
• Support the Business Unit Manager in technical strategy and future capability planning.
• Identify opportunities for new services, efficiencies and technological improvements.
• Participate in audits, accreditation activities and customer technical visits.
• Monitor, evaluate and review the scientific performance of routine assays. Provides client services or internal stakeholders with progress reports as needed.
• Assure on-time delivery of high-quality data.
• Ensure that the Quality procedures and documents, including laboratory methods, are maintained up to date, reflect current practice and group objectives. Implement the amendment and re-issuing of all documentation as necessary.
• Provides input on team performance and discusses method or project issues with the Business Unit Manager and suggests solutions and actions.
• Lead performance efficiencies and assist in a technical capacity to deliver continuous improvement in production, customer service, technical, quality and health and safety.
• Analyse data including application of appropriate statistical analysis. Write protocols and reports as required. Write and review other technical documentation such as SOPs and analytical methods.
• Liaise with clients and provide technical support as required.
• Work with colleagues across the Eurofins group to share best practices and implement as appropriate.
• Participate in root cause analysis activities (e.g., 5 Whys / Fishbone), supporting effective corrective and preventative actions.
• Responsible for raising and completing non-conforming work/improvement action reports for their scope.
• Work with laboratory staff to implement specific internal or client procedures, investigations, or validations.
• Keep methods, method summaries, and method references current and accurate.
• Assure that results reported are approved and in compliance with appropriate SOPs.
• Support method validation work, ensuring required testing, documentation, and evidence is generated in line with quality standards and accreditation expectations.
• Uphold client confidence in accuracy and response times of testing.
• Conducts all activities in a safe and efficient manner and complies with all aspects of Eurofins H&S policy.
• Performs other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Degree in Chemistry/Food Chemistry/Science with a significant element of Chemistry experience. Or equivalent chemistry laboratory experience.
• Significant experience within an ISO17025 / UKAS accredited laboratory environment.
• Experiences in analytical techniques and requirements following controlled procedures, maintaining records, and working to agreed turnaround times and priorities.
• Experience and knowledge in chromatography techniques, wet chemistry and immunoassay techniques.
• Ideally have knowledge of GC, HPLC, IC or other relevant analytical techniques.
• Strong IT proficiency including the ability to use laboratory systems and Microsoft Office effectively.
• Strong attention to detail and a commitment to producing accurate, high-quality work.
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal), with confidence liaising with operational teams and escalating issues where required.
• Able to work alone and alongside a team. Keen to learn and develop.
• Ability to prioritise workload effectively and remain organised in a fast-paced environment.
• Able to work effectively toagreed deadlines. Be technical and quality minded, attention to detail.

Additional Information

At Eurofins we are growing, innovating and always learning. We celebrate the achievements of our employees through annual long service awards, recognise our colleagues special life events, and we are committed to charitable causes through global fundraising activities.

As a Eurofins employee you will benefit from:

• Additional Annual Leave at Employees set service dates
• Company Pension Plan
• Life Assurance Scheme (4 times annual salary)
• Healthcare Cash Plan (6+ months service)
• Enhanced Maternity, Adoption and Paternity Schemes
• Employee Assistance Programme – 24/7 confidential
• Health and Wellbeing Programmes
• Free parking
• Worldwide career opportunities
• We also have in place rewards recognising the great work ouremployees deliver, their dedicated service and celebrating special life events.

What Happens Next

Our people are the backbone of what we do, so it's incredibly important we find the right individuals to join us. As a potential new recruit you'll be invited to meet the team in the form of an assessment centre or a staged interview process dependent on the role and it's requirements, this will give you the opportunity to see what working for Eurofins is really like and enable us to get you know your key skills and strengths.

Weembracediversity! Eurofins network of companies believe in strength and innovation through diversity, being anEqual Opportunity Employer. We prohibit discrimination against employees or applications based on gender identity and/or expression, race, nationality, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability, and everything else that makes employees of Eurofins companies unique.