Facilities & Engineering Manager

Tocris Cookson Limited (United Kingdom); Bristol; On-site; GBP 44,600 - 71,480; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive wages and extensivebenefit

Retirement programmes & stock purchase

Mentorship & development opportunities

International and diverse environment

Culture of empowerment and innovation

Job summary

Bio-Techne is seeking an experienced Facilities & Engineering Manager to lead the Bristol sites, ensuring safe, compliant operations across laboratories, GMP suites, and offices. The role focuses on strategic site management, equipment readiness, and contractor oversight to support business continuity.

You will drive health, safety and quality compliance, develop the team, and align facilities with the UK strategy.

Qualifications

• Essential: >5 years experience leading facilities/engineering teams in GMP, laboratory or regulated environments.
• Strong leadership and effective communication.
• Knowledge of health & safety requirements and safe systems of work.
• Ability to prepare audit-ready documentation (SOPs, job aids).
• Long-term planning with 3–5 year horizon. Desirable IOSH or equivalent qualification.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for Facilities & Engineering team and sites, ensuring GMP, EHS and quality standards.
• Oversee equipment, asset and calibration management and routine maintenance.
• Inspect facilities, manage contractor delivery and drives continuous improvements.
• Maintain site compliance with H&S, COSHH and risk assessments; support emergency plans and incident response.
• Lead workforce planning, recruitment, and development; manage CapEx budgets.

Skills

Team leadership

Communication

Project management

GMP knowledge

Health & safety

Education

GMP/regulatory experience

Job description

By joining Bio-Techne, you’ll join a company with a powerful and positive purpose of enabling cutting‑edge research in Life Sciences and Clinical Diagnostics. Bio‑Techne, and all of its brands, provides tools for researchers to further treat and prevent disease worldwide.

Pay Range: £44,600 – £71,480. Placement within the salary range will vary depending on experience, qualifications, geographic location, and internal equity considerations.

The Facilities & Engineering Manager is responsible for the effective day‑to‑day operation, maintenance, and compliance of both Bristol sites, ensuring the facilities are safe, compliant, well‑maintained, and fit for purpose at all times. This includes chemical laboratory, warehouse and office areas, together with GMP manufacturing suites. The role supports business continuity by delivering high standards of environmental health & safety, GMP compliance, building fabric maintenance, equipment readiness, and contractor oversight, while working collaboratively with internal stakeholders and leaders to define future strategic path in the UK. The post holder will take a proactive and strategic approach to facilities and engineering management, identifying risks, driving improvements, and ensuring all activities align with company procedures, quality systems, and Bio‑Techne values. There is an expectation that this role includes a high proportion of active site engineering.

Key Responsibilities

Operational & Quality Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and compelling leadership for the team responsible for maintaining the building fabric, plant rooms, cleanrooms, laboratories, and external areas, ensuring the sites are compliant at all times to GMP, EHS, and quality standards.
• Ensure equipment, asset and calibration management.
• Carry out routine inspections and preventative maintenance, ensuring records are completed and retained.
• Oversee contractors and service providers, ensuring safe and compliant delivery of works.
• Actively contribute to continuous improvement of facilities services.

Compliance, Health & Safety and Risk

• Maintain documented compliance with EHS, GMP, COSHH, risk assessments, and company policies.
• Maintain site health & safety documentation including SOPs, permits to work, emergency plans, and logbooks, in collaboration with the Lab EHS Manager.
• Ensure overall site compliance to H&S legislation.
• Co‑ordinate fire safety activities, emergency preparedness, and incident response.
• Identify hazards and ensure corrective actions are implemented.
• Ensure contractor compliance with site safety and induction requirements.

Leadership

• Line management of Facilities & Engineering team, setting clear team objectives, career development plans, and structured coaching to build long‑term capability and bench strength.
• Build strong team engagement, accountability, and collaboration across all functions.
• Deliver timely, clear communication to relevant stakeholders.
• Oversee workforce planning, recruitment, succession planning, and capability development to meet evolving business needs.
• Embed and promote the EPIC values in all areas of work, maintaining the company’s culture, ethics, and people engagement.
• Own and optimise the departmental capital expenditure (CapEx) budget, collaborating with other teams onsite to plan and budget for equipment and maintenance requirements, including service contracts.
• Engage with site and EMEA leadership to support, inform, and input into strategic vision and planning, ensuring facilities capabilities align with current and future business needs.
• Work with internal departments to ensure facilities support operational needs in the UK, future state expected to encompass our UK Office in Oxfordshire.
• Security & Business Continuity Act as a site key holder, managing access control, alarm response and call‑out rotas.
• Participate in the on‑call rota for facilities or security incidents.
• Support business continuity by ensuring essential services are maintained or restored promptly.

Education and Experience

• Essential: >5 years experience leading facilities or engineering teams within a GMP, laboratory, or regulated environment.
• Skilled people manager and effective communicator with a proactive approach.
• Strong working knowledge of health & safety requirements and safe systems of work.
• Ability to prepare documentation (SOPs, job aids) to an audit‑ready high standard.
• Strong organisational skills, time management and project management skills with ability to prioritise and plan over a 3‑5 year business horizon.
• Desirable: IOSH or equivalent health & safety qualification (or willingness to work towards).
• Experience managing contractors or service agreements.
• Awareness of sustainability, environmental controls, or ESG principles.

Additional Information

The post holder is expected to take ownership of their areas of responsibility and contribute to the ongoing improvement of facilities, safety, and compliance standards. NB: This role description outlines the principal purpose and key elements of the role but is not exhaustive and may be reviewed to meet business needs. Bio‑Techne is committed to product quality, customer satisfaction, continued improvement, minimising environmental impacts and conserving natural resources. Environmental and quality management is an integral core value and vital part of the Bio‑Techne culture.

Benefits

• Competitive wages along with extensive benefits for employees and their families.
• Retirement programmes and an employee stock purchase plan.
• Mentorship, promotional opportunities, training and development, internship programs, and more.
• International and diverse working environment, enriched by employee resource groups; volunteer and charity events; and employee events that build a culture of caring and belonging.
• Culture of empowerment and innovation, where employees feel valued and encouraged to bring new ideas to the table.

Bio‑Techne is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

To protect the interests of all, Bio‑Techne will not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than a candidate application. Any unsolicited resumes sent to Bio‑Techne will be considered Bio‑Techne property.

If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete an application, participate in an interview, or take part in any other stage of the recruitment process, please contact [e-mail] for assistance.