Group Leader - Quality Control

Lonza Group; Slough; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Agile career culture

Inclusive workplace

Competitive compensation programs

Role-dependent benefits

Job summary

Lonza is seeking an experienced Scientific Team Leader to guide a QC team delivering customer product stability studies within our Analytical Services function. The role blends scientific leadership with operational management, coaching and developing staff, and ensuring work is performed safely, efficiently and in line with cGMP requirements.

Based on-site, you will lead testing operations, influence stakeholders, drive continuous improvement, and help shape cross-site strategies while

Qualifications

• BSc or equivalent in a scientific subject (preferred).
• People leadership or mentoring experience in a laboratory or quality environment.
• Experience within Quality in a cGMP-regulated environment.
• Strong scientific and technical problem-solving with risk-based decisions.
• Excellent planning and organisational skills to manage resources, priorities and deadlines.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management across functions.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach and develop a high-performing QC team, ensuring engagement and career development.
• Own resource and workload planning to ensure testing and customer commitments are delivered on time.
• Provide scientific and technical leadership, supporting troubleshooting and risk-based decisions.

Skills

People leadership

Coaching

Communication

Stakeholder management

Resource planning

Problem solving

Risk-based decisions

cGMP knowledge

Education

BSc or equivalent in a scientific subject

Job description

Are you an experienced scientific leader who enjoys developing people, solving complex problems and delivering for customers? We are looking for a Scientific Team Leader to lead a talented team responsible for delivering customer product stability studies within our Analytical Services function.

This role offers the opportunity to combine scientific expertise with people leadership and operational management, ensuring work is delivered safely, efficiently and in compliance with cGMP requirements. You will coach and develop your team, manage resources and priorities, influence key stakeholders, drive continuous improvement and contribute to wider departmental and cross-site strategic initiatives.

This is a fully site‑based role. Working together in person supports close, real‑time collaboration and the technical precision needed to manufacture medicines to the highest quality and safety standards.

What you will get:

• An agile career and dynamic working culture
• An inclusive and ethical workplace
• Compensation programs that recognize high performance
• A variety of benefits dependant on role and location
• Lead, coach and develop a high-performing QC team, creating an engaging environment that supports performance, career development, retention and succession planning.
• Own resource and workload planning, effectively prioritising people and activities to ensure testing and customer commitments are delivered on time.
• Provide scientific and technical leadership, supporting the team in troubleshooting complex issues and making confident, risk-based decisions where information may be limited or ambiguous.
• Drive continuous improvement across QC operations, identifying and implementing opportunities to improve quality, efficiency, compliance and ways of working.
• Build strong relationships with key stakeholders, influencing priorities and aligning customer and business requirements with effective laboratory execution.
• Lead and contribute to departmental and cross-site strategic projects, helping shape improvements and the future direction of the QC function.
• Champion quality, regulatory and safety compliance within the laboratory, supporting customer and regulatory audits and ensuring the team maintains the highest standards of cGMP performance.

What we are looking for:

• BSc or equivalent experience in a scientific subject is preferred, reflecting your strong foundational knowledge.
• People leadership or mentoring experience, with the ability to coach, develop and motivate scientific team members within a laboratory or quality environment.
• Experience within Quality within a cGMP-regulated environment.
• Strong scientific and technical problem-solving skills, with the confidence to make sound, risk-based decisions when managing complex laboratory challenges.
• Excellent planning and organisational skills, with experience managing resources, competing priorities and operational deadlines to ensure successful delivery.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence across functions, build effective relationships and confidently represent QC with senior stakeholders and customers.

About Lonza

At Lonza, our people are our greatest strength. With 30+ sites across five continents, our globally connected teams work together every day to manufacture the medicines of tomorrow. Our core values of Collaboration, Accountability, Excellence, Passion and Integrity reflect who we are and how we work together. Everyone’s ideas, big or small, have the potential to improve millions of lives, and that’s the kind of work we want you to be part of.

Innovation thrives when people from all backgrounds bring their unique perspectives to the table. At Lonza, we value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. If you’re ready to help turn our customers’ breakthrough ideas into viable therapies, we look forward to welcoming you on board.