Laboratory Director

Sci-Rec; Bath; On-site; GBP 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Sci-Rec is seeking an experienced Laboratory Director to lead the operational, technical and commercial performance of an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited testing environment in South West England. You will oversee people, operations, quality, customer delivery and continuous improvement, with autonomy to improve performance and support growth.

The role requires senior leadership experience in a commercial laboratory setting, with a focus on quality systems, regulatory compliance and budget management.

Qualifications

• Minimum experience leading ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratories.
• Proven track record in commercial analytical testing environments.
• Experience managing multidisciplinary laboratory teams and budgets.

Responsibilities

• Take overall leadership responsibility for day-to-day laboratory operations.
• Lead, develop and support laboratory management and technical teams.
• Ensure consistently high standards of quality, compliance, turnaround time and customer service.
• Maintain accreditation standards, health & safety and regulatory compliance.
• Drive operational efficiency, productivity and continuous improvement.
• Monitor capacity, workflow and performance against KPIs.
• Collaborate with commercial teams to support client retention and new business.
• Identify opportunities to improve processes and introduce new capabilities.
• Take ownership of budgets and financial performance.
• Support capital investment and business cases for equipment and infrastructure.
• Build relationships with customers and act as escalation point for issues.
• Recruit, develop and retain high-performing teams.

Skills

Leadership

Quality systems

Budget management

Client focus

Strategic operations

Education

Scientific or technical degree

Job description

Laboratory Director

Location: South West England

Sector: Laboratory Testing / TIC

Employment: Permanent, Full-Time

The Opportunity

A well-established UK laboratory services organisation is looking to appoint an experienced Laboratory Director to lead the operational, technical and commercial performance of one of its key laboratory businesses. This is a senior leadership position with responsibility for the overall performance of a busy ISO/IEC 17025 accredited testing environment, encompassing people leadership, laboratory operations, quality, customer delivery and continuous improvement.

The successful individual will inherit an established operation and be given the autonomy to identify opportunities to improve performance, develop the team and support the continued growth of the business.

Key Responsibilities

• Take overall leadership responsibility for day-to-day laboratory operations.
• Lead, develop and support laboratory management and technical teams.
• Ensure consistently high standards of quality, compliance, turnaround time and customer service.
• Maintain a strong culture around ISO/IEC 17025, UKAS accreditation, health & safety and regulatory compliance.
• Drive operational efficiency, productivity and continuous improvement across the laboratory.
• Monitor laboratory capacity, workflow, resource requirements and performance against agreed KPIs.
• Work closely with commercial teams to support customer retention, new business and service development.
• Identify opportunities to improve processes, introduce new capabilities and increase laboratory capacity.
• Take ownership of budgets, cost control and wider financial performance.
• Support capital investment and business cases for new equipment, technology and infrastructure.
• Build strong relationships with key customers and act as a senior point of escalation when required.
• Recruit, develop and retain high-performing scientific and operational teams.
• Work collaboratively with senior stakeholders across the wider organisation.

Candidate Profile

We are looking for an established laboratory leader with significant experience operating within an accredited commercial testing environment.

You are likely to have:

• Strong experience within an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory.
• Previous leadership responsibility for laboratory operations and multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience within commercial analytical testing, ideally across microbiology, chemistry, molecular testing or related scientific disciplines.
• A strong understanding of UKAS requirements and laboratory quality systems.
• Demonstrable experience improving laboratory performance, productivity and service delivery.
• Experience managing budgets and understanding the commercial drivers of a laboratory business.
• Strong people leadership capabilities with experience developing management teams.
• A customer-focused and commercially aware approach.
• The ability to balance technical excellence with operational and financial performance.

A scientific or technical degree would be advantageous, although significant relevant industry experience will be equally valued.

The organisation is particularly interested in individuals who can bring structure, energy and accountability to an established laboratory while maintaining the technical and quality standards expected within a highly regulated environment.