Laboratory Team Lead

Aurora Life Sciences; Leeds; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

15% Shift Allowance

10% Bonus

36 Days Total Annual Leave

Annual Salary Review up to 5%

Private Healthcare

Job summary

Aurora Lifesciences is seeking an experienced Laboratory Team Leader to supervise an evening team and own laboratory performance. This role blends leadership with hands-on technical oversight in a regulated medical devices environment.

You will lead across microbiology, chemistry and quality, coaching analysts and acting as SME, while ensuring high standards and effective cross-shift communication.

Qualifications

• Degree in Chemistry, Biology, Biochemistry or Microbiology.
• At least three years of supervisory or team leadership experience.
• Experience in microbiology and chemistry; familiarity with ISO 13485 and cGMP.
• Ability to interpret data and communicate conclusions clearly.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily laboratory activities across microbiology, chemistry and quality.
• Coaching analysts, providing technical guidance and building capability.
• Act as subject matter expert for laboratory operations and provide leadership.
• Oversee routine and non-routine testing, including environmental monitoring.
• Review laboratory data to identify trends and quality improvements.
• Support method development, qualification, validation and transfer.
• Ensure equipment calibration, maintenance and qualification activities.
• Lead investigations into deviations and non-conformances with robust actions.

Skills

People supervision

Laboratory leadership

Microbiology

Chemistry

Data analysis

Quality systems

Communication

Investigations

Regulatory knowledge

Education

Science degree in Chemistry/Biology

Job description

Aurora Lifesciences is looking for an experienced Laboratory Team Leader who enjoys being close to the science, developing people and taking ownership of laboratory performance, this role offers the opportunity to combine leadership with hands-on technical expertise.

You’ll lead an evening laboratory team supporting regulated medical device operations, with responsibility across microbiology, chemistry and quality activities. This is a visible, supervisory position for someone who is comfortable acting as a subject matter expert, making informed decisions and ensuring high standards are maintained across the laboratory.

The Role

As Laboratory Team Leader, you’ll supervise, coach and coordinate the team, ensuring testing priorities are met and communication between shifts remains effective.

You’ll be responsible for:

• Leading daily laboratory activities across microbiology, chemistry and quality, allocating workload and managing staffing priorities.
• Coaching analysts, providing technical guidance and building capability across laboratory processes.
• Acting as the subject matter expert for laboratory operations, providing leadership and technical support in the absence of senior management.
• Overseeing routine and non-routine testing, including microbiology testing, environmental monitoring and analytical testing.
• Reviewing laboratory data to identify trends, potential non-conformances, risks and opportunities for quality improvement.
• Supporting method development, qualification, validation and transfer across microbiology and chemistry activities.
• Ensuring equipment calibration, maintenance and qualification activities are completed in line with quality requirements.
• Leading investigations into laboratory deviations and non-conformances, using data to support robust conclusions and corrective actions.
• Supporting OQ and PQ validation activities, including protocol execution, data analysis and report writing.
• Maintaining clear communication between laboratory shifts to ensure continuity, visibility of issues and consistent quality standards.
• Using laboratory performance data to drive efficiency, productivity and continuous improvement across laboratory processes.

As Laboratory Team Leader, you’ll be expected to balance people leadership with technical decision-making, maintaining a strong quality mindset while helping the team deliver reliable results.

Key Experience Required

You’ll ideally have a degree in a scientific discipline such as Chemistry, Biology, Biochemistry or Microbiology, alongside significant experience within medical devices, pharmaceuticals or another regulated laboratory environment.

A successful Laboratory Team Leader will bring at least three years of supervisory or team leadership experience and confidence managing technical staff.

You should have practical experience across microbiology and chemistry, a strong understanding of quality systems, cGMP and ISO 13485, and the ability to interpret complex data and communicate conclusions clearly.

This Laboratory Team Leader opportunity would suit someone who genuinely enjoys laboratory work, takes pride in developing people and is comfortable being the technical point of reference for the team.

Key Skills

• Laboratory Team Leader experience within a regulated environment
• People supervision, coaching and performance management
• Strong microbiology and chemistry laboratory knowledge
• Subject matter expert capability
• ISO 13485, cGMP and quality systems knowledge
• Data analysis, trending and technical reporting
• Validation, investigations and non-conformance management
• Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration

Benefits

• 15% Shift Allowance
• 10% Bonus
• 36 Days Total Annual Leave
• Annual Salary Review up to 5%
• Private Healthcare

If you’re a Laboratory Team Leader ready to take ownership of a team, become the technical point of reference and make a visible impact within a regulated laboratory, we want to hear from you.