Microbiology Laboratory Manager

WOODSTOCK RECRUITMENT LIMITED; Wigan; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Woodstock Recruitment Limited is seeking a Microbiology Manager for a leading UK manufacturing client specializing in homecare and personal care products. You will lead two accredited microbiology laboratories (8 technicians) and be responsible for the strategic and operational delivery of testing services.

You will mentor staff, manage budgets, maintain accreditation, and drive continuous improvement while ensuring safety and quality across all microbiology activities.

Qualifications

• Degree in Microbiology or closely related field.
• Significant experience in manufacturing (Cosmetics/Homecare/Food/Pharma/Chemicals).
• Experience in accredited lab environments and ISO 17025.
• Experience leading and mentoring a laboratory team.

Responsibilities

• Oversee 2 microbiology labs and 8 technicians, ensuring timely testing services.
• Manage budgets, requisitions and signatory approvals for the department.
• Mentor and develop staff through training, appraisals and workload planning.
• Maintain service levels with external suppliers and ensure continuity of testing.
• Design contingency plans to sustain lab services during disruptions.
• Ensure COSHH, risk assessments and health & safety compliance.
• Stay current with industry methodologies and ISO/BR exits.
• Lead investigations into OOS results and environmental monitoring trends.
• Drive continuous improvement through SOPs and change controls.

Skills

People management

Lab management

Project governance

Budgets & planning

Education

BSc or higher in Microbiology

Job description

Are you a senior microbiologist/manager and love line management within a busy environment? Have you worked within accredited microbiology labs? Are you a people person and enjoy mentoring, training and developing teams, instilling a positive, cohesive culture? Have you worked within manufacturing, particularly within an FMCG environment? Then this could be the ideal opportunity to use your skillset whilst joining a highly reputable manufacturing business within FMCG. Woodstock Recruitment is hiring for a Microbiology Manager for a close and long-standing client, who specialise within the manufacture of homecare and personal care products. With a great reputation in the industry and a very well established team, you would be joining one of the UK leaders in their niche, being responsible for maintaining 2 accredited testing labs of 8 technicians and the operational and strategic delivery of timely testing services.

What you will do:

• Be accountable for the efficient organisation, management, governance and development of 2 microbiology labs, inclusive of 8 microbiology technicians, and the delivery of testing services that meet the needs of the business to service its customer base, maintain factory hygiene compliance and product safety
• Authorise requisitions and purchases and the authorised signatory for financial payments as the budget holder for the department. Responsible for budgetary control and supports annual budget setting.
• Be a real people person, ensuring the well-being, mentorship, training and development of all staff within microbiology. Ensure work loads are organised, staff rotas are set, and regular appraisals are conducted.
• Responsible for ensuring service level agreements and other formal agreements are in place with both external suppliers to always ensure service continuity.
• Design and implement contingency plans to ensure that lab services are maintained in times of service disruption.
• Ensure health and safety standards are met, by working in close liaison with the Health and Safety manager, ensuring COSHH and risk assessments are always up to date.
• Perform horizon scanning to ensure the most up to date methodologies, risks, practices and industry requirements are known
• To devise and implement cost improvement programmes. To ensure maintenance and supply contracts are reviewed and negotiated to give value for money.
• Work closely with the wider quality team to ensure full compliance of all parts of ISO, BRC and customer specific requirements
• Act as the subject matter expert for microbiology during internal, client, and regulatory body audits (e.g. Retailer audits, ISO 22716, BRCGS).
• Lead investigations for Out-of-Specification (OOS) results, and support in conjunction with the group hygienist, investigations into environmental monitoring trending, and contamination incidents.
• Ensure that the labs continually work in accordance with and maintain lab accreditation; ISO 17025
• Write, review and revise SOP's, change controls, procedures and technical reports to support continuous process improvement.
• Chair meetings to provide an overview to stakeholders of how the labs are performing against key performance metrics including an annual lab management review

What you will need:

• BSc or higher in Microbiology or very closely related subject
• Significant experience within the manufacturing sector, ideally Cosmetics/Homecare/Food/Pharma/Chemicals
• Experience of working within accredited lab environments
• Experience managing and mentoring a lab team
• Excellent organisational, time management, people management and communications skills
• Prior experience of managing resources including people, materials and budgets.
• Deep understanding of ISO 17025 / LabTRUST accreditation
• Experience of implementing and maintaining lab accreditation
• Experience of developing microbiological test methods
• Experience of leading lab and contamination investigations