QSI Team Leader

Accord Healthcare; Barnstaple; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Benefits

Job summary

Accord Healthcare Europe seeks an experienced Equipment Maintenance & Qualification Team Leader to head the Quality Support & Improvement team and manage the day-to-day GMP-compliant operation of the Quality Control laboratory.

You will lead a team of QC analysts, oversee equipment qualification, calibration, and lifecycle management, and drive CAPAs and continuous improvement to maximise uptime and compliance.

Qualifications

• Experience in a Quality Control laboratory, preferably pharmaceutical or life sciences.
• Strong knowledge of equipment qualification, calibration, and maintenance.
• Experience leading and developing high-performing teams.
• GMP and regulatory quality systems experience.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of Quality Control Analysts.
• Maintain, qualification, calibration, verification, and lifecycle management of laboratory equipment.
• Coordinate troubleshooting activities to minimise laboratory downtime.
• Lead laboratory equipment introduction, validation, and qualification projects.
• Ensure GMP compliance and regulatory requirements.
• Oversee COSHH assessments and safe management of laboratory chemicals and reagents.
• Support regulatory inspections, customer audits, and internal quality audits.
• Conduct trend analysis, investigations, root cause analysis, and CAPA implementation.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to improve compliance, efficiency, and laboratory performance.

Skills

Leadership

GMP knowledge

Equipment maintenance

Calibration

CAPA implementation

Regulatory compliance

Data analysis

Stakeholder management

QMS experience

Education

HNC/HND or Degree in a Scientific discipline

Significant relevant industry experience in lieu of formal qualifications

Tools

Microsoft Office

Quality Management Systems (QMS)

Job description

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Location: Barnstaple, Devon
Contract: Full-Time, Permanent
Working Hours: Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 16:30
Salary: Competitive + Bonus + Benefits

The Role

We are seeking an experienced and motivated Equipment Maintenance & Qualification (QSI) Team Leader to lead our Quality Support & Improvement team and support the day-to-day management of the Quality Control laboratory.

This is a key leadership position responsible for ensuring the effective maintenance, qualification, calibration, and lifecycle management of laboratory equipment, helping to maximise laboratory uptime and maintain compliance with GMP requirements.

Leading a team of Quality Control Analysts, you will play a critical role in supporting laboratory operations and ensuring equipment remains fit for purpose, compliant, and available to meet business needs. You will coordinate and prioritise workloads across the team, ensuring the timely completion of equipment qualification, validation, maintenance, verification, and calibration activities.

The role also includes responsibility for COSHH compliance, chemical and reagent management, and oversight of laboratory consumables, ensuring all materials are received, processed, labelled, and stored in accordance with regulatory and company requirements.

Working closely with cross-functional stakeholders, you will lead the introduction, qualification, validation, and ongoing lifecycle management of new laboratory equipment, ensuring projects are delivered to agreed timelines while meeting GMP, regulatory, and business requirements.

With a strong understanding of EU GMP and FDA expectations, you will support internal and external audits and inspections, investigate equipment and compliance issues, perform trend and root cause analysis, and drive the implementation of effective corrective and preventative actions (CAPAs). You will champion continuous improvement initiatives that enhance laboratory performance, compliance, and operational efficiency.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of Quality Control Analysts.
• Manage the maintenance, qualification, calibration, verification, and lifecycle management of laboratory equipment.
• Coordinate equipment troubleshooting activities and minimise laboratory downtime.
• Lead laboratory equipment introduction, validation, and qualification projects.
• Ensure compliance with GMP, regulatory, and company requirements.
• Oversee COSHH assessments and the safe management of laboratory chemicals and reagents.
• Manage the receipt, processing, storage, and control of laboratory chemicals and consumables.
• Support regulatory inspections, customer audits, and internal quality audits.
• Conduct trend analysis, investigations, root cause analysis, and CAPA implementation.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to improve compliance, efficiency, and laboratory performance.

The Person

You will be a proactive leader with strong technical expertise and a passion for maintaining high standards of quality and compliance within a regulated laboratory environment.

• Significant experience working within a Quality Control laboratory environment, ideally within the pharmaceutical, life sciences, or other highly regulated industries.
• Strong understanding of laboratory instrumentation, equipment qualification, calibration, maintenance, and associated quality systems.
• Proven leadership experience, including managing, motivating, and developing high-performing teams.
• Knowledge of GMP requirements and experience working within regulated quality systems.
• Experience investigating equipment issues and implementing effective corrective actions.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively across all levels of the organisation.
• Good IT skills, including Microsoft Office applications and quality management systems (QMS).
• Ability to analyse data, identify trends, and make informed decisions.

Qualifications

• HNC, HND, or Degree in a Scientific discipline; or
• Significant relevant industry experience in lieu of formal qualifications.

The Rewards

In return, we offer a competitive salary and rewards package. Not to mention the opportunity to genuinely make a difference in a new and dynamic role within a progressive and expanding business, at an exciting time of growing international reach.

A Bit About Us

Accord Healthcare Europe is one of the fastest growing pharmaceutical companies in Europe. Accord has one of the largest market footprints of any European generic and biosimilars companies selling generic medicines in over 80 countries around the world. This global footprint enables us to deliver vital, affordable medicines to national health systems supporting healthcare professionals to transform patient lives worldwide. The approach of Accord is agile and inventive, always seeking to improve products and patients' access to them. Accord are driven to think differently and deliver more for the benefit of patients worldwide.

To continue our growth, we’re looking for the best and brightest technical minds and forward-thinking business professionals. Keeping our people at the heart of all we do, we offer rewarding opportunities for those looking for continued personal and professional growth, investing in training and development tailored to each individual’s focus. So, if you’re looking for an inclusive company to take your career to the next level, you’re certainly in the right place; come and join us to make it better.

All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or disability.