Senior Laboratory Operations Leader

Avantor, Inc.; Slough; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Avantor, Inc. is seeking a Laboratory Manager to oversee day-to-day lab operations at the Slough site, ensuring safe, compliant, and productive facilities while supporting scientific teams and stakeholders.

The role focuses on operational excellence, equipment maintenance, process improvements, and coordinating across vendors, facilities, and researchers to enable high-quality research and successful expansions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a scientific discipline and relevant experience in laboratory operations.
• Several years experience in laboratory operations, services or support.
• Experience supporting scientists and technical teams.
• Experience influencing colleagues without direct line management responsibility.
• Strong stakeholder management across scientific, operational, facilities and leadership teams.
• Ability to coordinate activities across multiple groups and drive outcomes through influence.
• Experience managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Autonomous, proactive and able to drive actions through to completion.
• Strong organizational, problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
• Excellent communication and customer service skills.
• Good knowledge of MS Office, especially Word and Excel.
• Commitment to quality, operational excellence and safety.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day operation of laboratory facilities to ensure a safe, compliant, and productive working environment.
• Build strong relationships with laboratory end users and scientific teams, ensuring excellent customer service and operational support.
• Serve as a trusted operational partner to scientists and laboratory users, supporting the effective delivery of research activities.
• Provide guidance and knowledge-sharing to laboratory users.
• Coordinate preventative maintenance, calibration, and servicing of laboratory equipment.
• Deliver user training on common laboratory equipment and provide troubleshooting support.
• Develop, maintain, and improve equipment work instructions, SOPs, and operational documentation.
• Manage and triage operational support requests, ensuring timely resolution and escalation where required.
• Support procurement activities, including obtaining supplier quotations, managing purchase requests, and coordinating vendor relationships.
• Ensure laboratory chemicals and biological materials are stored, handled, and managed safely.
• Maintain shared laboratory spaces and ensure laboratories remain inspection and audit ready.
• Act as the primary point of contact for laboratory operational support.
• Build effective partnerships with scientists, laboratory users, facilities teams, vendors, contractors, and leadership teams.
• Develop strong relationships with laboratory end users to understand operational needs and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Coordinate onboarding and offboarding activities for laboratory users and visitors.
• Organize specialist equipment training with internal and external providers.
• Support laboratory and facility modification requests.
• Coordinate contractor access and operational activities within the facility.
• Effectively manage stakeholder expectations and communicate progress, risks, and priorities.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance laboratory operations and user experience.
• Lead laboratory operational projects, including equipment installations, laboratory upgrades, facility improvements, and process optimization initiatives.
• Coordinate cross-functional activities and stakeholders to ensure successful project delivery.
• Take ownership of operational initiatives from planning through execution.
• Identify opportunities to improve workflows, increase efficiency, and enhance laboratory capabilities.
• Support laboratory expansion, relocation, and startup activities.
• Contribute to the design, planning, and implementation of new laboratory spaces and capabilities.

Skills

Lab operations

Stakeholder management

Project leadership

Process improvement

Vendor management

Training coordination

Independent work

Communication skills

MS Office

Safety compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree in science

Job description

Avantor, Inc. is seeking a Laboratory Manager to oversee day-to-day lab operations at the Slough site, ensuring safe, compliant, and productive facilities while supporting scientific teams and stakeholders.

The role focuses on operational excellence, equipment maintenance, process improvements, and coordinating across vendors, facilities, and researchers to enable high-quality research and successful expansions.