Senior laboratory Technician (XR05)

Leeds Teaching Hospitals; Leeds; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare institution in Leeds is seeking a Senior Laboratory Technician for a vital role within the Research and Innovation Department. The successful candidate will lead a team in conducting complex pre-analytical procedures while maintaining strict compliance with quality standards. The role includes supervising junior staff and improving laboratory systems. Candidates must have HNC or equivalent in a Biological subject and proven experience in a laboratory setting. This full-time post comes with a permanent contract and is vital for supporting research studies.

Qualifications

• Previous experience in a laboratory environment including training.
• Attained competencies in a range of pre-analytical techniques.
• Knowledge of PBMC sample processing.

Responsibilities

• Conduct complex pre-analytical laboratory procedures.
• Supervise junior technical staff and maintain documentation.
• Contribute to laboratory quality systems and compliance.

Skills

Leadership and mentoring skills

Good communication skills

Manual handling skills

Ability to manage data accurately

Education

HNC or equivalent in a Biological subject

Job description

The Research and Innovation Department is continuing its exciting expansion. We have several research specialities and the Research Pathology portfolio is looking for a Senior Laboratory Technician. This is a full-time post (1.0WTE) with a permanent contract. The post will be based across St Jamess University Hospital and Leeds General Infirmary.

The post holder will contribute actively to the conduct, coordination, and delivery of the research pathology service supporting over 300 research studies and clinical trials hosted at LTHT. The main tasks are:

Undertaking complex pre-analytical sample processing to GCP standards

Leading a nominated technical area, providing specialist laboratory knowledge and equipment oversight

Supporting the training, competency development and supervision of technical staff

The role is central to ensuring the quality and integrity of research samples, while maintaining strict data accuracy and compliance with Trust policy, study-specific laboratory manuals, local governance and national regulations.

If you are interested in the post, we encourage you to contact the recruiting manager for an informal discussion.

Expected Shortlisting Date

24/12/2025

Planned Interview Date

05/01/2026

Main duties of the job

We are looking to recruit a proactive and self-motivated individual with a keen interest in research to work within the Research & Innovation Pathology team. The post-holder will:

Undertake complex pre-analytical laboratory procedures including centrifugation, aliquoting, PBMC processing and storage of research samples for a wide range of clinical studies

Maintain the integrity and traceability of all samples, ensuring meticulous documentation and data accuracy in accordance with Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and laboratory SOPs

Act as lead in a nominated technical area, providing specialist technical expertise and supporting continuous improvement initiatives

Supervise and support junior technical staff, Research Nurses and Research Technicians, assisting with competency development and training

Contribute to laboratory quality systems, including audits and monitoring visits

Assist in the set-up of studies by reviewing lab manuals, planning sample workflows and preparing laboratory documentation

Participate in the laboratory's out-of-hours sample processing rota, responding to time-sensitive sample handling requirements

The post holder will be required to work alongside clinical study teams, industry partners, external contract laboratories, and colleagues in neighbouring establishments, attending regional and national meetings as required.

Job responsibilities

The post holder will undertake a variety of pre-analytical procedures working with Research Nurses, Research Technicians, Biomedical Scientists and Biomedical support workers to ensure the quality of the procedure. The post holder will be responsible for handling and processing research samples with precision, maintaining data integrity, and contributing to the success of research projects.

The post holder may be asked to participate in the development of new pre-analytical processing techniques. Acting as lead in a nominated technical area, the post holder will train technical colleagues with regard to pre-analytical processes. The post holder will undertake the quality assurance tasks as required to maintain the laboratory Good Laboratory Practice and Good Clinical Practice.

Senior research technicians will be expected to participate in an out of hours emergency cover rota and be expected to work flexible hours around the workload. They will also undertake receipt of deliveries arriving into the laboratory and the dispatch of samples to external laboratory. The post holder may be required to help support the training of other technical staff with regard to both of the above rotational areas.

There will be close day-to-day working relationship with research teams from multiple Clinical Service Units and the University of Leeds.

Person Specification

Skills & behaviours

• Good leadership, diplomacy and mentoring skills.
• Demonstration of honesty, integrity, equal opportunity awareness, self-confidence and self-control in creating an environment that ensures all staff are able to operate in an open and honest way.
• Readiness to respond in a timely fashion to research and technological change in this rapidly changing field.
• Ability to maintain concentration despite occasional interruptions.
• Good oral, written and electronic communication skills.
• Good hand eye coordination for fine manipulation of instrumentation.
• Ability to use standard software packages including inventory, purchasing and laboratory computer analysis systems.
• To have manual handling skills, including the use of specialised equipment.
• Able to fulfil Occupational Health requirements for the post (with reasonable adjustments if necessary), including clearance on blood borne viruses in compliance with Trust Police.

Qualifications

• HNC or equivalent in a Biological subject.

Experience

• Previous experience in a laboratory environment (including training period).
• Have attained the basic competencies in a range of pre-analytical techniques.
• Knowledge of routine and more complex pre-analytical laboratory methods, quality assurance and problem solving.
• Experience of research delivery.
• Experience in a previous research laboratory technical post.
• Knowledge of PBMC sample processing.
• Experience of line management.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals is committed to our process of redeploying 'at risk' members of our existing workforce to new roles. As such, all our job adverts are subject to this policy and we reserve the right to close, delay or remove adverts while this process is completed. If you do experience a delay in the shortlisting stage of the recruitment cycle, please bear with us while this process is completed, and contact the named contact if you have any questions.