Supervisor / Team Lead, NGS

Azenta Life Sciences; Milton Keynes; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

GENEWIZ, part of Azenta Life Sciences, seeks a Supervisor / Team Lead for the Milton Keynes NGS lab. You will guide the team, oversee daily operations, ensure regulatory compliance and drive continuous improvement across workflows. You will collaborate with global sites and stakeholders while maintaining high-quality laboratory services.

The role emphasizes leadership, training, capacity planning, and performance management in a regulated environment with ISO 15189 and 9001 standards.

Qualifications

• Experience leading and managing teams.
• Several years of professional experience in a pharma, medical, or biological lab environment.
• NGS experience is desirable.
• Strong knowledge of ISO 9001 and 15189 standards is an advantage.
• Proven experience in a certified and regulated environment.
• Strong project management skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide functional and disciplinary leadership to Associate Scientists within the Milton Keynes NGS lab team.
• Induction and training of new employees; facilitate development to uphold high-quality standards.
• Implementation of performance management processes with regular appraisals and reviews.
• Plan capacity and coordinate resources to ensure timely completion of customer projects and reagent verifications.
• Manage sample data throughout processing and ensure sample integrity.
• Monitor processes and drive continuous improvement via daily management.

Skills

Leadership

People management

Project management

Lean Management

Microsoft Office

ISO 9001 knowledge

ISO 15189 knowledge

NGS experience

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences

BTA/MTA vocational training

Tools

MS Office

Outlook

Excel

Job description

Our NGS Lab team is looking for a new talent, starting at the earliest possible time as Supervisor / Team Lead, NGS., In this key role within our Next Generation Sequencing department, you will guide and develop the Milton Keynes NGS lab team while ensuring the efficient delivery of high-quality laboratory services. You will coordinate resources, oversee daily operations and quality standards, and drive continuous improvement across workflows and processes. Working closely with colleagues and stakeholders across our international laboratory network, you will help strengthen team performance, maintain regulatory compliance and support the continued development of our NGS services. What You Will Do

• Provide functional and disciplinary leadership to Associate Scientists within the Milton Keynes NGS lab team.
• Induction and training of new employees. Facilitate development to uphold high-quality standards.
• Implementation of the performance management process [in coordination with laboratory management], including regular employee appraisals, objective setting, mid-year review and performance review.
• Plan capacity and coordinate resources to ensure the timely completion of all customer projects and reagent verifications.
• Responsible for the effective management and overview of sample data throughout the sample processing journey and ensure that sample integrity is upheld at all times.
• Monitoring processes and problem-solving projects via Daily Management in case of identified deviations.
• Analyse quality performance data and coordinate with Senior Managers on implementation of initiatives for continuous improvement.
• Coordinate and oversee the Internal Quality Assurance and equipment maintenance schedules.
• Supervise and guide colleagues to ensure compliance with ISO 15189 and ISO 9001, ensuring that procedures and documentation meet regulatory requirements.
• Support the development of laboratory teams and organizational structures.
• Serve as the interface to supporting departments such as HR, Finance, IT, Purchasing, Logistics, and Quality Management.
• Maintain regular communication and close collaboration with our international laboratory sites in the US, Germany, Japan, China and in particular the UK's Oxford NGS facility.
• Prepare for and participate in internal and external audits.

Cost Monitoring and Cost Control

• Track and monitor material costs.
• Procure laboratory equipment, consumables, and reagents.
• Conduct regular inventory audits.
• Support senior management in the expansion of the service portfolio.
• Continuously review existing laboratory workflows and processes for improvement opportunities.
• Drive upscaling and automation initiatives.
• Prepare for and participate in internal and external audits.

Successfully completed degree in a life sciences discipline with a focus on Molecular Biology (or a comparable field), or vocational training as a Biological Technical Assistant (BTA) / Medical Technical Assistant (MTA).

• Experience leading and managing teams.
• Several years of professional experience in a pharmaceutical, medical, or biological laboratory environment.
• Next Generation Sequencing experience is desirable.
• Strong knowledge of ISO 9001 and 15189 standards is an advantage.
• Proven experience working in a certified and regulated environment.
• Strong project management skills.
• Demonstrated leadership experience with the ability to inspire and develop teams.
• Independent, efficient, and highly detail-oriented working style.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Outlook, Word, and Excel.
• Knowledge of Lean Management principles is advantageous.

At GENEWIZ, from Azenta Life Sciences, new ideas, new technologies and new ways of thinking are driving our future. Our customer-focused culture encourages employees to embrace innovation and challenge the status quo with novel thinking and collaborative work relationships.

GENEWIZ is a global leader in multiomics and synthetic solution services with headquarters in South Plainfield, NJ and offices and operations worldwide. We empower our customer's research by providing high-quality, precision-based solutions from discovery through clinical development, enabling scientists to make breakthroughs faster and more efficiently. Key services include Next Generation and Sanger sequencing, gene synthesis, gene-to-discovery solutions including antibody production, viral packaging and mRNA synthesis. Together with our customers, we can be the partner of choice for life science communities worldwide, driving advancements that foster innovation across the globe.