Senior Laboratory Associate

Ascend Project Management; South Dublin; Hybrid; EUR 45,000 - 60,000; Part time

Job summary

Ascend Project Management, Inc. is partnering with a leading life sciences company to recruit a Senior Lab Associate for the Commercial Attribute Sciences team.

The role supports forensic investigations, defect identification, and maintenance of defect panels used in automated and manual visual inspection of vial and syringe products. The position is a 12-month independent contractor based onsite 4 days a week in South Dublin, requiring full legal right to work in Ireland as an independent

Qualifications

• Third-level degree in Analytical Chemistry, Biochemistry or related scientific discipline.
• 3–6 years in the pharmaceutical sector (lab/quality/manufacturing).
• Experience in forensic investigations and defect identification.
• Knowledge of cGMP and data integrity; regulatory awareness.
• Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Lead forensic investigations into defects during drug product manufacturing.
• Maintain panels for inspection systems and training purposes.
• Document analytical data in ELN systems with data integrity in mind.
• Ensure SOPs and GMP requirements are followed; complete investigations and deviations.
• Support cross-functional teams and drive continuous improvement and readiness.
• Maintain laboratory safety and inventory controls; support sustainability.

Skills

Analytical skills

Problem solving

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Data integrity

Education

Bachelor's degree in Analytical Chemistry

Tools

Electronic lab notebook

Statistical tools

Job description

We are working with a leading life sciences company to recruit a Senior Lab Associate to join a Commercial Attribute Sciences team. This person will support forensic investigations and defect identification within pharmaceutical manufacturing. The role will focus on identifying and investigating finished drug product defects and maintaining defect panels used to support automated, semi-automated and manual visual inspection of vial and syringe products. The successful candidate will contribute to laboratory investigations, analytical data review and the maintenance of high standards of cGMP, data integrity and regulatory compliance.

This is a 12-month independent contractor position, and candidates must have the full legal right to work in Ireland as an independent contractor.

This role is based onsite 4 days a week in South Dublin.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and support forensic investigations into defects arising during pharmaceutical drug product manufacturing, ensuring findings are documented in accordance with cGMP requirements.
• Maintain, manage and distribute defect panels used for equipment set-up, training and characterisation of automated, semi-automated and manual visual inspection systems for finished drug products.
• Document analytical data accurately and promptly in electronic laboratory notebook systems, ensuring compliance with data integrity principles and participating in peer review activities.
• Ensure compliance with laboratory SOPs, applicable GMP requirements, training obligations and relevant quality systems, including the timely completion of investigations, deviations and associated documentation.
• Support cross-functional teams and contribute to laboratory efficiency, continuous improvement initiatives, audit and inspection readiness, and effective planning and delivery against departmental objectives.
• Maintain high standards of laboratory safety, environmental responsibility, housekeeping and inventory control, while contributing to sustainability initiatives and the continuous improvement of laboratory processes.

Key Requirements

• A minimum of a third-level degree in Analytical Chemistry, Biochemistry or a related scientific discipline.
• Approximately 3–6 years of relevant experience within the pharmaceutical industry, ideally in a laboratory, quality or pharmaceutical manufacturing environment.
• Experience in forensic investigations, defect identification, analytical method development, validation and troubleshooting.
• A strong understanding of cGMP, data integrity principles, laboratory quality systems and regulatory compliance; experience supporting regulatory inspections is desirable.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including familiarity with statistical tools and techniques used for troubleshooting, alongside an understanding of change control and variation management processes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to collaborate across teams, influence decisions, manage competing priorities and contribute to continuous improvement.

Due to the high volume of applications, we may not be able to respond to every applicant.