Lab Head or Technical Manager Food and Pharma Testing

Edward Food Research And Analysis Centre; Barasat; On-site; INR 1,800,000 - 3,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Edward Food Research And Analysis Centre is hiring a Lab Head Technical to oversee the technical operations of Food and Pharmaceutical testing laboratories. This high-accountability role requires strong technical judgment, audit leadership, and excellent communication skills to coordinate with regulators and senior management.

The ideal candidate should demonstrate extensive experience in laboratory leadership under ISO/IEC 17025 and possess substantial knowledge across a broad regulatory scope. A background in analytical methods and strong computer skills are essential.

Qualifications

• Typically requires 12-20+ years of experience in a related field.
• Experience managing multi-section laboratories.
• Hands-on analytical background in LC-MS/MS, GC-MS, ICP-MS, or HPLC is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Act as final technical authority for Food & Pharma laboratories.
• Lead and defend NABL audits and regulatory assessments.
• Drive scope expansion and technical harmonization.

Skills

Strong spoken and written English communication

Confident audit-facing discussion

High level of computer literacy

Education

Technical leadership in Food and/or Pharma testing labs

Tools

LIMS

Excel

MS Word

PowerPoint

Job description

Lab Head Technical / Technical Manager (Food & Pharma Testing)

ISO/IEC 17025:2025 | Wide Scope | Audit-Facing Leadership Role

Location: India

Experience: Typically 1220+ years

Reporting to: Senior Management / CEO

Read This First (Mandatory)

This role requires:

• clear, confident spoken English for audit discussions, client interactions, and senior management reviews
• strong computer literacy for direct use of LIMS, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and digital quality systems

If you are not comfortable communicating in English during audits or depend on others for basic computer work, this role will not be suitable.

Role Summary

We are hiring an Overall Lab Head Technical / Technical Manager to own and defend the complete technical operations of Food and Pharmaceutical testing laboratories under ISO/IEC 17025:2025.

This is a high-accountability leadership role, requiring hands‑on technical judgement, audit leadership, and strong communication with regulators, customers, and senior management.

Mandatory Experience (Non‑Negotiable)

You must demonstrate most of the following:

• Leadership of Food and/or Pharma testing laboratories under ISO/IEC 17025 (latest version)
• Responsibility for wide scope coverage, such as:
• Food: pesticides, antibiotics, veterinary drugs, mycotoxins, contaminants, additives
• Pharma: impurities, nitrosamines, residual solvents, elemental impurities
• Direct ownership of:
• scope approval, maintenance, and expansion
• method validation oversight across multiple techniques
• technical risk assessment and corrective actions
• Audit-facing leadership during NABL and regulatory audits
• Ability to communicate technical positions clearly in English during audits and management reviews

Candidates limited to single‑section leadership, non‑audit roles, or documentation‑only responsibilities are not suitable.

Acceptable Backgrounds

We will consider candidates from either:

Profile A Third‑Party Testing Lab Leader (Preferred)

• Technical leadership in Food and/or Pharma testing labs
• Strong command over ISO/IEC 17025 interpretation and implementation
• Experience managing multi-section, multi-instrument laboratories

Profile B Strong Pharma Technical Leader (Selective)

• Senior technical role in Pharma analytical / QC environments
• Strong understanding of:
• method validation lifecycle
• data integrity and audit trails
• regulatory expectations (USFDA / EMA / CDSCO)
• Ability to transition into third‑party, multi‑client lab environments

Prior hands‑on analytical background (LC‑MS/MS, GC‑MS, ICP‑MS, HPLC) is a strong advantage.

Pure research or manufacturing leadership profiles will not be considered.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as final technical authority for Food & Pharma laboratories
• Lead and defend NABL audits and regulatory assessments
• Drive scope expansion and technical harmonization
• Review and approve:
• method validations and transfers
• deviations, investigations, and CAPA
• technical risk assessments
• Ensure data integrity culture across labs
• Present technical performance and risks to senior management
• Mentor section heads and senior analysts

Mandatory Skills & Competencies

• Strong spoken and written English communication
• Confident audit-facing discussion with assessors and clients
• High level of computer literacy, including:
• LIMS / QMS systems
• MS Excel (data analysis, trackers)
• MS Word & PowerPoint (technical reports, presentations)
• Ability to independently prepare and review technical documents

How We Screen

Shortlisted candidates will undergo:

• a technical leadership questionnaire
• a practical audit decision scenario
• structured discussions with senior management Role & responsibilities

If this opportunity interests you, kindly send your updated CV to [e-mail] or WhatsApp it to 8336961028. We look forward to hearing from you.