Tissue Bank Coordinator

Newcastle University; Newcastle; On-site; ZAR 31 000 - 33 000; Full time

Job summary

A prestigious university in South Africa is seeking a Tissue Bank Coordinator to manage human tissue collection for medical research. The role involves coordinating with various stakeholders, ensuring compliance with regulations, and facilitating tissue access for research projects. Candidates should have strong administrative and organizational skills, laboratory experience, and relevant project management experience. This is an excellent opportunity to contribute to translational research.

Benefits

Generous holiday package

Pension schemes

Health and wellbeing initiatives

Qualifications

• Excellent administrative and organisational skills.
• Laboratory experience in a research or clinical environment.
• Relevant project or people management experience.
• Effective report writing and presentation skills.
• Excellent communication networking and negotiation skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage the collection of human tissue for research.
• Streamline the sample procurement process.
• Coordinate activities of the Tissue Bank.
• Lead meetings with clinical and academic staff.
• Maintain research ethics approval documentation.
• Implement sample-tracking solutions.
• Coordinate the Sample Access Committee.

Skills

Administrative skills

Laboratory experience

Project management experience

Effective report writing

Communication skills

Microsoft Office knowledge

Regulatory knowledge

SOP development

Education

Graduate qualification in a scientific area

Job description

Salary : 31236 to 32080 with progression to 34610 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date : 30 October 2025

The Role

Would you relish the opportunity to work as part of a dedicated team delivering first-class specialist biobanking services for medical research

Access to human tissue samples is essential for many aspects of translational medical research undertaken in the Faculty of Medical Sciences. The Newcastle Central Biobank Facility delivers specialist biobanking services to researchers within the University and to external customers to facilitate high quality research.

The main purpose of the Tissue Bank Coordinator is to manage the collection of human tissue as a valuable biological resource for medical research. The Tissue Bank Coordinator is responsible for promoting a single ethical framework to facilitate a harmonised and controlled approach to sample collection rationalising processes and meeting regulatory requirements.

This is an exciting opportunity to facilitate translational research. Informal enquiries are welcomed and should be addressed to Amy Peasland the Central Biobank Facility Manager or Emma Raine the NIHR BioResource Manager

Please note that if you are successful to this role you will require medical clearance before you can commence in the role

Key Accountabilities

• Work with the Biobank Manager and NIHR BioResource Manager and local Principal Investigators to build collections of samples from patient cohorts to facilitate research into key areas. Where appropriate consolidate existing tissue collections into a single harmonised framework in accordance with research ethical approval.
• Work to streamline the sample procurement process to enhance sample access for researchers.
• Coordinate the activities of the Tissue Bank to provide a service to Principal Investigators across the Faculty of Medical Sciences and externally to facilitate sample collection including the facilitation of study set-up and maintenance of site files and Tissue Bank records.
• Lead meetings with clinical and academic staff (including research nurses surgeons and senior academics) to plan studies negotiate priorities determine resource identify training needs and identify any constraints.
• Maintain and continually review the research ethics approval and quality documents for research tissue banks including Standard Operating Procedures forms annual reports and paperwork / submissions relating to research ethics to meet regulatory requirements.
• Perform annual progress meetings with Principal Investigators to ensure compliance with ethical approvals and sample tracking requirements.
• Take a key role in helping to implement sample-tracking solutions. Involvement with training and user groups.
• Coordinate the Sample Access Committee maintaining good relationships and ensuring applications for tissue access are processed efficiently.
• Act as a key point of contact for the Tissue Bank at internal and external regulatory audits.
• Assist with any other duties relating to the coordination of the Tissue Bank as required.

The Person

Knowledge Skills and Experience

• Excellent administrative and organisational skills and the ability to prioritise and manage conflicting priorities
• Laboratory experience in a research or clinical environment including practical experience in sample handling
• Relevant project or people management experience in a research scientific project management pharmaceutical or medical environment
• Effective report writing and presentation skills
• Excellent communication networking and negotiation skills
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office and experience of using databases
• Knowledge and understanding of regulatory issues specifically with regard to the Human Tissue Act or medical ethics (desirable)
• Experience of working to or developing Standard Operating Procedures or other study related controlled documents (desirable)

Attributes and Behaviour

• Has a positive and proactive attitude and strives to deliver excellent service to tissue bank users
• Uses initiative pays attention to detail and takes a flexible attitude to work demands and customers
• Independent problem-solving skills acting on own knowledge and experience to decide on a course of action on a daily basis and to make decisions on when to elevate issues to more senior members of staff
• Works collaboratively with others plays a positive role in teams working co-operatively and establishes and grows relationships across the organisation where different skills expertise and opinions are valued
• Self-confident with strong interpersonal skills
• Appreciation of the importance of maintaining confidentiality
• Exhibits University and Faculty values and principles

Qualifications

• Graduate qualification in a scientific area or equivalent experience with several years demonstrating professional development through a series of more demanding and influential roles

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a silverAthena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC. We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.