Laboratory Manager

Job Title: Laboratory Manager

Location: Stevenage (this role will initially be based in Stevenage, with a longer-term plan to move to London in 2-3 years)

Job Type: Permanent

Agencies: We will only work with recruitment partners on our preferred supplier list and will not engage with speculative CVs submitted.

Are you passionate about making life science life changing and delivering impact for patients? We want to hear from you.

About the role:

We have an exciting new opening for an enthusiastic and experienced Laboratory Manager to join LifeArc at Stevenage, who will play a pivotal role in our expansion of our lab facilities in London. The role will be permanent full-time based on-site at our Stevenage facility. The London expansion is anticipated to happen in 2026/2027. The lab-based organisation at LifeArc Stevenage consists of about 70-80 chemists and biologists with a small team located at the Francis Crick Institute in London. Our current facility is located on the Open Innovation Campus, Stevenage.

This role will manage all aspects of laboratory services to ensure they are fully operational and compliant with all relevant safety regulations and standards. Your knowledge and experience will be crucial in driving the expansion and enhancement of our laboratory facilities, ensuring we continue to meet growing demands of our future activities. You will be responsible for the following:

• Being the primary point of contact for all laboratory operations, equipment service / maintenance, resale of laboratory equipment, contractor management, gas systems, LEV, temperature monitoring sensors, emergencies (out of hours response), laboratory refurbishment, repair, stores, waste management, and delivering induction training.
• Playing a pivotal role in the lab design and layout at the new laboratory facilities in London. Driving continuous improvement to enhance laboratory process efficiency, accuracy and safety.
• Liaising with an external support or extra site attendance on non-working days (emergency call-out).
• Conducting regular safety inspections and enforce safety standards to maintain excellent laboratory standards.
• Working with procurement to ensure best value and contract terms; oversee ordering and maintenance, reagents, consumables and laboratory equipment.
• Maintaining accurate inventories of laboratory equipment / third parties and service contracts.
• Building and maintaining good relationship with internal and external stakeholders (e.g., landlords, engineers, suppliers, regulators).
• Arranging service contracts and engineers’ visits working closely with the scientists and the instrument superusers.
• Troubleshooting and resolving technical issues related to laboratory equipment and services.

Education & experience:

• Degree / HND / NVQ Level 4 (or equivalent) with a further qualification in science desirable.
• NEBOSH/ IOSH Managing Safety qualification or similar
• Experience in a laboratory environment ideally within a Laboratory Manager role in an industrial setting (pharma/biotech)
• Experienced in a supervisory role.

Skills & Abilities:

• Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal
• Demonstrated ability to deliver specific projects and / or tasks within agreed timelines.
• A sound knowledge of legislation covering health and safety and compliance requirements in this area of work
• Proven background in laboratory management with a demonstrated flexibility in approach and ability to cope with complex issues.

About us:

At LifeArc, our ambition is to make life science life changing. We do this by advancing scientific discoveries beyond the lab, faster, so that they can shape the next generation of diagnostics, treatments, and cures.

Working at the cutting edge of translational science and as the early-stage translation specialists, we progress scientific discoveries on their journey to becoming a medicine, diagnostic or intervention that improve patients’ lives. Our work begins by seeking out innovative science, then helping to develop this to a point where there is a clinical and commercial pathway for others to invest the time and money to take it further forward.

What we can offer you:

Focused on finding life changing solutions for underserved patients, our people thrive in an inclusive, and supportive environment that prioritises their health and wellbeing. Our multidisciplinary approach guarantees our people growth opportunities, while our culture of innovation and collaboration drives the impact we make delivering on our purpose of ‘putting patients at the centre of everything we do’.

We are dedicated to creating a diverse, flexible, equitable and happy work environment so our colleagues can thrive as their truest selves. We act with courage, curiosity, care & commitment to deliver quality & excellence for our patients and each other Join us, and you’ll be given the scope to develop your professional skills and experience in a safe, supportive and challenging environment

Salary will be determined by qualifications and experience along with other exceptional benefits. Because we understand everyone has different requirements, our flexible benefits allow you to choose those which are important to you. Our pension scheme offers employer contributions of up to 12%, private health insurance, and annual leave of 31 days PLUS bank holidays.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people from minority ethnic backgrounds, for example, are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At LifeArc we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so whatever your background or lived experience, if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. Our top priority is finding the best candidate, and you may be just right for this or other roles.

We all have potential. At LifeArc, you’ll discover what you can really do with it.