LAB SUPPORT MANAGER
Job Title: Lab Support Manager
Contract: Permanent
Type of Employment: Full Time
Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Salary: £40,000 - 42,000 per annum
Location: GSK, Shewalton Road, Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland, KA11 5AP
Are you an experienced laboratory professional with a passion for leadership, analytical instrumentation, and operational excellence?
Do you thrive in a fast-paced pharmaceutical environment where no two days are the same?
We're looking for a hands-on Laboratory Support Manager to lead a team delivering critical laboratory support services while maintaining strong technical involvement with analytical instrumentation, including HPLC, GC and associated laboratory systems.
This is not a desk-based management role. We're looking for a leader who enjoys being visible in the laboratory, supporting their team, troubleshooting technical issues, engaging with customers, and ensuring laboratories remain safe, compliant, and operationally excellent.
Due to the nature of the environment anyone with a Penicillin allergy will not be considered for the role.
As Laboratory Support Manager, you will lead a multidisciplinary team providing laboratory instrument support and technical laboratory services within a highly regulated pharmaceutical environment. You'll be responsible for ensuring laboratory operations run smoothly while maintaining the highest standards of quality, compliance, safety and customer service.
You'll combine strategic leadership with practical technical expertise, helping to drive continuous improvement whilst remaining capable of providing direct laboratory support whenever required.
Working closely with scientists, quality teams, engineering teams and client stakeholders, you'll play a key role in enabling successful laboratory operations and supporting critical product release activities.
- Lead, coach and develop a high-performing laboratory support team
- Create a culture of accountability, engagement and continuous improvement
- Develop team competencies, training programmes and succession plans
- Ensure appropriate resource planning and service resilience
- Drive employee engagement and team performance
- Provide practical laboratory support during periods of absence, peak workload or operational demand
- Carry out analytical laboratory activities when required
- Support troubleshooting and problem solving across laboratory operations
- Act as a technical subject matter expert for laboratory support services
- Promote best practice and compliance across the team
- Maintain and support analytical instrumentation including:
- HPLC
- GC
- Laboratory support systems
- Troubleshoot instrument issues and coordinate maintenance activities
- Support preventative maintenance and qualification programmes
- Work with internal customers and specialist service providers to ensure maximum equipment uptime
- Deliver laboratory support services in line with KPIs and service commitments
- Ensure effective workload prioritisation to support laboratory throughput
- Manage laboratory housekeeping, asset management and operational standards
- Drive efficiency improvements and service enhancements
- Ensure compliance with GMP, GxP and ALCOA+ data integrity requirements
- Maintain audit readiness at all times
- Support investigations, CAPAs and quality improvement activities
- Conduct management monitoring and support regulatory inspections
- Degree in a scientific discipline or equivalent experience
- Significant practical experience working with HPLC and GC instrumentation
- Strong troubleshooting and analytical problem-solving skills
- Experience working within GMP/GxP regulated laboratories
- Previous people management and team leadership experience
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
- Experience managing operational performance, KPIs and service delivery
- Ability to balance strategic leadership with hands-on laboratory support
- Experience with Empower CDS
- Knowledge of laboratory equipment maintenance and qualification
- Lean, Six Sigma or continuous improvement experience
- Experience with eQMS, SAP, CAFM or digital laboratory systems
- Client-facing operational management experience
You'll be a natural leader who enjoys coaching and developing people, but you're equally comfortable rolling up your sleeves and supporting technical laboratory activities when required.
You'll have the credibility that comes from real laboratory experience, particularly with HPLC and GC systems, and the leadership skills to inspire a team to deliver exceptional service
