Principle Microbiologist - Food Microbiology

Eurofins Scientific is an international life sciences company, providing a unique range of analytical testing services to clients across multiple industries, to make life and our environment safer, healthier and more sustainable. From the food you eat, to the water you drink, to the medicines you rely on, Eurofins laboratories work with the biggest companies in the world to ensure the products they supply are safe, their ingredients are authentic, and labelling is accurate.

Eurofins is dedicated to delivering testing services that contribute to the health and safety of society and the planet, and to its corporate responsibility to protect the environment and ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion across the entire network of Eurofins companies.

Please note this is a full time role working 36.25 hours a week - Monday to Friday 08:45 - 17:00 The business would consider changing this to reduced hours for the right applicant, but to no less than 25 hours per week.

The purpose of this post is to provide support by providing technical microbiological expertise to the laboratory in all areas. To ensure ownership of and improvements in existing methodologies. To research and implement new technologies to improve the service to our customers. To work within the laboratory accreditation standard of ISO 17025.

Main duties to include:

• To help the day-to-day operations in pathogen department.
• Responsible for checking transfer of data relating to samples and results and issuing of test reports and confidentiality of information.
• To review and implement the technical performance of all aspects of the methods (registration to final reports) on a regular basis.
• To be key in implementing new methods into the lab, owning method validations and method documentation preparation prior to issuing to quality for submission to UKAS.
• Leading continuous improvement opportunities across the business in conjunction with the operations and technical teams.
• To maintain a comprehensive record of all modifications and improvements within the laboratory.
• To implement all technical changes as an outcome of audits/complaints etc. in a robust manner ensuring all corrective actions are effective.
• To investigate customer complaints when required and support the team with completing complaint investigations and non conforming work.
• To perform audits in line with the quality system.
• To ensure in conjunction with the laboratory management and the quality team, that all methods are validated and that EQA, IQC and DPC systems are maintained and non-conformances are investigated.
• To maintain and review externally sourced method references.
• To maintain uncertainty of measurement for current methods.
• To setup, maintain and evaluate Analytical Quality Control Charts.
• To ensure the Environmental monitoring programme is fit for purpose.
• To provide technical support to the stock controller/Team Leader when liaising with company suppliers.
• Support customer requirements and be a key-link to ensure customer requirements are translated in the quality system.
• To attend and actively participate in the Group Technical Forums, implementing all improvement opportunities and group initiatives.
• To be a point of reference within Eurofins UK for internal clients for any issues arising regarding testing.
• Act as a deputy to the Laboratory Manager in respective areas

• Proven experience in working to and exceeding targets within the quality system.
• Experience of working with a broad range of internal and external customers.
• Competence in IT, including LIMS, spreadsheets and databases.
• Experience working in a UKAS accredited laboratory.
• Understanding of ISO 17025, UKAS, RSA, BEIC, key customer requirements, audit procedures, laboratory methods.
• Great laboratory skills and practices as well as relevant methods/ techniques.
• Able to present complex information face to face, over TEAMs and on email.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Excellent written and communication skills.
• Full commitment to meeting customers expectation.
• Full commitment to lean management.
• Proven ability to develop team members.

Benefits

At Eurofins we are growing, innovating and always learning. We celebrate the achievements of our employees through annual long service awards, recognise our colleagues special life events, and we are committed to charitable causes through global fundraising activities.

As a Eurofins employee you will benefit from:

• Life Assurance (4 times annual salary)
• Company Pension Plan
• Health Cash Plan
• Employee Assistance Programme – 24/7 confidential support
• Enhanced Maternity, Paternity and Adoption pay scheme
• Holiday Purchase Scheme
• Free car parking
• Worldwide career opportunities
• Everyone who joins our team also gets access to Perkbox, allowing you to save money all year round. Whether its supermarket savings or days out, the daily coffee or a summer holiday – there’s something to suit everyone’s lifestyle

What Happens Next

Our people are the backbone of what we do, so it's incredibly important we find the right individuals to join us. As a potential new recruit you'll be invited to meet the team in the form of an assessment centre or a staged interview process dependent on the role and it's requirements, this will give you the opportunity to see what working for Eurofins is really like and enable us to get you know your key skills and strengths.
Your data
As part of any recruitment process, the company collects and processes personal data relating to job applicants. The company is committed to being transparent about how it collects and uses that data and to meeting its data protection obligations.
Closing Date
We reserve the right to close or extend this position depending on application numbers. Therefore we would urge candidates to submit an application as early as possible.
Due to the high volume of applications we receive please be aware that if you do not receive a response within 4 weeks of the vacancy expiry date unfortunately, on this occasion your application has been unsuccessful.

We embrace diversity! Eurofins network of companies believe in strength and innovation through diversity, being an Equal Opportunity Employer. We prohibit discrimination against employees or applications based on gender identity and/or expression, race, nationality, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability, and everything else that makes employees of Eurofins companies unique.

Sustainability matters to us! We are well on our way to achieving our objective of carbon neutrality by 2025, through a combination of emission reduction and compensation initiatives. We encourage our laboratory leaders to make sustainable changes at their local level, and in addition to their initiatives we also count on our dedicated carbon reduction team to help us to achieve this goal!

Find out more in our career page: https://careers.eurofins.com/