Job Title: Lab Support Manager
Salary: £38,000 to £40,000 per annum
Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract, Full Time 
Fixed Term Contract Length: 12 months 
Hours: 37.5 hours per week 
Location: GSK, Harmire Road, Barnard Castle, County Durham, England, DL12 8DT

We have a 12month fixed term contract available to cover maternity leave working within the labs for our Pharmaceutical client in Barnard Castle.  The role will require People Management experience providing effective line management to all members of the lab support team. Undertake regular performance reviews with all direct reports, providing coaching, mentoring & driving positive attitudes. Ensure all staff within the teams are working in a compliant manner, with the expectation of zero overdue on MiLearning & client learning systems. Responsible for ensuring team work areas maintain high standards of housekeeping and meet requirements such as 5S. Identifying and promoting benefits/innovations of team. Drive a strong health and safety culture within team, ensuring RAMS in place and reviewed timely, Hazard Observations raised supporting the wider team KPI requirements. This is a hands on role which will require the individual to have operator experience in HPLC and strong understanding of a GxP  environment.

Main Duties

We are seeking a dedicated and experienced individual to manage and control the activities of a laboratory team, ensuring that services are delivered according to agreed specifications, performance standards, and aligned with key performance indicators (KPIs). A key aspect of this role is ensuring team resilience, so that all critical tasks can continue without disruption in the event of absences or holiday requirements. The successful candidate will be accountable for adopting and promoting the ALCOA+ principles—ensuring that all data and actions are attributable, legible, contemporaneous, original, and accurate.

A primary responsibility will be to ensure all Performance Qualification (PQ) activities are completed within their scheduling windows and in accordance with service level agreements (SLAs) and KPI requirements. The role also includes ensuring the team maintains 100% completion in their learning profiles, including all client platform training. Health and safety compliance is critical; this includes the timely review of risk assessments (RAMS) and the raising of hazard observations (HOs) where appropriate.

The position requires flexibility to adapt to urgent or unforeseen changes in plant production schedules. The individual will also be responsible for attending governance meetings, preparing meeting packs, and reporting on team performance and KPI adherence. A crucial part of the role is maintaining and developing a strong relationship with the GSK client, ensuring continued trust and collaboration.

What we are looking for

We are looking for a candidate educated to degree level in a science subject, preferably chemistry, with over three years of demonstrable experience working in a laboratory environment and familiarity with GxP procedures. At least one year of people management experience is required. The ideal candidate will also have hands-on experience with HPLC and the Empower data handling platform. Familiarity with MERPs or SAP would be advantageous, though not essential.

The role demands an enthusiastic and hard-working individual who shows willingness to contribute and improve processes. Strong confidence and communication skills are necessary to challenge behaviours and drive continuous improvement. The candidate must be capable of working independently and performing under pressure. A customer-focused mindset, teamwork, strong organisational skills, and the ability to prioritise tasks effectively are all essential traits for success in this role.