Reagents Production Laboratory Manager

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Job Summary

This exciting role is responsible for managing a passionate team producing red cell reagents, chemicals, and enzymes, which are supplied to hospitals and blood transfusion services.

The role includes daily planning, quality management and resolving operational issues to ensure our customers receive high quality products, on-time. This role will give you the opportunity to take the lead on changes within the laboratory and ensure continuous improvement is in place throughout.

This is an exciting opportunity to develop your capabilities in a progressive organisation that offers an array of development opportunities. We are committed to growing talent within our team and helping our staff achieve their goals. You will be based in a stimulating working environment supporting a team that is both professional and friendly, providing a great place to work.

Main duties of the job

In this role you will be responsible for the production of serological reagents at our Liverpool Reagents unit (part of Red Cell Immunohaematology). Your responsibilities will include:

1. Managing the production of the full range of Reagents products, to relevant standards including but not limited to ISO13485, IVDD, GMP and NHSBT's quality management system.
2. Ensuring production of reagents to the highest quality standards.
3. Ensuring timely fulfilment of orders and will play the lead role in National procurement of raw materials for NHSBT Reagents.
4. Managing day-to-day activities including planning, allocation of work, checking work and quality of service, and ensuring high quality results of production.
5. Working closely with the team, customers, and suppliers to maintain and improve the service offered by NHSBT Reagents.
6. Being knowledgeable on a broad range of specialist Manufacturing and Transfusion matters.
7. Investigating manufacturing problems and analyse, interpret, document and report on investigations.

You will be required to travel and spend time away from base, which will involve working irregular hours and overnight stays when required, with prior notice.

About You

Experience and Knowledge

1. Experience of working in a highly regulated environment, relevant to diagnostic services including in depth knowledge of standards and guidelines affecting laboratory practice and reagents production.
2. Experience of working in a continuous improvement culture including the provision of value for money and service development.
3. Well Developed specialist knowledge in manufacturing processes, Transfusion, RCI and regulatory compliance.
4. Skilled in audit, validation of equipment, processes, research and development activity.
5. Experienced in working with spreadsheets, data analysis and standard word software packages.
6. Experience of and previous involvement with organisational change programmes.
7. Project management experience – leading on projects.

Experience of working with information technology using Microsoft Office packages (Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams and PowerPoint).

Qualifications and Training

1. First level science degree.
2. MSc in transfusion related science or Fellowship of Institute of Biomedical Science (FIBMS) or equivalent.
3. Postgraduate Management qualification or significant operational management experience – managing a complex scientific service. OR equivalent demonstrable experience to Masters level.
4. Demonstrates commitment to own continued professional development (CPD).

About Us

It takes all types of people to deliver the kind of service that saves and improves lives. At NHS Blood and Transplant, you’ll join a team of more than 6,000 people who are making a genuine difference to communities, families, friends, relatives and more across the UK. We play a unique and special role in the NHS by helping people do something extraordinary- donate blood, blood products, organs, tissues, or stem cells to save someone in need.

Our three core values are what set us apart. They guide and inspire everything we do.

By being caring, expertly meeting the needs of our patients and our people, and accepting nothing less than the best quality, we can do extraordinary work – and help our people to do something extraordinary in their career, too. Three small words, one big difference - Caring, Expert and Quality. Together we'll save and improve more lives than ever.

You will join us on our journey to create an inclusive workplace and aim to reflect the diverse communities we work with, and we positively encourage applications from all sectors of the community.

What we offer:

1. A starting salary of £46,148 to £52,809 per annum in accordance with Agenda for Change (AfC).
2. A full time, permanent opportunity to join as a Band 7, and progress with NHSBT.
3. Opportunity to work with a national organisation and be based in our Liverpool Centre.
4. NHSBT promotes flexible working opportunities where the role will allow.
5. 27 days annual leave (pro rata for part-time) plus Bank Holidays, increasing to 29 days after 5 years’ service and to 33 days after 10 years.
6. NHS pension scheme. The NHS Pension Scheme is a defined benefit scheme (not dependent on investment returns). Further details and outline of benefits can be found at: www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/pensions.

Please view the attached recruitment profile which is a summary of the detailed Job Description and Person Specification for the full personal attributes we require for the role. You will need to demonstrate these throughout the recruitment process.

This vacancy will close at 23:59 on Tuesday 25^th February 2025.

Interviews are anticipated to be held week commencing 10^th March 2025 – subject to confirmation.

For informal enquiries please contact:

Name: Tor Sowden

Job Title: Deputy Head of Reagents

Contact Details: Victoria.sowden@nhsbt.nhs.uk