Laboratory IT Lead

NHS Orkney is committed to delivering excellent care to our 22,000 residents. Whether you’re new to the NHS or bringing experience from elsewhere, your skills will make a real difference.

Our modern healthcare facility, The Balfour, brings together inpatient care, emergency services, outpatient clinics, diagnostics, GP practices and the Scottish Ambulance Service. We’re also investing in services across our outer isles, ensuring high-quality care reaches every corner of Orkney.

We are guided by our core values that shape everything we do – Open and honest, Respect and Kindness – from how we care for our patients to how we support each other as colleagues.

With over 70 islands – 20 of them inhabited – Orkney offers a unique blend of natural beauty, close-knit community and an opportunity for adventure. From dramatic coastlines and rare wildlife to rich cultural traditions and active lifestyles, it’s a place where compassion thrives and every day brings something new. Regularly named one of the UK’s best places to live, Orkney offers a lifestyle that’s both fulfilling and inspiring.

As the Laboratory IT Lead, you will be responsible for the strategic management, maintenance, support and ongoing development of the laboratory's information systems, ensuring they operate safely, effectively and reliably to support the delivery of high-quality diagnostic services. You will lead on the management of the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) and other associated laboratory applications, ensuring systems remain fit for purpose and aligned with operational and regulatory requirements.

Working closely with system suppliers and the NHS Orkney Information Technology Department, you will oversee the optimisation of laboratory IT systems and integrations, driving continuous improvement and ensuring continuity of service across the laboratory. You will act as the principal point of contact for laboratory information systems, providing expert technical guidance and support to users while promoting best practice in system use and governance.

The postholder will be responsible for maintaining and developing Standard Operating Procedures relating to laboratory information systems and will support service improvement through the production, analysis and interpretation of workload, performance and epidemiological data. As the laboratory's lead specialist for digital systems, you will also represent NHS Orkney on regional and national laboratory IT and informatics groups, contributing to the development of future laboratory information systems and helping to shape best practice across NHS Scotland.

You will be educated to degree level in Biomedical Science, Information Technology or a related discipline, with significant experience of laboratory information systems and the management, configuration and support of complex IT systems. You will have a strong understanding of NHS and laboratory environments, including the use of information to support service delivery, performance monitoring and decision-making.

The successful candidate will have practical experience of database administration and querying, including the use of SQL, alongside experience of IT project delivery, change management and training others. You will be a confident user of Microsoft Office applications and be able to develop clear and effective Standard Operating Procedures.

With excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, you will be capable of troubleshooting complex technical issues and communicating specialist information effectively to technical, scientific and non-specialist audiences. A high level of professionalism, attention to detail and an understanding of…