Laboratory Engineering & Operations Manager

Southampton | £30m R&D Innovation Centre | Monday–Friday | Site-based Could you lead the technical operation that keeps nine specialist laboratories running at the cutting edge of science? Beautiful Recruitment is working with a global specialist in laboratory facilities management and scientific equipment maintenance to appoint a Laboratory Engineering & Operations Manager at a prestigious £30 million R&D Innovation Centre in Southampton.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Laboratory Manager, Laboratory Operations Manager, Laboratory Engineering Manager, Laboratory Services Manager, Technical Operations Manager or Scientific Equipment Manager to take responsibility for a complex, highly technical laboratory environment. The site is home to more than 400 scientists and engineers, working across nine specialist laboratories and technical spaces to deliver world-class research and product development.

You'll play an important role in keeping this scientific operation running smoothly, ensuring the equipment, engineering support and technical services are available when researchers need them. And with a diverse range of equipment — from laboratory automation and benchtop systems through to HPLC, GC-MS, mass spectrometry, autoclaves, refrigerators and freezers — there is plenty of variety. The role Our client has been appointed to manage the laboratory equipment assets and maintenance services across the Southampton site.

As the Laboratory Engineering & Operations Manager, you'll have overall responsibility for the delivery of laboratory equipment service and maintenance across all nine laboratories and work spaces. You'll lead a team of four, including laboratory equipment engineers, calibration technicians and a laboratory service coordinator. You'll work closely with the customer's Laboratory Managers and wider site teams, ensuring the engineering and equipment service operation consistently delivers a high-quality service.

This is a hands-on leadership role combining people management, laboratory operations, engineering services, customer relationships and continuous improvement. What you'll be doing You'll lead and develop the on-site technical team, creating a collaborative and high-performing environment. You'll oversee planned preventative maintenance, reactive maintenance, calibration, troubleshooting and laboratory equipment servicing, ensuring work is completed efficiently and with minimal disruption to the scientific teams.

You'll manage third-party service agreements and coordinate external vendors working on site, making sure service levels, quality and customer expectations are maintained. You'll monitor operational performance through KPIs, customer satisfaction and service delivery metrics, identifying opportunities to improve efficiency and reliability. You'll also manage budgets, asset information and operational reporting, using SAP and other CRM or asset management systems to maintain effective control.

Working closely with Laboratory Managers and key stakeholders, you'll build strong relationships and become a trusted point of contact for laboratory engineering and equipment services. You'll also play an important role in recruiting, coaching, mentoring and developing your team, helping to build a skilled and engaged technical workforce. As the operation continues to develop, you'll have the opportunity to introduce continuous improvement initiatives and new ways of working that enhance the service delivered across the site.

Who could this role suit? We're particularly interested in experienced laboratory and technical leaders who are ready for their next challenge. You may currently be a:

Laboratory Manager, Laboratory Operations Manager,…