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Job summary

Main area
QC Lab
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 5
Contract
Permanent: 37.5 hours per week
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Monday to Friday - some weekend or bank holiday working may be required)
Job ref
345-PAT7039762-A
Employer
North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
North Tees
Town
Stockton on Tees
Salary
£29,970 - £36,483 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
07/07/2025 23:59

Employer heading

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust logo

Lead Technician – Analytical Microbiology

NHS AfC: Band 5

At North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, our main priority is, and always will be, providing safe and high quality care to our patients every day; the kind of care we would want for ourselves and our loved ones.

If you share our passion then apply for this opportunity and help us make our patients’ experience the best it can possibly be.

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital-based services to the population of Hartlepool, Stockton on Tees and parts of East Durham and Sedgefield as well as community, therapeutic and screening to a wider population across Durham and Teesside.

Job overview

Advert may close once sufficient number of applications is reached

Stockton Quality Control Laboratory is an NHS service which is an MHRA Inspected contract laboratory. The laboratory provides a range of pharmaceutical testing services including analytical chemistry, microbiology, clean room testing, medical gas testing and theatre testing. 

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Lead Technician in Antimicrobial to support the ongoing development of the service. 

We are looking for a highly motivated individual with a Degree in Microbiology or a related field, with experience in a GMP environment to join our team working into our internal services. 

Main duties of the job

Under the direction of the Head of Internal Services the post holder is responsible for the co-ordination of workload in the analytical microbiology section to meet contracted turnarounds. This will require the supervision Technicians along with  Senior and Assistant Technical Officers in the analytical microbiology section of the laboratory along with the performing a range of analytical tests on pharmaceutical microbiology test samples. As part of the role the post holder is expected to have or develop an understanding of the principles of current Good Manufacturing Practice and Data Integrity Guidelines. 

Working for our organisation

At North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust our main priority is, and always will be, to provide safe and high quality care to our patients every day; the kind of care we would want for ourselves and our loved ones. We want our organisation to be the best place to work with the right staff, in the right roles, at the right time, to ensure we deliver exceptional patient care and experience.

We are an Active Hospital and strongly encourage participation of all staff and patients.  We expect MECC for all our people interactions.

We will support staff through providing an inclusive and supportive workplace with health and well-being initiatives, staff benefits and opportunities for personal and professional development.  Staff recognition is very important to us; as well as performance reviews and appraisals, we recognise staff through Star and Team of the month, colleague recognition – a note of thanks, Managers Awards, Shining Stars and Service Awards.

We recruit for values and “Together we are North Tees & Hartlepool”

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

       Under the direction of the Head of Internal Services and under the professional supervision of the Head Microbiologist to supervise and organise the work of Technicians, SATO’s and Assistant Technical Officers working in the analytical microbiology section of the laboratory. 

       To liaise with other Lead Technicians within Internal Services to ensure that resources are co-ordinated to the needs of the service

       To perform a range of microbiological analyses on a variety of pharmaceutical and other samples using instrumental and classical microbiology techniques

  Working with the Head Microbiologist to provide judgement on the result of analytical tests to staff and customers of the laboratory.

 To supervise and undertake the validation of microbiology kits and sterility test samples by challenge testing in accordance with laboratory procedures

 To supervise the monitoring of incubation temperatures and storage conditions using the Tutela monitoring system

 To plan the workload to ensure samples within the analytical microbiology section of the laboratory are tested in accordance with agreed procedures and within contracted turnarounds 

To plan the workload and allocate staff within the Microbiology Identification Service and to ensure contracted turnarounds are met

To ensure that adequate stocks of consumables and equipment used in the microbiology section of the laboratory

To ensure that deviations, change controls and out of specification results are raised as appropriate according local procedures within a timely manner and any required actions are acted upon. This may include investigation of deviations within own section under the direction of the Quality Manager

Author controlled documents as appropriate. Approve procedures, forms, methods and specifications as appropriate.

 

Person specification

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Significant experience in similar role in a similar environment.

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Organisational skills
  • Planning skills
  • Approachable and easy to talk to.
  • Logical and calm.
  • Polite and considered in responses to queries
  • Ability to deal with customers in a polite neutral and responsive way
  • Ability to represent the service in the best light
  • It skills for documenting customer queries and planning the service - MS excel and word in particular
Desirable criteria
  • Ability to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances without flapping or sharing stress with customers

Adaptability

Essential criteria
  • Innovative and ability to think of creative and efficient ways of documenting and planning.

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Ability to communicate well, putting people at ease and striking an immediate rapport
Desirable criteria
  • Flexible and adaptable.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Veteran AwareApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleAge positiveDisability confident leaderDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - SilverMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Dying to Work CharterStep into healthArmed Forces Covenant

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Katy Robins
Job title
Head of Internal Services
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01642 383800
Additional information

For further info contact Vicky Tickle Head Microbiologist 01642 383800

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