Automation Team Lead

Job title: Laboratory Automation Team Leader

Reports to: Head of Automation & Technical Services

Location: Manchester Science Park

Contract Type: Full-time, Permanent

Salary & Benefits: Competitive Salary + Benefits Package

About Yourgene Health:

Yourgene Health is a leading integrated technologies and services business, enabling the delivery of genomic medicine. The group works in partnership with global leaders in DNA technology to advance diagnostic science.

Yourgene primarily develops, manufactures, and commercialises simple and accurate molecular diagnostic solutions, for reproductive health, precision medicine and infectious diseases. The Group's flagship in vitro diagnostic products include non -invasive prenatal tests (NIPT) for Down's Syndrome and other genetic disorders, Cystic Fibrosis screening tests, invasive rapid aneuploidy tests and DPYD genotyping.

Yourgene has a range of innovative DNA sample preparation platforms, powered by Ranger® Technology, the Yourgene LightBench® and Yourgene QS250, ideal for cell free DNA applications in NIPT and oncology including liquid biopsy.

Yourgene also has a global laboratory service network equipped to be a full life-cycle partner for clinical, research and pharmaceutical organisations to support partners at the preclinical, clinical, and post market stage to develop, manufacture, obtain regulatory approval and commercialise new products and services. In addition, Yourgene offers and NIPT and high throughput Covid testing service.

Yourgene Health is headquartered in Manchester, UK with facilities in Taipei, Singapore, the US and Canada.

Our Culture:

Yourgene is a growing, vibrant and exciting place to work, we are looking for committed driven individuals to be part of our next growth journey. Our culture is described by our employee's as collegiate, friendly, professional, innovative, open and fast paced. We have nay social and well-being initiatives run by our Social Huddle that keep our sense of community alive during challenging times that the pandemic has thrown our way. At Yourgene we focus on putting values led programmes in place to ensure that we can attract, retain and develop our people. We want our people to have a career with Yourgene and we ensure that they are recognised and rewarded for their achievements and commitment, everyone plays a critical role in our growth journey.

Description of role:

Yourgene Health, part of the Novacyt Group, are recruiting for a Laboratory Automation Team Leader based at Manchester Science Park. The Laboratory Automation Team Leader will lead teams involved in the Automation and System Integration of in vitro diagnostic products and services, contributing to the overall scale-up automation initiatives, particularly in the domains of manufacturing and operations.

Overall responsibility:

The Laboratory Automation Team Leader will be an expert in the Automation area, who can provide scientific expertise, people leadership and technical leadership. Ensures team people and skill development along with resource planning is effective and aligned with priorities set out by R&D management. Drives team forward and ensures work is well planned and executed to a high quality in a timely fashion. Contributes to the shaping of automation strategy.

Key areas of responsibility:

• Team leadership and people management, along with identifying strategic and tactical improvements to function
• Effective short- and long-term resource planning, aligned against priorities and team member’s skills
• Project planning in collaboration with Project Leads:
• Ensures project planning for work-packages within own area is performed effectively
• Contribute to overall project planning while factoring in system level thinking
• Lead and participate in activities requiring cross functional collaboration, including leading complex projects
• Ensures delivery of automation workflows and applications by:
• Provision of expert input into study design and data interpretation, in particular to analyze, understand and control the variation in automated processes
• Designing and optimising automation workflows to ensure they are compatible with test reagents and meet scientific and user needs, in addition to usability requirements
• In collaboration with the Software Development function, design and optimise flexible automation system architectures which:
• Enable efficient storage and retrieval of workflow configuration and live operational data, and
• Allow interfaces to be established both between automation instruments and to integrate effectively with external systems (e.g. LIMS)
• Ensure correct data transfer and traceability between automation platforms and LIMS systems
• Evaluate emerging automation technologies and tools, providing recommendations for their adoption to enhance operational and manufacturing efficiency
• Lead the integration of new automation solutions into existing systems and processes
• Supporting Innovation, Assay Development, Validation and Design Transfer where required
• Work collaboratively with other Team Leaders to ensure overall process SOPs, process flows, standardized plans & reports enable fully integrated and seamless development
• Ensure planning and reporting of studies and other activities is accurate and detailed
• Efficient and effective documentation
• Data generation, integrity and organized data management
• Provide accurate and concise data interpretation, factoring in systems-level thinking
• Meeting regulatory or other requirements
• Ensure other team members, cross functional colleagues and customers can be trained in the use of laboratory automation equipment and software
• Ensure that automation solutions adhere to industry standards, regulatory requirements, and quality control measures
• Owns external relationships, including through grant applications, KOLs and partners
• Supports the identification of commercially and technically useful solutions for test development
• Ensure own work and that of junior staff is performed in line with company goals
• Support and provide guidance to junior staff

Qualifications, Skills and Abilities:

• Degree or further degree (or equivalent) in a life science such as molecular biology, biochemistry or genetics
• Typically 10+ years of relevant experience with
• Minimum 3 years of supervisory or line management experience
• Able to manage a team of automation scientists and technicians, motivate as well as providing leadership and guidance
• Experience with a range of automated liquid handlers, plate readers, automation software and equipment, e.g. PerkinElmer, Beckman, Hamilton, Agilent, Tecan
• Experience with automation system architectures including internal and external interfacing of components and storage of configuration and live operational data
• Software programming skills including but not limit to Python/VBA for robotic operation, definition of graphical user interfaces and SQL database access
• Working knowledge of GLP, as well as instrument qualification and validation
• Excellent grasp of experimental design and execution and able to lead and train others
• Understanding and consideration that changes to one component may impact the entire system (“system level thinking”)
• Enthusiasm, drive, thoroughness, diligence and a willingness to take personal responsibility to ensure that projects are successful
• Good organisational skills and thrives on working to tight timelines
• Able to assimilate knowledge from technically detailed scientific sources
• Can summarize complex scientific data in written form to effectively communicate plans, progress and ideas with Management, Peers or External Audiences
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical abilities
• Experience working with an ERP system would be beneficial
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills
• Good IT skills, including Microsoft Office suite

Closing Date:

Sunday 1st December, 2024

Yourgene Health is committed to encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion among our workforce. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative of all sections of society and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best.