Microbiology Services Lead

You are an experienced microbiology professional with a strong scientific foundation—ideally holding a degree in microbiology or a related discipline—and a solid track record gained in a food or beverage manufacturing environment. You excel in leading laboratory teams in fast‑paced settings and bring a proactive, hands‑on approach to problem‑solving.

You demonstrate high standards of integrity and a deep commitment to food safety, GMP, and GLP. With strong analytical capabilities, you can interpret trends, manage risk, and confidently communicate insights across all levels of the business. You collaborate naturally, champion continuous improvement, and support the growth of your team and colleagues.

In this role, you will lead and develop the microbiology laboratory team, ensuring they deliver high‑quality, timely, and reliable results. You will maintain full compliance with internal standards, regulatory requirements, and industry guidelines, while ensuring the laboratory is always audit‑ready. You will manage testing schedules, equipment calibration, media preparation, and consumables, ensuring everything operates seamlessly.

A key part of your contribution will be investigating trends in microbiological performance across raw materials, processes, products, and the environment. Using root‑cause methodologies, you will identify risks, provide insights, and drive continuous improvement. You will communicate microbiological data clearly and promptly to site leadership and cross‑functional teams, helping them make informed decisions. You will also oversee method development, validation, and maintenance, and support problem‑solving by providing scientific expertise whenever required.

This is an opportunity to shape and elevate a critical technical function within a major SBFE manufacturing site. You will have visible impact on product safety, operational performance, and the development of a highly skilled laboratory team. You will operate in a supportive culture that values continuous learning, collaboration, and innovation. The role provides a platform for professional growth, with opportunities to deepen your technical expertise, strengthen your leadership capability, and contribute meaningfully to the ongoing success of the site.

To excel in this role, you will bring a degree or equivalent qualification in microbiology or a related scientific discipline, alongside experience gained in a food or beverage production environment. You will have strong working knowledge of GLP, HACCP, GMP, and microbiological methods, paired with the confidence to lead a team in a dynamic setting. Your success will come from a combination of analytical strength, attention to detail, and the ability to interpret and communicate data effectively. A flexible approach, proactive mindset, strong integrity, and the ability to collaborate seamlessly across teams will all be essential to thriving in this position.