Quality Technical Specialist

The Environment Agency's Monitoring Laboratories (ML) are seeking a Quality Technical Specialist to implement a Quality Management System (QMS) within our National Fisheries Laboratory (NFL) at Brampton, Cambridgeshire.

You will work alongside a team of technical specialists and delivery leads to understand quality gaps and scope requirements to lead on the integration and implementation of a QMS to align with existing Monitoring Laboratories systems.

You will deliver a programme of works to enable the NFL to meet agreed quality standards, ensuring that the QMS supports analytical work processes and meets the level of quality specified by our customers, and to the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025 standards.

You will work alongside the diagnostic specialists for fish health, ageing and species to ensure that the data they produce is fit for the purpose it is being used, specifically in relation to controlled pathogens and species.

You will be the point of contact with the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to understand requirements to achieving accreditation.

You will be part of the NFL leadership team and Monitoring Laboratories Quality Management Advisory Group and will have links to other groups within DEFRA and beyond. You will implement management procedures and assure that accurate management data is available to the NFL and ML management teams.

You will have a key role in interpreting quality requirements and implementing quality systems to the ISO/IEC 17025 standard and integrating these changes within our processes. You should be able to balance the quality requirements with needs of the customer to ensure that our reputation as a leading laboratory is maintained.

Finally, responding to incidents is a central part of what we do. You will be required to have an incident role and make yourself available to respond to incidents or provide business continuity support during an incident.

The Team

National experts, the NFL protect the environment from risks associated with fish disease and non-native fish species, our work also directly contributes to the organisation's monitoring and regulation of fish and fisheries. We identify, monitor and limit the impact of current and future threats to fisheries and the aquatic environment through the delivery of post-mortem and laboratory diagnostics (parasitology, bacteriology, histology, molecular, ageing) and the provision of technical advice and guidance to inform our regulations., The role will be place based, situated within the National Fisheries Laboratory, Brampton, Cambridgeshire. Occasional travel for meetings and site visits may be required.

We operate a 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday service. You may also have an incident role to support our incident response service, which may on occasion be outside of these hours.

We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities for everyone. We offer flexible working as well as a host of other employee benefits. For further information please download the candidate pack.

Do you have experience in Statistical analysis?, You will have experience of managing and maintaining quality procedures to accredited standards within a laboratory-based environment (ideally ISO/IEC 17025), experience of implementing quality systems is desirable. You will have excellent communication and project management skills. You will have the influencing skills to persuade others to focus on efficiency, innovation, and quality and to embrace change. You will be able to build and sustain relationships with key people inside and outside the organisation and be able to coach others. You will be efficient at problem solving and data analysis and management, an understanding of statistical analysis is desirable. You will need to be highly motivated and organised and be able to work within and across teams and deliver results through others. You will also be able to understand the needs of our customers and place them at the heart of what you do.