Senior Technical Specialist - Global Laboratories

Alfred H Knight has an exciting opportunity for a Senior Technical Specialist to join our team here in Liverpool, UK.

Based at UK Headquarters within the Analysis Division, the Group Technical team provides technical leadership across the Group’s global laboratories. Partnering with regional management, the team ensures analytical reliability, consistency, and capability through specialist expertise, standardisation, knowledge sharing, and complex issue resolution across metals and minerals laboratories.

Reporting to Senior Laboratory Management, the Senior Technical Specialist is responsible for providing hands-on technical support across the Group’s international laboratory network. The role will travel to regional laboratories and client sites to investigate technical issues, troubleshoot analytical and operational challenges, support the implementation of new methods and technologies, and work alongside laboratory teams to improve technical capability, efficiency and service delivery. Acting as a technical subject matter expert, the role will provide practical solutions that strengthen laboratory performance and ensure client requirements are consistently achieved.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Technical Leadership & Advisory

• Provide day-to-day technical leadership for laboratory operations across the global network, reporting to the Group Laboratory Quality and Technical Lead.
• Serve as a specialist technical advisor to the Laboratory Senior Leadership Team, supporting global development, continuous improvement programmes, and broader business goals.
• Develop achievable project targets, establish key performance indicators, and utilize technical reports to provide data-driven recommendations.

Operational Excellence & Technical Governance

• Assist the Laboratory Senior Leadership Team in verifying that all testing systems and protocols maintain high-quality analytical standards.
• Ensure selected analytical methods meet required accuracy standards and verify laboratory personnel proficiency.
• Maintain thorough knowledge of and ensure compliance with ISO standards and technical validation requirements.

• Cross-Cultural Teamwork: The ability to foster collaboration and build effective partnerships across diverse regional teams and cultural contexts.
• Interpersonal Awareness: Demonstrating the ability to understand team dynamics and adapt behaviour to foster collaborative relationships, which is essential when working across different sites.
• Functional knowledge of and understanding of the requirements pertaining to ISO 17025 & ISO9001 in the management of a commercial assay laboratory.
• Influencing without Authority: The ability to build consensus and drive change across global teams without direct line management.
• Communication: Summarizing complex technical situations, analytical challenges, or risk impacts into concise, actionable insights for senior non-technical stakeholders.
• Strategic Awareness: Providing technical justification for laboratory equipment and resource planning.
• Cultural Sensitivity: Demonstrating geographical awareness and cultural sensitivity when engaging with diverse global teams.

Required Work Experience

• Proven experience of a minimum of 10 years in a commercial analytical laboratory environment.
• Hands-on experience in relevant analytical instrumentation (e.g., WDXRF, EDXRF, FAAS, ICP, ICPMS, Fire assay).
• Proven experience in the metals and minerals industry and knowledge of ISO 17025.
• Experience in supervising teams in a laboratory setting.
• Experience using Microsoft Office and Google suite of applications., * Education: A BSc/Degree in Chemistry, Analytical Science, or a related technical discipline is highly preferred.
• Experience Equivalence: Substantial, verified industry experience in a laboratory environment may be considered in lieu of a formal degree.
• Professional Development: Recognized internal auditor training for ISO 17025 or ISO 9001 is highly desirable. Candidates without this will be expected to complete training within the first 6 months.

We are offering an excellent opportunity with a salary and benefits package to match including pension, life assurance and an employee assistance programme.

If you are invited to interview, please let us know if there are any reasonable adjustments we can make to the recruitment process that will enable you to perform to the best of your ability.

Alfred H Knight is a totally independent, family owned business spanning five generations. A global network of strategically placed offices and laboratories enable global trade by providing independent inspection, analysis and consultancy services to the metals and minerals, solid fuels and agriculture industries.