Laboratory and Logistics Facility Manager (GLAD)

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About us:

The post will be based in the KCL Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, within the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN).

The Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry (SGDP) Centre is uncovering the genetic and environmental influences on mental health and psychiatric disorders. Our research encompasses behavioural genetics, molecular genetics, experimental psychology and psychiatry, and neuroimaging. Scientists at the SGDP lead some of the UK's foremost longitudinal cohort and twin studies including TEDS, eRISK, Dunedin, IMAGEN and GLAD.

The NIHR BioResource Centre Maudsley leads the NIHR BioResource for Mental Health. We focus on recruiting participants experiencing mental health conditions, as well as healthy people.

Alongside GLAD MHG and The GLAD study, Prof. Breen's team boasts an accomplished portfolio of clinical and genetic studies which aim to improve treatment and outcomes for those affected by anxiety, depression, eating disorders and other mental health conditions.

About the role:

We are seeking a highly experienced, motivated and well organised operational leader and genomics workflow expert who will be responsible for maintaining and improving all aspects of our genomic and biobanking services, in addition to overseeing a large team of Research Assistants and Lab Technicians. The post holder will provide operational lab leadership across both King's Genomics and the GLAD Mental Health Goals programme. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge genomics and biomarker research through large scale sample collection (Biobanking), GWAS, long read sequencing and assay development, while playing a central role in the operation and development of both facilities.

The postholder will be responsible for all service offerings including sample processing, biobanking, high-throughput genotyping, ISO17025 lab accreditation, biomarker assays, and sequencing. The successful candidate will oversee day to day management and support the future development of the facilities, in a financially sustainable manner. The post holder will support multiple projects simultaneously, manage grade 5-7 staff, and deliver high-quality technical assistance and training to internal/external academic researchers and industrial/commercial clients, offering expert advice to meet their research objectives and service needs.

This is a senior role in lab research and service provision management, requiring a high level of technical expertise and strategic leadership. The post holder will be responsible for managing the GLAD MHG Labs, King's Genomics Core Facility. The successful candidate will have in-depth knowledge and hands-on experience in genomics, including sample preparation, instrument operation for sample handling and automated data acquisition. In addition to technical expertise, working with the facility academic lead, they will play a key role in driving the strategic development of the facility, optimising workflows, and implementing best practices to enhance efficiency and increase research output. The facility manager will provide guidance to the BioResource and King's Genomics lab team, whilst supporting researchers with experimental design, troubleshooting, and training. Strong organisational and leadership skills are essential to ensure the facility operates effectively and continues to evolve in line with advancements in genomics and align with the strategic goals of the faculty and King's.

This is a full-time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract until 31st March 2028.

About you:

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. PhD or Msc in molecular biology, genetics, biotechnology, biochemistry, or a related field or equivalent experience.
2. Extensive of complex laboratory process including blood and DNA/RNA processing techniques
3. Managing quality control and troubleshooting to maintain data integrity.
4. Highly experienced in high-throughput project logistics and familiarity with Hamilton and TeCAN automation pipelines.
5. Experienced in team and line management.
6. Evidence of writing and contributing to reports and documentation for regulatory approvals and pipeline performance.

Desirable criteria

1. Ability to deal and interact positively with a wide range of people to develop working relationships with team members and academic, clinical and administrative staff.
2. Strategic management of laboratory facilities.
3. Experience with Oxford Nanopore sequencing technologies

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Further information:

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our 'How we Recruit' pages.