Scientific Operations Manager in Oxford

At the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), we’re on a mission to translate scientific discovery into real world impact. We bring together visionary scientists, technologists, engineers, researchers, educators and innovators to tackle humanity’s greatest challenges in four transformative areas: Health, Medical Science & Generative Biology, Food Security & Sustainable Agriculture, Climate Change & Managing CO₂, Artificial Intelligence & Robotics. This is ambitious work that demands curiosity, courage, and a relentless drive to make a difference. At EIT, you’ll join a community built on excellence, innovation, tenacity, trust, and collaboration, where bold ideas become real-world breakthroughs.

Your Role:

We are hiring Scientific Operations Managers to oversee laboratory facilities within either the Materials and Devices for Life Science Institute or the Plant Biology Institute. You will lead the design, setup, and daily operations of high-throughput labs, ensuring equipment, infrastructure and processes meet our scientific, safety and quality standards. Responsibilities include procuring and maintaining equipment, managing supplies and inventory, troubleshooting facility issues, and serving as the primary operational contact, including out-of-hours support when needed.

Materials and Devices for Life Science Institute:

Work focuses on 3D tissue construction, nanopore sensing/sequencing, device engineering, and applied sequencing. Candidates should bring technical expertise in one or more relevant areas such as protein/small-molecule analysis, synthetic or living tissue from human cells, or device production in clinical environments.

Plant Biology Institute:

Work focuses on improving global food production and sustainability through advanced plant science. Relevant experience includes molecular biology, plant cell culture, and plant growth.

We seek candidates with strong scientific backgrounds, laboratory management experience, and an understanding of high-throughput facilities. Core hours are Monday to Friday, 08:30–17:30, based on site, with occasional flexibility required.

Key Responsibilities:

• Facility Design and Development: Work with design and construction teams to build fit-for-purpose research facilities aligned with end-user needs and MEP requirements. Experience designing and scaling laboratory facilities in a start-up environment. Liaise with suppliers to procure equipment, consumables, reagents and accessories. Ensure required licences and regulations (signage, PPE, SOPs, COSHH, etc.) are met. Work with central teams to establish systems such as LIMS, QMS, EMS and BMS.
• Facility Management: Oversee daily laboratory operations, ensuring efficient workflow and quality standards. Manage laboratory staff (hiring, training, mentoring, performance management). Implement and enforce safety procedures in line with GLP, ISO, HTA and other standards. Monitor critical lab conditions (temperature, humidity, air quality). Assess and support structural, mechanical or electrical modifications; optimise space and equipment for diverse research needs.
• Equipment Management: Ensure equipment, consumables and reagents are maintained and available for research use. Oversee maintenance, calibration and troubleshooting of instruments. Maintain lab cleanliness, space optimisation and operational readiness of all equipment. Work with external vendors for equipment servicing and repairs.
• Operational Support: Develop and implement SOPs to ensure consistent and compliant processes. Troubleshoot workflow issues to prevent delays in project timelines.
• Inventory and Supply Chain Management: Manage inventory with technicians, inventory managers and finance/procurement teams. Coordinate procurement to secure necessary materials and resources. Track and document inventory, ensuring timely resupply to avoid delays. Maintain systems for handling, storing and disposing of hazardous materials safely and compliantly.
• Collaboration with Research and Development Teams: Work with scientific leadership to align facilities with research needs and objectives. Act as key facilities contact, providing updates and recommending improvements. Ensure laboratory operations support scientific timelines and goals; contribute to project planning and strategy.
• Quality Assurance and Compliance: Ensure compliance with safety, regulatory and quality standards (e.g., GxP, ISO, HTA). Implement QC processes to ensure accuracy and reproducibility of results. Support internal and external audits and inspections. Maintain documentation of processes, workflows and sample handling per regulations.

Requirements:

Essential & Desirable Skills, Qualifications & Experience:

• Educated to a minimum of BSc (up to PhD) in a relevant scientific field.
• Experienced lab professional with significant laboratory experience, including evidential exposure in a management or supervisory role.
• Proven experience managing a high-throughput laboratory and overseeing both equipment and staff.
• Strong leadership and team management skills, capable of motivating and developing diverse laboratory teams.
• Excellent problem-solving and troubleshooting skills in high-tech or complex laboratory environments.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities.
• In-depth knowledge of laboratory operations, equipment maintenance, safety standards and regulatory compliance.
• Familiarity with laboratory safety protocols, quality management systems and regulatory frameworks (e.g., GLP, GxP, ISO).
• Proficiency with laboratory management software, inventory systems and data tracking tools.
• Effective communication skills and ability to collaborate across multidisciplinary teams.
• Detail-oriented, analytical and able to make critical decisions under pressure.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with a flexible, solutions-focused approach.
• Demonstrated commitment to maintaining a safe, efficient and compliant laboratory environment.
• Experience working within start-ups, scale-ups or rapidly evolving R&D environments.
• Previous responsibility for scaling laboratory facilities or implementing new systems (e.g., LIMS, QMS, EMS, BMS).
• Experience working with specialised technologies aligned to Materials & Devices or Plant Biology research.
• Additional certifications related to laboratory safety, compliance or quality systems.

Benefits:

Salary: £50,000 - £60,000 + travel allowance + bonus. Enhanced holiday pay, Pension, Life Assurance, Income Protection, Private Medical Insurance, Hospital Cash Plan, Therapy Services, Perk Box, Electric Car Scheme.

Working Together - What It Involves:

You must have the right to work permanently in the UK with a willingness to travel as necessary. You will live in, or within easy commuting distance of, Oxford. During peak periods, some longer hours may be required and some working across multiple time zones due to the global nature of the programme. This position will be fully office based, Monday – Friday. Please ensure you are happy with this before applying.