Operations Manager in Watford

Do you have proven experience of managing operational teams in a laboratory, technical production, logistics, sample management or regulated service environment.

If so, we are looking for you!

You will be responsible for the effective day-to-day running of the Watford site, ensuring that sample receipt, laboratory activity and scheduling operate as one controlled, visible and efficient workflow.

Step Into the Role

The role is accountable for driving operational performance, improving production flow, removing local bottlenecks, and ensuring that samples are received, processed, scheduled and transferred in a way that supports both UK customer delivery and the Poland GDC.

This is a hands-on operational leadership role requiring strong people leadership, structured problem solving, Lean thinking and close collaboration with other UK sites, Customer Services, Quality, Logistics, IT/LIMS teams and the Poland GDC.

The role will also act as the key UK operational lead for Watford input into LIMS implementation and future process design.

• Main Responsibilities Site Operational Leadership
• Lead the daily operation of the Watford site, ensuring safe, controlled and efficient delivery across sample receipt, laboratory activity and scheduling.
• Create clear daily priorities for the team, balancing customer demand, sample flow, capacity, turnaround times and operational constraints.
• Ensure effective handovers, daily communication routines and visible management of workload, risks and blockers.
• Sample Receipt and Workflow Control
• Manage the end-to-end sample receipt workflow, ensuring samples are booked in, prioritised, stored, labelled, transferred and released to the correct transfer process.
• Improve flow from arrival through registration, scheduling, dispatch and laboratory handover, reducing waiting time, rework and avoidable escalation.
• Ensure sample integrity, chain of custody, storage conditions and traceability are maintained at all times.
• Laboratory and Scheduling Management
• Oversee local laboratory activity and scheduling to ensure work is planned, resourced and delivered in line with customer requirements and operational priorities.
• Work closely with UK Operations, Logistics, Customer Services and Laboratory teams to align production plans and remove cross-site bottlenecks.
• Support the development of simple, practical scheduling routines that improve visibility of work in progress, capacity and constraints.
• Lean and Continuous Improvement
• Use Lean methods to identify waste, improve flow, reduce variation and create standard work across the Watford operation.
• Lead practical improvement activities such as 5S, visual management, root cause problem solving, process mapping and daily performance reviews.
• Develop a culture of continuous improvement where colleagues are encouraged to identify issues, suggest improvements and take ownership for local solutions.
• LIMS Implementation and Process Design
• Act as the UK operational lead for the UK side of the LIMS implementation, ensuring future system design reflects real operational workflows and customer requirements.
• Support process mapping, data cleansing, user requirement capture, testing, training and change management for sample receipt, scheduling and local laboratory processes.
• Ensure LIMS implementation is used as an opportunity to simplify processes rather than digitise inefficient manual work.
• UK Site and Poland GDC Collaboration
• Build strong working relationships with other UK sites and the Poland GDC to improve sample flow, communication, priority setting and issue resolution.
• Ensure Watford acts as a reliable operational bridge between UK customer demand and Poland laboratory delivery.
• Escalate operational risks early and work collaboratively across functions to agree practical solutions.
• Quality, Compliance, Health and Safety
• Work with Quality and H&S colleagues to ensure site operations comply with internal procedures, UKAS/ISO 17025 requirements, method requirements and health and safety standards.
• Ensure non conformances, incidents, complaints and operational deviations are investigated, corrected and prevented from recurring.
• Maintain high standards of housekeeping, sample storage, documentation control and operational discipline.
• People Leadership and Development
• Lead, coach and develop the Watford operational teams, setting clear expectations for performance, behaviour, ownership and teamwork.
• Support Team Leaders and Supervisors to become more confident in daily leadership, problem solving and decision making.
• Promote a Leader-Leader culture where colleagues understand the purpose of their work and are trusted to improve the operation.
• Performance Management and Reporting
• Track and report key operational measures including sample volumes, turnaround performance, productivity, backlog, rework, complaints, capacity, overtime and improvement progress.
• Use data to identify trends, root causes and improvement priorities rather than relying on anecdotal escalation.
• Provide clear updates to the Operations Director - UK and relevant stakeholders on performance, risks, blockers and actions.
• Customer and Stakeholder Focus
• Work closely with Customer Services and Commercial colleagues to understand customer priorities, improve responsiveness and reduce operational causes of customer dissatisfaction.
• Ensure operational decisions support customer commitments whilst protecting quality, safety and sample integrity.
• Represent the Watford operation professionally in internal meetings, project forums and cross functional improvement activities.
• Key Measures of Success
• Improved sample flow and reduced operational bottlenecks at Watford.
• Clearer daily visibility of workload, capacity and priorities.
• Improved turnaround performance, productivity and right first time processing.
• Effective UK operational contribution to LIMS design and implementation.
• Stronger collaboration between Watford, other UK sites and the Poland GDC.
• Improved team engagement, ownership and continuous improvement capability.
• Our Offer
• Salary to be discussed
• Based in Watford (free onsite parking), with travel to other UK sites and the Poland GDC as required
• Company benefits include
• Enhanced parental leave
• Health and Wellbeing: £10 towards gym membership, Employee Assistance Programme, Medicash
• 22 days' holiday plus bank holidays (+1 day for every year of service, up to a maximum of 27 days per year).

Your profile Education

• Degree, HND or equivalent experience in a scientific, operational, logistics, engineering or business improvement discipline.
• Lean, Six Sigma or continuous improvement training is desirable.

Experience

• Proven experience of managing operational teams in a laboratory, technical production, logistics, sample management or regulated service environment.
• Experience of managing workflow, scheduling, capacity, productivity and day to day operational performance.
• Experience of leading process improvement, change activity or system implementation is strongly desirable.
• Experience working across multiple sites or with shared service/delivery centres would be advantageous.
• Technical and Operational Knowledge
• Good understanding of sample receipt, chain of custody, laboratory workflows, scheduling and production control.
• Awareness of UKAS/ISO 17025, quality systems, health and safety and regulated laboratory requirements.
• Ability to understand operational data, identify constraints and translate findings into practical improvement actions.
• Leadership Skills
• Strong people leadership with the ability to set direction, build confidence and hold teams to account in a constructive way.
• Clear communicator who can connect frontline colleagues, site leaders, Customer Services, Logistics, Quality, IT and Poland GDC teams.
• Calm, practical and resilient approach to managing pressure, competing priorities and operational disruption.
• Able to apply Lean principles in a practical, accessible way that improves real operational performance.
• Strong problem solving mindset with the ability to separate symptoms from root causes.
• Comfortable using visual management, daily controls, standard work and performance data to drive improvement.
• Systems and Digital Change
• Comfortable working with LIMS, scheduling tools, spreadsheets and operational reporting systems.
• Able to contribute to LIMS requirements, testing, training and adoption from an operational user perspective.
• Understands the need to simplify and standardise processes before system implementation.
• Personal Attributes
• Visible, approachable and hands on leader who spends time in the operation and understands the detail.
• Collaborative and credible across UK and Poland teams.
• High standards for safety, quality, discipline, pace and follow through.
• Forward thinking, improvement focused and able to develop others.

Your New Workplace Normec i2 Analytical is one of Europe's premier and most dynamic laboratories.

We specialise in delivering extensive analytical testing services across various sectors, including environmental, geotechnical, asbestos and occupational hygiene.

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