Senior Quality Control Analyst (Senior QC Analyst) in Oxford

Location: Kidlington, Oxfordshire, UK

Department: Quality, Quality Control

Reporting to: Manager, Quality

Type: Full-time, permanent

About the role

We are looking for a Senior Quality Control Analyst to join our Quality Control team in Kidlington, Oxfordshire. This is a hands-on senior laboratory role for an experienced analytical scientist who is confident working independently, taking ownership of priorities, and maintaining high standards of cGMP compliance, data integrity, and right-first-time documentation. Chromatography, particularly HPLC, is central to the role. You will be expected to run and troubleshoot HPLC analyses confidently and use Waters Empower for data acquisition, processing, and review. We are looking for someone dynamic, proactive, and keen to learn; someone who is comfortable switching between routine testing, investigations, validation/verification, equipment activities, and new-product work as priorities change.

Key responsibilities

• Hands-on analytical QC and chromatography
• Perform and review routine and non-routine QC testing of incoming materials and finished products, generating accurate, reliable results within agreed timelines.
• Set up, run, process, review, and troubleshoot HPLC analyses; use Waters Empower confidently for sequence setup, data acquisition, processing, integration/review, and compliant documentation.
• QC operations, adaptability, and delivery
• Plan and prioritise your own workload, balancing routine testing with investigations, project work, validation activities, and changing laboratory priorities.
• Move confidently between different tasks, methods, products, and pieces of equipment while maintaining accuracy, pace, and cGMP compliance.
• Identify problems early, take initiative, and drive practical solutions rather than waiting for direction; communicate risks, delays, and priorities clearly to the wider Quality team.
• Quality systems and investigations
• Lead or support deviations, OOS/OOT results, and laboratory investigations; coordinate testing and produce clear, scientifically sound investigation narratives and conclusions.
• Perform root cause analysis and risk assessments, define appropriate CAPAs, support effectiveness checks, and help ensure actions are completed on time.
• Author or review controlled documents within delegated authority, including SOPs, test methods, specifications, logbooks, CoAs, and quality reports; support relevant change controls.
• Technical leadership and team contribution
• Act as a subject matter expert for assigned methods, products, and equipment; provide practical guidance on execution, troubleshooting, and data interpretation.
• Coach and support other analysts in analytical technique, cGMP/GDP, data integrity, and good documentation practices; contribute positively to a collaborative and flexible QC team.
• Validation, equipment, and audits
• Support or lead method verification, validation, and transfer activities, including protocol review, laboratory execution, data review, troubleshooting, and reporting.
• Support equipment qualification and lifecycle activities, including IQ/OQ/PQ, calibration, planned maintenance, troubleshooting, and out-of-service controls where required.
• Support internal, external, and regulatory audits/inspections; present QC data and laboratory activities clearly and contribute to timely responses and follow-up actions.

What we're looking for

• Essential
• Degree (or equivalent) in chemistry, pharmaceutical science, or another relevant scientific discipline.
• Strong practical experience in a cGMP Quality Control laboratory, with the confidence to work independently and make sound scientific decisions with minimal supervision.
• Strong hands-on HPLC experience, including chromatographic troubleshooting, system suitability, data interpretation, and review of analytical results.
• Practical experience using Waters Empower chromatography data software for acquisition, processing, integration, and data review in a regulated laboratory environment.
• Good working knowledge of cGMP, Good Documentation Practice, and data integrity, with experience of laboratory investigations such as deviations and OOS/OOT results.
• A proactive, adaptable, and curious mindset: eager to learn new methods and systems, able to switch between competing tasks and priorities, and willing to take initiative and ownership.
• Desirable
• Experience with additional analytical techniques and/or broader chromatography, together with method validation, verification, or transfer experience.
• Experience supporting equipment qualification, calibration, and laboratory lifecycle activities.
• Experience coaching or training other analysts, supporting audits/inspections, and communicating technical findings clearly to colleagues at different levels.

What we offer

• Competitive salary, dependent on experience.
• Competitive contributory pension and a comprehensive benefits package.
• A varied, hands-on senior role with real ownership, technical challenge, and opportunities to learn, develop, and make a visible contribution across Quality and the wider business.

How to apply

If you are interested in this role, please send an updated CV and a short note highlighting your hands-on HPLC, Waters Empower, cGMP QC, and laboratory investigation experience.