Regional Lab Manager

At TFP, we transform lives by guiding families through their fertility journeys with compassion, expertise, and innovation. As Regional Laboratory Manager, you will be at the heart of this mission; leading with care, inspiring your teams, and driving progress across our laboratories. Your leadership will ensure every patient receives an outstanding experience and will help shape the future of fertility care in our region.

The Role:

• Lead two laboratories, ensuring the delivery of highest standards of patient care, manage personnel, resources, regulatory compliance, and quality. Approximate split: 80% management, 20% clinical.
• Member of clinic management teams, contributing to strategy and group-wide projects.
• You bring at least 10 years’ of clinical experience, including time in management roles.
• HCPC registration is required and must have extensive knowledge of the HFE Act and Code of Practice.

Your leadership will directly shape the fertility journeys of our patients and drive innovation across the region. This position is based on-site at both TFP Thames Valley Fertility - Maidenhead and TFP Boston Place - Marylebone. The position is full time working 37.5 hours per week, one day of which can be from home.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead two laboratories, setting the highest standards for clinical practice.
• Empower your laboratory teams to deliver exceptional patient care.
• Mentor and develop staff, fostering a culture of growth, learning and continuous development.
• Communicate results and treatment options to patients with empathy and clarity.
• Champion quality, safety, and regulatory excellence.
• Drive innovation and continuous improvement.
• Represent your region in strategic discussions, KPI meetings and group-wide projects.

Roles and Responsibilities:

Clinical Skills

• Perform all standard embryology and andrology procedures including semen preparation, oocyte collection, insemination via ICSI, fertilisation checks, embryo culture, embryo transfer, embryo biopsy (if required) and cryopreservation of gametes/embryos.
• Recruit, select and screen gamete donors in line with national regulation and TFP policies.
• Ensure all procedures are performed in line with TFP Laboratory SOP’s.
• Communicate results to patients, explain treatment options and the implications.
• Take effective consent from patients.
• Accurately record details of patient cycles in the patient management system and the laboratory notes.
• Perform witnessing and traceability in line with national regulation and TFP policy.

Quality Management

• Ensure adherence to TFP SOPs through audit, direct observation of practice and data analysis.
• Document control laboratory documents, including reviewing content, updating in line with national and TFP policies and distributing documents to laboratory staff.
• Actively manage the laboratory audit programme at both sites, review outcomes and identify areas for improvement/preventative action.
• Actively manage non-conformities within the laboratory area at both sites, ensuring timely resolution, identify and implement corrective & preventative actions, perform root cause analysis and implement shared learning action points.
• Lead along with the Quality Manager/General Manager in responding to patient complaints relating to the laboratory area, ensuring that learnings are disseminated to the team.
• Review and analyse KPI data for the laboratory and identify areas for improvement, including creating action plans to deliver the identified areas for improvement.
• Performance manage and support staff who are outside KPI limits, including providing the training required.
• Manage Health & Safety within the laboratory area ensuring a safe working environment, including the provision of training, protective equipment and ensuring risk assessments are performed and regularly reviewed.
• Regularly review the service and look for opportunities for service improvement, service expansion and improving staff and patient satisfaction.

Resource Management

• Ensure all equipment within both laboratories is validated, serviced and repaired in line with TFP policy and regulatory requirements.
• Manage the levels of equipment within the laboratory ensuring there is sufficient equipment to support the needs of the service and plan for capital expenditure within both laboratories.
• Manage consumable usage within both laboratories to ensure it is aligned with TFP policy and provides cost effectiveness.
• Ensure adequate staffing levels and skill mix within the laboratories and arrange x-site cover.
• Manage rotas, annual leave, maternity leave and sickness within the laboratory team and ensure an appropriate skill mix.
• Support the General Manager in creating the clinics budget by identifying equipment, staffing and training requirements.

Induction, Training and Performance Management of Staff

• Ensure new members of staff are safely and promptly onboarded into their roles.
• Support and mentor junior staff, fostering a culture of continuous learning and development. This includes the planning and training of junior members/new members of staff within the laboratory team and support trainees through the TFP Training Scheme.
• Act as an assessor for the TFP Training Scheme.
• Performance manage members of the laboratory team, including performing appraisals, competency assessments, managing performance improvement and addressing poor performance in line with TFP policy.
• Ensure an adequate level of staff trained for ICSI, biopsy etc as in agreement with the TFP Group Director of Embryology.
• Participate in continuing professional development and create development plans for members of the laboratory team.

Regulatory Compliance

• Represent and lead both laboratories at HFEA inspections, supported by the senior embryologists within each lab.
• Ensure all procedures are performed in line with national regulation, professional guidelines and TFP Policy.
• Ensure that the national regulator is notified of areas of non-compliance in line with national regulation, and that the TFP notifications are also followed.
• Ensure that TFP policy decisions regarding the laboratory area are implemented.
• Manage witnessing and traceability within the laboratory in line with national regulation and TFP policies.
• Oversee and lead the cryostore and ensure effective consent is in place in line with regulatory requirements.
• Oversee and lead transport of gametes/embryos in and out of the clinic in line with national regulations and TFP policies.
• Support the planning, implementation and reporting of research projects in line with national regulations.

Communication

• Chair regular laboratory team meetings and ensure effective communication within the laboratory team(s).
• Attend local clinic meetings including the clinics management meetings.
• Represent the local clinic(s) at TFP Head of Labs and KPI meetings.
• Be an active member of the clinics leadership team and actively participate in strategy development, decisions about resource allocation and organisational development of the clinic as a whole.
• Ensure that communication and cooperation with other functional areas, as well as TFP, is effective.
• Actively participate in patient information and marketing events.
• Represent TFP at group meetings, industry events and conferences as required.

TFP Projects & Organisational Strategy

• Assist the Group Director of Embryology in the delivering of country/group wide projects.
• Represent own region in discussions regarding TFP strategy and organisational planning.

Confidentiality

The post holder must maintain confidentiality of information about patients, employees and other Company business in accordance with the National and European data protection legislation.

Why Join TFP?

At TFP, you’ll be part of a passionate, innovative team dedicated to transforming lives. You’ll have the opportunity to lead, inspire, and make a lasting impact on your colleagues, our patients, and the future of fertility care.

Education and Qualifications:

Essential:

• Degree in Life Science.
• HCPC Registered.
• Leadership/Management Qualification.

Desirable:

• MSc or PhD in Life Science.
• RC Path Part 1 or 2.
• ESHRE Certificate.

Experience and Knowledge:

Essential:

• Minimum of 10 years clinical experience, some of which at management level.
• A full knowledge of the biology and scientific evidence underpinning clinical embryology practice.
• A full knowledge of the work of related disciplines.
• Extensive knowledge of HFEA regulation and experience at leading at HFEA inspections.
• A full knowledge of quality assurance and quality control within the laboratory.
• Knowledge and experience of working with quality management systems, including non-compliance, audit, risk management.
• Experience of resource planning.
• Experience in training junior/new members of staff and performance management.

Desirable:

• PGT experience.
• Quality Management qualification.

Skills and abilities:

• Flexible and self-motivated.
• Natural team leader.
• High level of resilience and perseverance.
• High level of attention to detail.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Excellent time management /prioritisation skills.

Salary: Competitive (Depending on experience)

Location: TFP Thames Valley Fertility - Maidenhead and TFP Boston Place - Marylebone, 1 day per week from home.

Working Hours: 37.5 hours per week. Weekends and on-call may be required.

Pension: Dual contribution pension scheme.

Holiday Entitlement: 27 Days + Bank holidays (pro rata).