Associate Practitioner in the Quality Assurance Laboratory

The Quality Assurance Laboratory at the Welsh Blood Service has a vacancy for an Associate Practitioner. The tenure of this post is full time and permanent and is part of a multidisciplinary team. The post offers the successful applicant the opportunity to work in the Quality team. It is a leadership role; the post holder will facilitate the specialist technical and associated Quality Control (QC) testing programmes of the Laboratory. This will include utilising varied technologies such as those associated with Haematology, Haemostasis and Flow cytometry, to analyse samples and establish process capability metric data. Environmental sampling to monitor the cleanliness of critical areas and equipment and calibration and validation of cold chain monitoring systems. The successful applicant will work to a level to ensure all processes meet the requirements of the UK guidelines for Blood Transfusion and the EU Directive as inspected by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). There will be a potential requirement to work variable shift patterns according to the exigencies of the service, including working Bank Holidays. The ability to speak Welsh is desirable for this post.

Main duties of the job include being trained to Diploma level in a biological science and having experience/knowledge of operating in a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) environment to ensure that the Quality Assurance Laboratory meets its regulatory needs. The post holder will, alongside Biomedical Scientists, have a supervisory role and be responsible for the organisation of work, supervision of staff and participation in the routine work of the Quality Assurance Laboratory, to ensure that donated whole blood is quality control tested as required.

Job responsibilities include oversight of the laboratory’s QC testing programmes, calibration of cold chain monitoring systems, environmental sampling, and adherence to UK and EU guidelines.

Person Specification

• Knowledge: Trained in a biological science to diploma level (HNC, HND) or evidence of knowledge and scientific skills to diploma level gained through relevant experience. Knowledge of GMP, understanding of incident reporting, basic understanding of change control.
• Experience: Good interpersonal skills; ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing. Computer literate. Ability to work under pressure and lead team members to meet challenging targets. Prioritise workload; work effectively as part of a team or alone. Good organisational skills and dexterity.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and requires a submission for Disclosure to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.