At a Glance
- Tasks: Keep the lab organised, safe, and stocked while conducting exciting experiments.
- Company: Award-winning business creating products for ambitious brands.
- Benefits: Gain hands-on experience and learn from industry experts in a supportive environment.
- Other info: Join a small team where your contributions are valued and visible.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in a dynamic lab setting with diverse tasks every day.
- Qualifications: GCSEs or A-levels in science; lab experience is a plus but not essential.
The predicted salary is between 22050 - 26950 £ per year.
A fast-moving, award-winning business that creates products for ambitious founder-led and major global brands. They're looking for a Laboratory Technician to join their quality team keeping products safe, organised, and running at the standard their work demands.
The Role: This is the role that makes everything else possible. Without a well-run, well-stocked, properly maintained lab, the technical team can't do their best work - and that's exactly what you'll own. You'll work across sample preparation, routine analysis, experimental support, and sensory facilitation, with no two days quite the same. One day might involve shelf-life analysis; the next, preparing competitor benchmarking samples for a tasting session or calibrating equipment ahead of a trial.
What You'll Do:
- Keep the lab clean, safe, organised and fully stocked; maintain and calibrate equipment
- Run safety checks and keep accurate compliance records
- Prepare and process samples to precise formulations, including large-scale runs to deadline
- Run routine analysis in line with QC methodologies
- Execute experimental designs from technical briefs, coordinating external agencies where needed
- Support data collection, analysis, and shelf-life testing; report to the QC Manager
- Organise tasting sessions and competitor benchmarking
- Conduct shelf-life tasting reviews to consistent protocols
- Manage the ingredients library and order materials proactively, keeping stock in-date and to spec
- Support with any other ad hoc duties as required by the business
Who You Are:
- GCSEs or A-levels in science subjects; a degree isn't essential, but prior lab experience is
- Confident with basic analytical equipment and quick to learn new techniques
- Genuinely precise - you understand a small error in sample prep can ripple through a whole project
- Organised and able to stay that way under pressure, juggling multiple projects at once
- A clear communicator, comfortable liaising with technical staff and external labs
- Curious - you want to understand why things work, not just how to do them
- A reliable team player
Why Apply? You'll work alongside technical specialists and a quality manager who are among the best in the industry, close enough to the work to actually learn from it - this isn't a role where you're hidden away running tests in isolation. It's a small team, so your contribution is visible and valued.
Laboratory Technician in Essex employer: Zest Recruitment
Join a dynamic and growing food importer and distributor that values its employees and fosters a collaborative work culture. As a National Account Manager, you will benefit from comprehensive training, exposure to an exciting product range, and opportunities for international travel, all while enjoying a supportive team environment and a clear path for career progression. With 25 days of holiday plus bank holidays and a company car, this role offers not just a job, but a meaningful career in the thriving food industry.
