Laboratory Technician

Nestle; Girvan; On-site; GBP 26,000; Full time

Job summary

An international food company in Girvan is seeking a Laboratory Technician to support analytical, food safety, and quality testing for their team. This full-time role involves maintaining compliance, implementing procedures, and evaluating test results while fostering an inclusive environment. Ideal candidates will have laboratory experience, a strong understanding of food production, and necessary qualifications like a GCSE in mathematics. The position offers competitive benefits including a generous pension and development opportunities.

Benefits

Generous pension scheme – up to 12% contribution

12 flexible days on top of 25-day holiday

2 paid volunteering days

Focus on personal development

Potential discretionary annual bonus

Qualifications

• Demonstrable experience in an analytical lab environment.
• Understanding of a food manufacturing environment.
• GCSE pass in mathematics or equivalent.
• Intermediate literacy in Excel, Microsoft Suite, and SAP.

Responsibilities

• Maintain compliance with the Laboratory Internal Control Plan.
• Ensure compliance to the Pathogen Monitoring Sampling Plan.
• Implement and develop methods and Standard Operating Procedures.
• Contribute to factory Food Safety, Quality, and Hygiene compliance.
• Support identification and closure of Food Safety and Quality incidents.
• Maintain and calibrate offline analytical instruments.
• Evaluate results and communicate non-conformances.

Skills

Experience in an analytical lab environment

Understanding of a food manufacturing environment

Intermediate literacy in Excel

Intermediate literacy in Microsoft Suite

Experience with SAP

Education

GCSE pass in mathematics or equivalent

Job description

Overview

Job Title: Laboratory Technician

Location: Girvan

Business Unit: Nestle UK&I

Permanent, full-time role reporting to the Quality Manager, supporting analytical, food safety and quality sampling, testing and compliance for the Nestle Confectionery team at the Girvan site. This position supports the Quality function with priorities for Quality, Food Safety and Hygiene.

Salary: Circa £25,500

Key Benefits:

• Generous pension scheme – up to 12% contribution from Nestle
• 12 flexible days on top of 25-day holiday entitlement
• 2 paid volunteering days
• A focus on personal development and growth
• Potential, discretionary annual bonus

What You Need To Know

The closing date for this role is 16.02.2026. We will be considering candidates as they apply and we will occasionally close job advertisements early in the event we receive sufficient applicants, so please don’t delay in submitting your application.

At Nestlé, our values are rooted in respect. When we embrace diversity and give everyone the chance to be the best they can be, we can think in new, creative ways that grow and enhance our business. People of all gender identities, ethnically diverse individuals, people with disabilities, and members of the LGBT+ community are strongly encouraged to apply. If there is anything we can do to accommodate you to participate fully in the application process, please let us know. We take pride in championing inclusion and diversity, our people make up a number of Colleague Networks who represent different experiences and communities who hold us accountable in creating a sense of belonging for all, and our values create the conditions for us to respect the unique contribution you bring. Find out more about our Colleague Networks here: Diversity, equity and inclusion | Nestlé (nestle.co.uk)

We are committed to equal opportunity for all and we may collect relevant data for monitoring purposes during our candidate registration process. Be yourself, everyone else is taken!

Responsibilities

• Maintaining compliance with the Laboratory Internal Control Plan, completing tasks to an auditable standard at the planned frequency
• Compliance to the Pathogen Monitoring Sampling Plan, collection of sterile samples from the correct factory locations, logged for the appropriate tests and sent to the external laboratory at the planned frequency
• Implementation and development of methods, Standard Operating Procedures, and audits in line with internal and external governing body standards
• Contribute to wider factory Food Safety, Quality and Hygiene compliance programs and objectives
• Problem solving to support the appropriate and timely identification and close out of Food Safety, Quality and Hygiene related incidents
• Maintenance and calibration of critical offline analytical instruments ensuring no disruption in function
• Timely evaluation of results, clear communication and escalation of non-conformances to ensure prompt responses within the factory by the appropriate teams

Ingredients for Success

• To be successful in this role it is advantageous to have demonstrable experience in an analytical lab environment, and
• An understanding of a food manufacturing environment
• GCSE pass in mathematics or equivalent
• Intermediate level literacy in Excel, Microsoft Suite and SAP

What You Need To Know

The closing date for this role is 16.02.2026