Laboratory Manager

SHV Group; Ashbourne CP; On-site; GBP 45,000 - GBP 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading animal nutrition firm in Ashbourne seeks a Lab Manager for a fixed-term role of 18 months. You'll lead a laboratory team ensuring high-quality analytical testing and compliance with quality standards. The role involves coordinating operations, driving continuous improvement, and managing key relationships with stakeholders. Candidates should have relevant degrees, strong analytical chemistry knowledge, and experience in commercial laboratory environments. The position offers opportunities for growth within a global organization, complete with a comprehensive benefits package.

Benefits

25 days of holiday plus 8 UK bank holidays

Opportunities for career growth

Stable site-based role

Qualifications

• 5 years’ relevant experience with a Bachelor's degree or 3 years’ with a Master's degree.
• Experience in a commercial laboratory environment.
• Strong background in analytical chemistry, compliance with ISO standards.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the laboratory team for high-quality analytical testing.
• Coordinate daily laboratory operations and KPI achievements.
• Drive optimisation and continuous improvement of laboratory processes.

Skills

Leadership skills

Analytical chemistry knowledge

Communication skills

Project management

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree

Tools

LIMS

Job description

Overview

Get ready to own your path as a Lab Manager at Trouw Nutrition GB, a Nutreco company. As global leaders in animal nutrition, our shared purpose of Feeding the Future drives innovation, collaboration, and meaningful impact.

In this temporary leadership role (18 months), you will play a key role in ensuring the quality, safety, and reliability of our laboratory services, supporting customers and internal stakeholders while maintaining operational excellence. This position provides an opportunity to lead a commercial laboratory during a defined transition period, while contributing to continuous improvement and strategic development in a supportive, knowledge-driven environment.

What you’ll do

• Lead and develop the laboratory team, ensuring high-quality analytical testing that supports customers, production, quality assurance, and continuous improvement.
• Lead, coach, and develop the laboratory team to build a learning-focused, high-performance culture, providing leadership continuity during the fixed-term period.
• Coordinate and oversee daily laboratory operations, planning workloads and ensuring accurate KPI achievement and timely reporting of results to internal and external stakeholders.
• Ensure compliance with applicable quality and accreditation standards, as well as internal procedures, including the maintenance of SOPs and documentation.
• Drive optimisation and continuous improvement of laboratory processes, workflows, and analytical techniques.
• Support the development, validation, and introduction of new analytical methods and techniques.
• Develop and apply strategic plans to optimise laboratory customer service, aligned to customer portfolio needs, sample volumes, and available resources, identifying gaps and prioritising services that deliver the highest value.
• Support the dedicated LIMS project, ensuring alignment with laboratory needs and contributing to the successful implementation of the new system on site.
• Manage relationships with external laboratories, suppliers, customers, internal stakeholders, and Nutreco’s global laboratory network.

Who we’re looking for

• Bachelor’s degree with 5 years’ relevant experience, or Master’s degree with 3 years’ relevant experience
• Experience within a commercial laboratory environment.
• Experience managing or coordinating teams working across multi-step, complex work processes.
• Strong technical background in analytical chemistry.
• Experience working within accredited systems (ISO 9001 / ISO 17025).
• A commercial, strategic, and continuous improvement mindset, with the ability to introduce new methods, technologies, and improvement initiatives.
• Knowledge of the agriculture sector and feed industry is an advantage.
• Strong communication skills, with a clear focus on people engagement and cross-functional collaboration.

Location & Practicalities

Location: Ashbourne

Employment type: Full-time

Contract type: Fixed-term (18 months – temporary cover)

Travel: Occasional, as required

What you’ll receive

• As part of Trouw Nutrition, you’ll be a member of the wider SHV family, a global group of companies known for long-term vision, stability, and investment in people.
• 25 days of holiday per calendar year based on full-time working hours, plus 8 UK bank holidays.
• A stable, site-based role with strong operational ownership
• Opportunities to grow within a global organisation

How and why to find out more

We offer a role with real impact, where your leadership and laboratory expertise will directly support operational stability, quality, and continuous improvement during a defined transition period. If you’re ready to take ownership and play a key role in Feeding the Future, we’d love to hear from you. We aim to review applications promptly and will get back to you as soon as possible. For more information, please contact Luisa Ligabo at [e-mail]

Please note that this is a fixed-term role (18 months), and internal candidates may be considered via secondment

Applications will be accepted until 16 February