Team Manager - Quality Control External Services

Quality Control North West Liverpool is a NHS regional specialist department responsible for providing a pharmaceutical testing service to NHS and non-NHS clients. The laboratories in central Liverpool are modern and well equipped, and are regulated by the MHRA to Good Manufacturing Practice, and accredited by UKAS to ISO17025., The post holder is responsible for managing a team of Quality Control Staff to deliver highly specialist pharmaceutical quality control services provided at customer sites, predominantly to Hospital Trusts across the North West Region. The role will involve the management and provision of physical environmental monitoring and QC testing services for:

• the qualification and on-going validation of pharmaceutical manufacturing and aseptic preparation facilities.
• the commissioning and re-qualification of medical gas pipeline systems, Taking the lead in writing and implementing local policies and procedures that ensure that systems within the External Services section are compliant with current national legislation and best practice. Guidance on policy may be provided by the Head of Quality Control North West (Liverpool), or external experts.
Developing, co-ordinating and maintaining testing schedules and reporting systems for all activities. Approving and providing technical reports to service managers, including a fast-track reporting system of any failures. Interpreting results and the investigation and analysis of out of specification results and trends. Ensuring all testing methodology is current and meets regulatory requirements. Ensuring work is delivered against agreed timescales, budget and service specifications Monitoring the performance of the service through key performance and quality indicators and proposing and implementing changes and improvements. Strategic service planning of the service through capacity management, contingency planning and cover plans by liaison with other sections within the QC service. Day to day management of the team, ensuring resources are allocated appropriately and work schedules are delivered. Responsibility for individual and team performance through the setting of objectives, PDPs and carrying out appraisals. Responsibility for sickness, disciplinary and grievance matters To act as delegated budget holder for the service and to ensure the service is adequately resourced and delivered to budget. To develop the service and maintain regulatory compliance., The Trust is committed to promoting a healthy work-life balance and achieve fair, equitable and consistent practice. We welcome flexible working requests and will consider a variety of flexible working arrangements from day one of your employment. Not all roles are suitable for every flexible working opportunity all of the time. Flexible working options may include reduced hours, compressed hours, fixed shifts, time back in lieu and home working. The Trust is committed to promoting equality and diversity; we value the contribution of individual talent, skills, knowledge and experience and aim for a workforce demography representative of the local community. We encourage applicants from the following groups that are currently under-represented in our workforce black, Asian and minority ethnic, lesbian, gay, bisexual and Transgender (LGBTQ+), disabled, male and age 16-24. Trust policy requires that the cost of submitting & processing the successful applicant/s DBS application be recovered via salary deduction following start in post. The amount of £25.70 (standard disclosure) or £46.70 (enhanced disclosure) will be deducted from salary, in manageable monthly instalments for up to 3 months following commencement of employment. Bank posts require upfront payment. From April 2017, Skilled visa applicants and their adult dependant(s) will be required to provide a criminal record certificate from each country they have lived in consecutively for 12 months or more in the past ten years. Applicants requiring sponsorship may wish to determine the likelihood of obtaining sponsorship for this position by assessing themselves against the criteria on the gov.uk website - https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa. This organisation has a zero-tolerance approach to the abuse of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All staff must ensure they adhere to the organisations safeguarding children and adults' policy and comply with the Local Safeguarding Children and Adult Board procedures. Staff should be mindful of their responsibility to safeguard children and adults in any activity performed on behalf of the organisation in line with the requirements of statutory guidance and legislation. All employees (and volunteers)are expected maintain their safeguarding knowledge and skills by completing mandatory safeguarding training which includes understanding and recognising the signs of abuse and neglect and taking appropriate action. As an organisation, we have adopted the Merseyside Domestic abuse workplace scheme which supports our staff who are experiencing Domestic Abuse /any forms of sexual violence. If you have any personal requirements that will enable you to participate in our recruitment process please contact a member of the Recruitment Services by phone on at the earliest opportunity to ensure that measures can be put in place to enable your application for this post. Our statement on modern slavery We have zero tolerance of slavery and human trafficking and are committed to maintaining and improving systems, processes and policies to avoid complicity in human rights violation and to prevent slavery and human trafficking in our supply chain. The Trust policies, procedures, governance and legal arrangements are robust, ensuring that proper checks and due diligence are applied in employment procedures to ensure compliance with this legislation. We also conform to the NHS employment check standards within our workforce recruitment and selection practices. This strategic approach incorporates analysis of the Trust's supply chains and its partners to assess risk exposure and management on modern slavery. Please note: new entrants to the NHS will commence on the first pay point of the relevant band.

The Microbiology section is looking to appoint a highly motivated individual to manage a team of quality control analysts performing specialist testing at a wide range of customer locations. They will have extensive experience in the area of pharmaceutical testing, underpinned by theoretical knowledge gained from attendance on specialist professional courses. The candidate should be registered as Quality Controller for the release of piped medical gas pipeline systems (MGPS) for use by patients, and hold a full driving licence.,
• Degree level in relevant scientific or technical subject e.g. chemistry, microbiology, pharmaceutical sciences or equivalent experience
• Registered as Quality Controller for the release of piped medical gas pipeline systems (MGPS) for use by patients.
Desirable criteria
• Further qualification in physical environmental monitoring/clean room design
• Postgraduate study to a level equivalent to a Master's degree in a relevant subject such as Pharmaceutical Technology or Quality Assurance, in addition to extensive experience in the area of pharmaceutical testing, underpinned by theoretical knowledge gained from attendance on other specialist courses., High level specialist knowledge of clean-room design, technology and operation for pharmaceutical processing and associated standards
• High level specialist knowledge of pharmaceutical isolators and associated standards underpinned by theoretical knowledge or relevant practical experience.
• High level specialist knowledge of physical environmental monitoring test methods in relation to clean rooms, ventilation plants and clean room devices and associated standards
• Specialist knowledge of piped medical gas testing and HTM2022
Desirable criteria
• Understanding of the management of health and safety at work las applicable to working in clean rooms and plant rooms.
• Understanding of pharmaceutical quality control testing methods and their application to medicines manufacture and preparation, Excellent communication skills (written, listening and oral) to ensure effective communication with individuals and groups.
• Ability to carry out environmental and medical gas testing accurately and precisely
• Excellent time management and organisational skills, with an ability to plan and schedule complex activities.
• Willing to travel to other hospital sites., Extensive experience in an environmental testing
• Experience of working in a GMP regulated environment
• Proven record in management of staff
Desirable criteria
• Extensive experience in pharmaceutical quality control
  
  NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group (UHL Group) was formed on 1 November 2024, born from a shared aim to improve the care we provide our communities.
We are one of the largest employers in region, with over 18,900 colleagues who are dedicated to caring for our communities - from birth and beyond. For the 630,000 people across Merseyside, we are their local NHS. We provide general and emergency hospital care, alongside highly specialised regional services that extend to more than two million people in the North West. We operate from five hospital sites: Aintree University Hospital is the single receiving site for adult major trauma patients in Cheshire and Merseyside, and hosts a number of regional services including an award-winning stroke facility. Broadgreen Hospital is home to several elective surgical, diagnostic and treatment services, together with specialist patient rehabilitation. Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital provide specialist services in cardiothoracic surgery, cardiology and respiratory medicine, both in the hospital and out in the community. Liverpool Women's Hospital specialises in the health of women and babies, delivering over 7,200 babies in the UK's largest single site maternity hospital each year. The Royal Liverpool University Hospital is the largest hospital in the country to provide inpatients with 100% single en-suite bedrooms and mainly focuses on complex planned care and specialist services.

Note: Under current Home Office Immigration Rules we are currently unable to offer right to work visa sponsorship for Band 2 and 3 roles with a salary of less than £25,000 pa as they do not meet the UK Visas & Immigration criteria.