Principal Scientist, Operational Excellence

Overview

In this role you drive the continuous improvement of science delivery within TIM, optimising workflows and strengthening quality systems to enable efficient, scalable execution. You partner with cross-functional teams to accelerate target identification and validation while ensuring high-quality data and governance. You shape research strategy and technology adoption, mentoring colleagues and embedding quality-by-design. This is a chance to lead operational excellence at the heart of innovative therapeutics and patient impact.

Responsibilities

• Lead operational excellence initiatives in In Vitro Science, standardising end-to-end workflows from design to reporting and decision-making
• Collaborate with scientific leads to improve experimental approaches, reproducibility, and governance
• Define performance metrics, documentation standards, and control strategies aligned with policies
• Assess outsourcing opportunities, aligning vendors to scientific priorities and data outputs
• Build cross-functional and external collaborations to expand capabilities and speed discovery
• Mentor scientists, promote emerging technologies, and advocate for FAIR data practices

Key requirements

• PhD or Master’s degree in molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology, or related discipline
• 7–10 years of pharmaceutical/biotech experience with operational excellence and workflow optimization
• Strong knowledge of experimental design, statistics, data interpretation, and quality systems
• Experience applying governance and compliance, embedding quality-by-design in day-to-day operations
• Proven ability to lead change, standardise processes, and sustain impact across scientific teams
• Ability to mentor, build cross-functional collaborations, and communicate complex concepts to diverse stakeholders
• Experience with external partners/vendors, defining requirements and ensuring interoperable data (FAIR practices preferred)

• collaborative mindset
• stakeholder engagement
• structured problem-solving
• experimental workflow optimisation
• quality systems and governance
• quality-by-design

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