Senior Biomedical Scientist – Microbiology

Overview

As Virology Biomedical Scientist Team Manager, you lead the on-site virology team within the Infection Sciences Laboratory to deliver diagnostic testing and donor sample clearance. You will contribute to clinical diagnoses, patient care, and blood safety while advancing quality and training across the department. The role sits at the core of island health, combining high‑level virology expertise with staff leadership and quality assurance. This opportunity lets you shape testing strategies on modern platforms in a UK‑leaning public health context, with a strong focus on professional development and quality culture.

Responsibilities

• Lead the virology team in advanced infection and molecular analyses to guide clinical diagnoses and treatment decisions
• Manage the laboratory specialism workload to meet urgent clinical needs and agreed turnaround times
• Mentor and empower staff to own scientific decisions impacting patient care and report results
• Oversee instrumentation and procedures, stay current with new techniques, and verify results meet quality criteria
• Lead on audits, supplier management, and introduction/verification of new techniques; manage IT
• Coordinate with internal and external colleagues for guidelines, specimens, and service development
• Coordinate internal and external quality assurance schemes and lead accreditation efforts
• Educate, train, and assess staff competence with a culture of ongoing professional development
• Supervise documentation, procedural changes, and maintain accurate records to demonstrate quality
• Assess and minimise clinical risk to ensure patient safety

Key requirements

• MSc in virology or IBMS Higher Specialist Diploma in virology or IBMS Fellowship (relevant route)
• HCPC registered biomedical scientist
• Experience as an autonomous specialist practitioner (approx. six years)
• Evidence of continuing professional development (HCPC standards)
• Desirable: leadership, training, and quality management qualifications

• leadership
• mentoring
• interpersonal communication
• virology laboratory techniques
• quality assurance and accreditation
• molecular diagnostic analyses

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