Laboratory Manager

**Position Summary**
The Laboratory Manager has the overall responsibility for the laboratory functions, managing the day-to-day activities of the laboratory, supervising the laboratory personnel, managing and generating the required quality and safety of laboratory operations, ensuring quality assurance in the laboratory, and overseeing the collection, analysis, and ultimate use of laboratory data. The Laboratory Manager forms part of the Technical Team and will help drive the company's quality performance by executing the company goals on all aspects of laboratory management.

**Key accountabilities include**:

- Manage, plan, and direct the laboratory to ensure analytical testing provides the highest quality analytical support while ensuring compliance with protocols and safety regulations.
- Plan and control all testing activities to meet client’s needs and delivery requirements.
- Optimize the laboratory capacity utilization for all personnel and equipment.
- Ensure and maintain Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) in the laboratory, and increase staff knowledge and understanding about GLP requirements, product chemistry and sophisticated laboratory equipment.
- Manage the operations budget of the laboratory and ensure efficient management of the expenses of the laboratory.
- Manage, investigate, and communicate any out of specification results timeously to quality assurance and technical services for further communication to the factories, and supplier networks in order to ensure that follow-up actions are requested to be provided to quality assurance.
- Review and approve protocols and reports such as method validation, method transfer, process validation, stability analysis, and creation of standard operation procedures.
- Provide leadership and management to all laboratory employees, and ensure they receive the necessary training and development to perform their roles effectively.

Ensure all vendors have been qualified and adhere to vendor qualification standards with the aim of optimal utilization of the testing procedure.
- Provide technical or scientific support and expertise to our partners for continuous improvement in the quality of the products.
- Maintain the laboratory's ISO certification and ensure ongoing compliance with ISO standards.
- Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and effective communication within the laboratory team and with the management team.

**Responsibilities**:

- Ensure analytical analysis is conducted on samples received in the laboratory from supplier networks, markets and other sources.
- Review the results of all laboratory investigations, sampling, and testing of materials, work in progress products, finished products, competitor products.
- Review and investigate all laboratory data outside of trend, out of specification, suspicious, and wayward data by conducting trending analysis.
- Establish and implement a cost ratio by identifying the best approach for testing i.e., prove testing is needed, cost efficiency by outsourcing to third party laboratories or reduced testing with the support of trend analysis reports.
- Communicate and provide documentation such as COAs and reports to the requestors.
- Develop and analyse statistical data and provide insights into product specifications to determine standards and to establish quality and reliability expectations of finished products.
- Participate and lead projects e.g., method development, authenticity testing, product quality improvement, technical services, continuous improvement.
- Review product and raw material analysis results
- Work closely with key QA, Technical, Innovation, and Factory personnel to support them in laboratory testing and troubleshooting where and when necessary.
- Ensure the chemistry analysts have the necessary skills and capabilities to perform their roles effectively.
- Lead the optimization and automation processes in lab operations e.g. LIMS, PBI etc.
- Collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams and stakeholders to align laboratory operations with overall business objectives.