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UK Laboratory Manager

  • On-site
    • Stanlow, Ellesmere Port, England, United Kingdom
  • Quality

Job description

Who are we?

Argent Energy is a leading European biodiesel producer, backed by Swire, with a mission to decarbonise transport through the use of waste-based feedstocks. We are committed to innovation, sustainability, and operational excellence.

Our laboratories play a critical role in ensuring product quality, regulatory compliance, and delivering on our customer requirements.

Purpose of the job:

We are seeking a proactive and experienced Laboratory Manager to lead our UK laboratory operations. This is a pivotal role with full accountability for all aspects of lab performance — from technical accuracy and compliance to team leadership and identifying continuous improvement opportunities.

What you will be doing:

  1. Lead, coach, and develop the laboratory team to deliver high-quality, timely analysis across all product streams.

  2. Ensure all testing meets internal standards, customer expectations, and regulatory requirements.

  3. Take full accountability for lab operations, including resource planning, equipment maintenance, and budget management and technical escalations.

  4. Champion a culture of safety, quality, and continuous improvement.

  5. Maintain and develop analytical methods, including for new or evolving feedstocks.

  6. Ensure robust training, competency, and performance monitoring systems are in place.

  7. Identify and implement opportunities for process improvement, automation, and efficiency gains.

  8. Champion the UK quality meeting to report overall performance and drive improvements.

  9. Lead investigations to identify root cause and prevent incident reoccurrence.

Your key relationships will be:

  • The Production, Sales and Trade teams to align lab output with business needs.

Job requirements

Skills and behaviours your will need to be successful:

  • Strong working knowledge of the following techniques:

    • Auto Titrators (Essential)

    • Gas Chromatography (GC) (Essential)

    • Karl Fischer titration (KF) (Desirable)

    • UV-Visible Spectroscopy (UV-Vis) (Desirable)

    • X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) (Desirable)

  • Effective and visible leader who takes accountability for overall performance.

  • Customer-focused mindset with a drive to meet internal and external expectations.

  • Strong collaborator who builds relationships across departments at all levels.

  • Analytical thinker with a continuous improvement mindset.

  • Organised, methodical, and adaptable

Qualifications and experience required:

  • Degree in Chemistry or related scientific discipline (essential).

  • Proven experience managing or leading a laboratory team in a manufacturing or process environment (essential).

  • Experience in the biofuels, chemical, or petrochemical sectors (essential).

What’s on offer:

  • 33 days holiday inclusive of bank holidays.

  • Medicash

  • Enhanced Company Sick Pay

  • Cycle to work scheme

  • Employee Assistance Program

  • Enhanced Company pension scheme

  • Life Assurance

  • Enhanced Maternity/Paternity Pay

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