Laboratory Technician Manager at Proten

Description

• The Laboratory Manager will lead laboratory operations at the aquaculture facility, providing reliable water-quality, microbiology and pathology testing to support fish health, hatchery performance, research and biosecurity.
• The role is responsible for ensuring accurate and timely laboratory results, effective quality controls, safe laboratory practices, well-maintained equipment, proper sample management and actionable reporting to the Centre Lead.

Responsibilities
Laboratory Operations & Management:

• Plan, organise and supervise daily laboratory activities in line with operational priorities.
• Establish testing schedules, sample flows and turnaround-time standards.
• Maintain laboratory readiness, cleanliness, safety and effective use of laboratory space.
• Develop, implement and maintain SOPs for sampling, testing, reporting and equipment use.
• Prepare routine laboratory performance reports for the Centre Lead.

Water-Quality Monitoring:

• Develop and implement water-quality sampling and monitoring programmes for broodstock, hatchery and research systems.
• Coordinate testing and interpretation of relevant physical and chemical water-quality parameters.
• Monitor results for adverse trends and promptly communicate potential risks to relevant operational teams.
• Recommend corrective actions and follow up to verify their effectiveness.
• Maintain complete and traceable records of sampling locations, methods, results and follow-up actions.

Microbiology:

• Manage microbiological sampling and testing of water, fish, equipment and facility environments, as applicable.
• Ensure proper aseptic sampling, culture preparation, incubation, organism screening and safe disposal practices.
• Monitor microbial trends and escalate results that may indicate contamination or disease risks.
• Maintain traceable records of samples, media, reagents, controls and test results.
• Collaborate with veterinary and production teams during microbiological investigations.

Pathology & Diagnostic Support:

• Support pathology investigations through appropriate sample collection, preservation, microscopy and laboratory examination.
• Coordinate diagnostic testing for suspected disease, unexplained mortality and production underperformance.
• Ensure proper sample identification, chain of custody, storage and submission to external laboratories where required.
• Document laboratory findings clearly and provide timely results to the Veterinarian and Centre Lead.
• Maintain organised and traceable pathology specimens, images and reports.

Biosecurity:

• Translate facility biosecurity requirements into practical laboratory and sampling controls.
• Implement appropriate access, hygiene, disinfection, sample-handling and waste-management procedures.
• Prevent cross-contamination between samples, work areas, equipment and production units.
• Monitor compliance with laboratory biosecurity protocols and address identified gaps.
• Support biosecurity audits, outbreak investigations and corrective-action programmes.

Quality Assurance & Data Integrity:

• Implement internal quality-control checks to ensure the reliability of laboratory results.
• Maintain controlled test methods, worksheets, logs, registers and electronic records.
• Investigate unusual, inconsistent or out-of-specification results before release.
• Ensure laboratory data are accurate, complete, traceable and securely maintained.
• Coordinate proficiency testing or external verification where appropriate.

Equipment, Reagents & Inventory:

• Maintain an accurate inventory of laboratory equipment, consumables, media, reagents and reference materials.
• Ensure equipment is serviced, calibrated and verified according to approved schedules.
• Manage reagent preparation, labelling, storage, expiry monitoring and safe disposal.
• Identify and communicate requirements for equipment repair, replacement and replenishment in a timely manner.
• Maintain equipment history, calibration and maintenance records.

Team Leadership, Safety & Collaboration:

• Supervise, coach and develop laboratory technicians and assistants.
• Train relevant employees on sampling, sample submission, hygiene and basic laboratory requirements.
• Enforce laboratory safety, chemical handling, PPE and incident-reporting procedures.
• Collaborate closely with the Centre Lead, Veterinarian, broodstock, hatchery and research teams.
• Drive continuous improvement in testing methods, turnaround time, reporting and laboratory efficiency.

Requirements
Qualifications & Experience:

• Bachelor's Degree in Microbiology, Fisheries, Aquaculture, Biological Sciences, Laboratory Science, Biochemistry or a related discipline.
• Postgraduate qualification in Aquatic Animal Health, Microbiology, Pathology, Water Quality or a related field is an advantage.
• Minimum of 6 years' experience managing or supervising a laboratory within aquaculture, animal health, food, environmental or biological testing.
• Practical experience in water-quality analysis, microbiology, microscopy, sample management and laboratory quality control.
• Experience supporting fish-health diagnostics, pathology or hatchery operations is strongly preferred.