Job Description
Job Overview
Team Leader – Barrier Production
Location: On Site - Margate, Kent | Full time (35 Hrs) Mon-Thurs 7.5hrs, Friday 5hrs
Lead people. Shape culture. Support world‑class research.
This is a leadership role first and foremost. You don’t need to walk in as a technical expert — we can teach the technical skills. What matters most is your ability to lead, coach, motivate and develop people.
We're looking for a confident, resilient and positive people leader to guide a team working within a high‑standard barrier rodent model production environment. You will be required to be hands on for this position.
Job Description
What you’ll do
As our Team Leader, you will:
- Lead & Develop People.
- Inspire, support and develop a team of animal technicians and working with rodents.
- Set clear expectations around behaviour, performance and accountability.
- Build a positive, inclusive and psychologically safe team culture.
- Address challenges early, fairly and constructively.
- Drive Operational Excellence.
- Coordinate daily and weekly work to meet production and welfare standards.
- Monitor workloads, staffing and training needs, adapting plans as required.
- Maintain high standards of barrier practice, routines and cleanliness.
- Ensure all work meets training documentation, regulatory requirements and internal quality standards.
- Be a Visible, Hands‑On Leader.
- Spend the majority of your time in the barrier facility—engaged, accessible and working alongside the team.
- Act as the first point of escalation for operational, welfare or people issues.
- Collaborate & Improve.
- Work closely with peer leaders and managers to ensure smooth operations (some weekend/bank holiday working on a rota basis).
- Support audits, inspections and continuous improvement initiatives.
What we’re looking for
- Experience leading or influencing people in an operational, regulated or production environment.
- Confidence to hold honest conversations and make fair, balanced decisions.
- Calm, steady and consistent leadership — especially under pressure.
- A genuine passion for helping others grow, not just managing tasks.
- Strong communication skills, integrity, and self‑awareness.
(Experience in laboratory, animal care or technical production environments is helpful but not essential — we’ll teach you what you need to know.)