Senior Tissue Handling Technician - Lab Team Lead

Please note this is a re-advertisement, previous applicants need not apply

Location: Level 4, John Radcliffe Hospital and Old Road Campus, Headington, Oxford

Grade 06S: £34,982 - £40,855 per annum (This is inclusive of a pensionable Oxford University Weighting of £1,500 per year)

Contract type: Fixed term for 36 months

Hours: Full time (willing to consider 0.8 FTE)

About the role

We are looking for a Senior Tissue Handling Technician – Lab Team Lead to join the NDS Bioresource and lead the OCHRe laboratory team providing end-to-end histopathology services. This role offers an exciting opportunity to use your advanced microtomy expertise and excellent leadership skills to make a real difference to the functionality and efficiency of clinical research biobanks and to the delivery of research results.

The Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences (NDS) is home to a number of Tissue Research Banks (RTBs or ‘biobanks’), biorepositories of human tissue samples intended for use in research. As part of this highly dynamic and varied role, responsible for the management of a team of tissue handling technicians, providing training and professional development support for the team, and for ensuring the smooth running of the laboratory. In addition to your managerial role, you will be overseeing and providing services for consent checking, sample acquisition, embedding, processing, cutting, and allocation of histopathological material.

You will work closely with the Governance Manager to lead technical team meetings and allocate work within your team. You will be based at the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust sites; specifically, the John Radcliffe Hospital, with a potential requirement to travel to the Churchill Hospital and Old Road Campus site. While there will be some opportunity for remote working, it is expected that you would be on site a minimum of 4 days per week.

About you

An experienced tissue handling technician, you are expected to have advanced microtomy skills and experience training and supervising junior members of staff. The successful candidate will hold an undergraduate degree in biomedical science (BMS) or equivalent experience. You will have exceptional data entry skills and experience of developing and implementing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and performing Risk Assessments. As the Lab Team Lead it is essential that you have proven work experience in a laboratory performing histological techniques and practical ability in basic molecular laboratory skills. You will also require the ability to plan and manage your own work schedule and those of a team, and remain adaptable to changing priorities.

This full-time post is available immediately and is fixed term for 36 months in the first instance. For a full list of responsibilities and selection criteria please refer to the attached Job Description.

Application Process

If you would like to discuss this role please contact Danielle Fairbrass at danielle.fairbrass@nds.ox.ac.uk.

Applications for this vacancy are to be made online, via the University jobs portal. You will be required to upload a supporting statement, setting out how you meet the selection criteria, curriculum vitae and the names and contact details of two referees as part of your online application. Please quote reference NDSA960B on all correspondence.

Only applications received before noon Thursday 10 July 2025 can be considered. Interviews will be held Tuesday 22 July 2025.

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