Facility Manager

About the role

Are you a forward thinker with experience in animal science operations who enjoys increasing efficiency and improving environmental sustainability?

We have an exciting new opportunity for someone to join us at the Mary Lyon Centre (MLC) as our Facility Manager where you will ensure the efficient, safe and fully compliant daily running of the MLC husbandry and animal care facilities.

You will manage husbandry operations to support consistent, high quality service delivery, whilst ensuring animal welfare standards, barrier integrity and a safe working environment.

Key Responsibilities:

Daily Operations and Service Delivery

• Oversee the day‑to‑day functioning of the genetically altered mouse facility, ensuring equipment, housing environments and workflows operate reliably and consistently.
• Lead operational response to issues such as equipment failures, alarms, environmental deviations or access‑control problems, coordinating swift resolutions.
• Lead husbandry and maintenance teams, including line management of biological service managers, manage staffing levels and ensure a high standard of animal care.
• Ensure accurate, audit‑ready operational records, logs, and documentation.
• Maintain clear communication of operational changes, equipment downtime, works schedules or safety notices.

About Us

The Mary Lyon Centre at MRC Harwell is located in an expanding science and innovation campus in Oxfordshire and is an internationally renowned centre at the forefront of genetics research.  As the hub of the new National Mouse Genetics Network, the specialist facilities and capabilities of the MLC support several research groups across the UK to accelerate our understanding of human diseases, such as cancer, developmental disorders and neurodegeneration.

About you

You will have:

• A degree or equivalent experience in animal science, biosciences, laboratory animal technology or a related discipline.
• Relevant professional training in animal facility operations/management, health and safety or technical services.
• Significant experience working within a laboratory animal facility, research environment or other regulated technical operations setting.
• Experience managing operational teams, rotas, performance and capability development.
• Strong understanding of husbandry standards, animal welfare, barrier containment and biosecurity principles.
• Demonstrable ability and experience in overseeing and troubleshooting the maintenance of complex operational equipment e.g. IV systems, cage-wash units, environmental controls and coordinating timely resolutions to problems.
• Knowledge of compliance requirements relating to health and safety, risk assessments and safe systems of work with experience maintaining accurate operational documentation, logs and audit-ready records.
• Familiarity with procurement, stick management and supplier coordination.
• Strong commitment to promoting wellbeing, safety and high professional standards.
• Strong leadership and staff-management skills with the ability to coach and motivate teams.
• Excellent organisational, problem-solving skills with a high attention to detail.

Benefits

Choosing to come to work at the MRC (part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)) means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits, from a defined-benefit pension scheme and excellent holiday entitlement, to access to employee shopping/travel discounts and a salary sacrifice cycle-to-work scheme.  In addition, you will have the opportunity to contribute to the work of a world-class medical research organisation.  

How to Apply 

If you are ready to take on this exciting role and be part of a team dedicated to ground-breaking research, we would love to hear from you. For full details and to apply: Facility Manager - UKRI Careers

Please quote reference 2166.

The closing date for applications is 21^st April 2026.