Job summary Have you got the enthusiasm, knowledge and experience to take up this exciting challenge? We are looking for a Specialist Quality Assurance Officer to cover maternity leave until 30th March 2026. We require you to be responsible for the supervision of the Quality Assurance (QA) officers and assistants, under the guidance of the Head of Pharmacy Quality Assurance (HPQA) and Senior Specialist Quality Assurance and Research. As a Senior Quality Assurance / Quality Control (QA/QC) Officer you will manage the running of the QA Microbiology Laboratory, such that an efficient system of workflow through the department is maintained. You will also manage and be responsible for routine and non-routine sampling and testing (e.g. physical and microbiological environmental monitoring and TVC testing), trending, and investigations, to maintain MHRA regulatory compliance in a licensed aseptic and non-sterile production facility. Internal applicants currently employed by ESNEFT will be offered on a secondment basis only. This will need to be discuss with your current line manager. Main duties of the job Investigate/root cause microbiological Out-of-Limit (OOL) or unusual results. Undertake trending and routine reporting of microbiological status of facilities. Manage the training/proficiency testing of relevant staff including assistants, students, technicians and pre-registration pharmacy graduates in Microbiological laboratory techniques and the principles of Quality Assurance. Manage the recruitment, development and appraisal of the Quality Assurance staff. Maintain the cross site Microbiological Reporting System (MRS). Manage SLAs with external companies with regards microbiological testing. Develop and validate microbiological enumeration test methods for raw materials and finished products. About us We are ESNEFT and we provide hospital and community health services to almost one million people across east Suffolk and north Essex. Our dedicated staff deliver care from acute hospitals in Colchester and Ipswich, community hospitals, surgeries, community clinics and in patients' own homes. We are one of the largest NHS organisations in England, employing more than 12,000 staff. We pride ourselves on supporting our staff. We offer a wide range of training and development opportunities, as well as flexible working options. Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services. Our philosophy is that Time Matters to everyone. Across the Trust, we concentrate on improving the things we do and removing those which cause time delays for our staff and patients. We are investing in our commitment to Time Matters with a partnership with leading electronic patient record (EPR) supplier Epic. This digital transformation will bring what's widely regarded as the world's best EPR system to ESNEFT, transforming life in hospital for staff and patients. If you are passionate about patient care and want to develop your skills and knowledge, then we want to hear from you. Find out about living and working here - www.youtube.com/watch?vGkPu7HphU8A Date posted 12 February 2025 Pay scheme Agenda for change Band Band 6 Salary £37,338 to £44,962 a year per annum pro rata Contract Fixed term Duration 12 months Working pattern Full-time Reference number 432-HR2194-24 Job locations Colchester Hospital Turner Road Colchester CO4 5JL Job description Job responsibilities For full details of the responsibilities and duties of this role please see the attached job description. Job description Job responsibilities For full details of the responsibilities and duties of this role please see the attached job description. Person Specification Experience Essential Significant experience of analytical techniques used within a modern Pharmacy/Chemistry Laboratory conforming to standards of Good Laboratory Practice and Safe Laboratory Practice Previous experience of training staff within a Pharmaceutical Quality Control Laboratory Desirable Pharmaceutical/relevant Microbiology experience Qualifications Essential BSc or equivalent in scientific or related subject Desirable MSc or equivalent in scientific or related subject Appropriate professional membership (where appropriate) Knowledge Essential Experience of classical wet and modern instrumental (e.g. Chromatographic and spectroscopic) analytical techniques A thorough knowledge of all aspects of GMP and QA and their application to pharmaceutical manufacturing Person Specification Experience Essential Significant experience of analytical techniques used within a modern Pharmacy/Chemistry Laboratory conforming to standards of Good Laboratory Practice and Safe Laboratory Practice Previous experience of training staff within a Pharmaceutical Quality Control Laboratory Desirable Pharmaceutical/relevant Microbiology experience Qualifications Essential BSc or equivalent in scientific or related subject Desirable MSc or equivalent in scientific or related subject Appropriate professional membership (where appropriate) Knowledge Essential Experience of classical wet and modern instrumental (e.g. Chromatographic and spectroscopic) analytical techniques A thorough knowledge of all aspects of GMP and QA and their application to pharmaceutical manufacturing Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions. Employer details Employer name East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust Address Colchester Hospital Turner Road Colchester CO4 5JL Employer's website https://www.esneft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)