Senior GC Analyst (Team Lead)

This role is located in Marchwood, within the Cawood Scientific Environment Division. Marchwood, part of Cawood, was established in 1998 and performs a range of specialist analytical testing services to customers operating in the Environmental, Industrial and Agricultural Sectors from its three laboratories based in the South and North of England. As a leading UK Dioxin and Furans analysis laboratory and the UK’s leading specialist laboratory for independent occupational hygiene analysis, Marchwood offers a range of services for the environmental, occupational and food/feed sectors. Learn more about Marchwood by clicking here. Job Description: Job Title: Senior GC Analyst (Team Lead) Location: Marchwood Southampton Company: Cawood Job Description: We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Senior GC Analyst to join our dynamic team within our Dioxins Laboratory. The successful candidate will be responsible for performing routine analysis on customer samples, working to deadlines in accordance with the company Quality Management System and UKAS guidelines. Experience with High Resolution Mass Spectrometry advantages but not essential. Key Responsibilities: Perform routine analysis on customer samples, adhering to deadlines and quality standards (ISO 17025 and MCERTS). Accurately record and analyze data, identifying possible deviations and ensuring compliance with system suitability checks, calibrations, and AQC charts. Undertake and assist with the investigation of queries and non-conformance. Perform routine and non-routine instrument maintenance, troubleshooting, identifying root causes, and implementing corrective actions to minimize unplanned instrument downtime. Plan and perform validation work to improve existing methods and develop new methods to support client requests and company growth strategy. Assist with the validation of new instruments as required. Effectively communicate with co-workers and local management. Prepare standards and solutions and aid in the preparation/extraction of samples if required. Maintain a high standard of personal knowledge and skills relevant to the role through company-led and self-directed learning. Work with minimal supervision, prioritizing and managing workload for self and a small team of analysts. Act as a coach and mentor for less knowledgeable colleagues in areas of subject matter expertise. Comply with company health and safety requirements, adopting a proactive safety attitude to ensure the safety of self and others. Participate in wider laboratory support teams such as spill team, fire warden, first aid team, HS rep, quality team, or internal audit team. Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry/Scientific discipline or equivalent experience within similar role. Proficiency in GC analysis and relevant software such as Xcalibur, Masslynx, Chromeleon or Masshunter. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. Excellent communication and teamwork abilities. Knowledge of ISO 17025 and MCERTS standards. Cawood is the UK’s leading scientific group, recognised for its technical capability and value-added service to customers. We provide laboratory analysis to the agriculture, food and environmental sectors, as well as contract research to GLP standards to support the development of agrochemicals, biocides and other chemicals. Our field services team offers measurement and monitoring for water, construction and ecology across the UK. Cawood is the largest independent provider of analytical laboratory testing and sampling services for the land-based industries in the UK. With 15 sites around the country specialising in different types of analysis, we are always looking for skilled and talented individuals to join our teams. Our values of PRIDE underpin our approach: Partnership, Responsiveness, Innovation, Decency and Expertise. You can read about our values and how they make a difference to our people and our customers here. Our people make Cawood what it is. No matter how technically advanced and sophisticated our equipment, it is our people who keep our customers satisfied. Accuracy across a high number of tests and continually looking for ways to innovate and improve are key to our future. This is an exciting time to join Cawood. The business is growing and there are plenty of opportunities for people who want to work hard, have fun and be part of our success. We spend a lot of our lives at work, so it’s important to us to make Cawood a place our people enjoy working. Cawood is a flexible employer, offering flextime, overtime and time off in lieu to help colleagues manage their work in a way that suits them as well as the business. We believe in working together to find the best outcome for all and we foster a culture of friendliness and family within our teams. Why do people enjoy working at Cawood? Here’s what our colleagues say: “The people we work with are fun and supportive, even during the more difficult days” “The flexibility that is offered, especially when you have worked in other laboratory environments” “The GOAL, the growth plans and opportunities for development in a range of skills” “The new leadership team and their ambition to invest in people” This year’s People Plan builds upon this fun, flexible and family feel to make Cawood one of the best places to work. Russell Vaughan Russell joined Cawood shortly after leaving university in our Mambo-Tox laboratory and has worked on the majority of our studies, from basic lab experiments to full-sized field studies. He has been integral to new method development over his many years with the company, and is a key contributor to our reputation for clear, accurate reporting that can go straight into a dossier. After taking time out to complete his PhD in plant molecular biology, he returned to the business in 2005 and now leads our team of study directors at Mambo-Tox. Russell enjoys working at Cawood because of our excellent team of people and our mission to support agriculture in meeting the needs of society whilst reducing its environmental impact. Sean Stevenson Sean joined Cawood as a biochemistry graduate to work in the NRM soil analysis laboratory. Over the last 19 years he has worked his way up through sales and business development roles and is now Divisional Managing Director for Cawood Agriculture. Sean is responsible for creating commercial strategies which support and accelerate our growth. Having worked at all the different levels in the company, Sean is a firm believer in making the business a place where people can thrive. At the heart of Cawood is NRM, the UK’s leading agricultural laboratory, founded in 1990. The Cawood group was formed in 2006 with the acquisition of the animal feed testing business, Sciantec. Since then, we have grown rapidly through our strong relationships with customers, our ongoing investment in people and equipment, and the acquisition of businesses that complement or expand our services. This development has allowed us to increase our range of services and extend our reach into global markets. In 2021, Cawood was acquired by US corporation Ensign-Bickford Industries (EBI), becoming a member of its Agriculture and Environmental Diagnostics Group. Watch the video below to learn more about EBI.