Lead Laboratory Accessioner

VPG | Part of Zoetis

Location: Bristol, UK

About Zoetis

Zoetis is the world's leading animal health company, dedicated to supporting veterinarians, livestock producers, and pet owners through innovative products, services, and solutions that improve the health and wellbeing of animals worldwide.

For more than 70 years, Zoetis has been at the forefront of animal health innovation, developing medicines, vaccines, diagnostics, technologies, and services that help improve care for animals across the globe. Our colleagues are united by a shared purpose: to nurture our world and advance care for animals.

Veterinary Pathology Group (VPG) is part of Zoetis' global diagnostics portfolio, delivering high-quality veterinary diagnostic services that support veterinary professionals with accurate, timely, and clinically meaningful results. Through advanced laboratory capabilities, specialist expertise, and a commitment to innovation, VPG plays a vital role in improving animal health outcomes.

The Opportunity

We are looking for a Lead Laboratory Accessioner to join our VPG team based in Bristol, UK.

As the Lead Laboratory Accessioner, you will act as the subject matter expert and day-to-day operational lead for the accessioning function, ensuring specimens are processed accurately, efficiently, and within required turnaround times.

You will oversee workflow management, task allocation, quality assurance, training, inventory management, and cross-functional troubleshooting, working closely with Laboratory Operations, Pathology, Customer Service, and other internal teams to support a seamless diagnostic service.

This role requires strong organisational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to lead and support colleagues in a fast-paced laboratory environment.

Site-specific responsibilities may apply depending on operational requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the subject matter expert and operational lead for laboratory accessioning activities.
• Monitor workflow, throughput, and workload distribution, assigning tasks to ensure efficient processing and service delivery.
• Maintain accurate records, tier boards, operational communications, and workflow updates.
• Work collaboratively with peers and Pathology Operations Leads to ensure pathology rotas are accurate, up to date, and workload allocation is balanced.
• Manage site pathology rotas across all laboratory working days and respond effectively to unplanned absences to maintain operational continuity.
• Support specimen receipt, staging, tracking, storage, and overall accessioning workflow.
• Manage slide storage, slide recovery, and allocation of slides for further testing, including molecular testing, immunocytochemistry, and immunohistochemistry.
• Coordinate purchasing activities to maintain appropriate stock levels and manage accessioning supplies.
• Monitor inventory usage and ensure availability of essential laboratory materials.
• Coordinate scanner workflow, including allocation, throughput monitoring, first-line troubleshooting, and escalation where required.
• Lead oversight of exception and rejection processes, ensuring problematic samples are investigated and resolved promptly.
• Support quality assurance activities, including accession-to-billing code accuracy audits and feedback loops with Customer Relations teams.
• Provide support to Customer Service teams by monitoring communications, assisting with enquiries, and resolving operational queries.
• Support data collection, KPI reporting, continuous improvement initiatives, and quality improvement activities.
• Promote a culture of accuracy, collaboration, safety, and continuous improvement within the laboratory environment.