Key Performance Areas:

Financial Recovery and Sustainability

• Coordinate continuous improvement initiatives to ensure objectives are met within the budgeted scope, cost, timeframe, and specified deliverables
• Plan and coordinate the laboratory’s expenditures, reporting any deviations to the Manager, and implement corrective actions as agreed upon with the Manager.
• Initiate the procurement process for consumables, materials, and other lab requirements, while maintaining optimal inventory levels in accordance with budget availability and constraints.
• Supervise all processes related to lab test result reporting to ensure effective, timely (90% TAT), and accurate reporting (<2.5% returns) to customers.
• Participate in the review and revision of customer contracts and price lists, providing credible feedback to the manager within the prescribed timeframe.

Stakeholder and Customer Management

• Collaborate with other Section Heads on matters of common interest to ensure the delivery of excellent customer service, including multidisciplinary tasks and initiatives.
• Build strong relationships with both internal and external customers, ensuring timely notifications (directly or via CRM) are provided when there are delays in the lab.
• Prepare statistical and summary reports to serve as inputs for periodic departmental management reporting requirements.

OHS, QMS and Compliance

• Ensure all required quality assurance tasks are completed as outlined by the management system, including technical and administrative controls. This verification ensures the consistent delivery of quality services to customers and stakeholders, such as coordinating proficiency tests within the section.
• Ensure that observations of risks or issues are documented clearly, concisely, and effectively, enabling immediate corrective and preventive actions to be taken promptly in accordance with the management system requirements.
• Ensure the continued validity of analytical methods to maintain analytical services that meet customer specifications while ensuring compliance with Quality Management Systems.
• Undertake quality, OHS, compliance, and BBS activities assigned to them to ensure adherence to quality manuals, relevant legislation, and international best practices.
• Ensure that 90% of non-conforming events assigned to them are investigated, documented, corrected, reported, and closed within the prescribed timeframe.
• Facilitate the systematic development and validation of procedures (including SOPs and WIs), as well as their review and revision.

Talent Excellence and High Performance Culture

• Supervise staff and internship students assigned to them, distributing the workload effectively to ensure optimal (80%) utilization of lab human resources.
• Perform supervisory duties such as conducting staff performance appraisals, reviewing competency in lab testing (professional certification/recognition), managing employee contracts, IDPs, representing the employer in disciplinary hearings, and overseeing leave and timesheet management.
• Ensure that their professional certification remains up-to-date and valid annually.

Lab Availability and Operational Efficiency

• Ensure that preventative maintenance of equipment is carried out and documented, and that repairs on malfunctioning equipment are initiated promptly to prevent service interruptions.
• Ensure that stock levels are maintained to prevent interruptions to service delivery due to instrument or equipment failures, and address any issues encountered as quickly as possible.
• Ensure that all records related to the maintenance of resources are kept up to date, enabling management to make informed decisions on upgrades, expansions, and replacements based on available data. Contribute to proposals for upgrades, resource duplication, and replacements.
• Ensure that stock control and supplier records are properly maintained, allowing management to make informed decisions on preferred suppliers, specifications, annual procurement plans, and supplier contracts based on available data.
• Contribute to proposals for stock refills and optimal stock levels.
• Monitor the department’s efficiency and recommend quality improvement changes as needed.
• Participate in planning and scheduling of lab work, and in some cases, take the lead to improve time management, productivity, accountability, and progress tracking.

Minimum Qualifications and Experience:

Education:

• BSc Honours degree in Chemistry or Radiation Physics or Physics or equivalent. (NQF 8)
• A Masters Degree in Physics or equivalent will be an added advantage.
• ISO 17025 System course certificate.
• Must be a registered Scientist or possess relevant credentials to be registered as a member of a professional body, e.g. the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professionals.

Experience:

• A minimum of 5 years of work experience in a Calibration & Metrology laboratory.
• At least 2 years of experience as a SANAS Technical Signatory on accredited methods.