View Vacancy -- Pre-Clinical Project Manager - MLC 2108

Open Date
16/03/2023, 12:23
Close Date
10/04/2023, 23:55
MRC Mary Lyon Centre

The Mary Lyon Centre at MRC Harwell (MLC) https://www.har.mrc.ac.uk/ 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 a number of research groups across the UK to accelerate our understanding of human diseases, such as cancer, developmental disorders and neurodegeneration. 

The Medical Research Council (MRC) is a great place to work and progress your career.  The MRC encourages the integration of clinical and discovery research to elucidate both disease processes and potential new therapies. The MLC provides vital scientific support for the UK biomedical community and focuses on preclinical research using mouse models, which supports clinical research and therapy discovery.  

The MRC is an excellent place to develop yourself further and a range of training & development opportunities will be available to you, including professional registration with the Science Council.

UK Research and Innovation is a new entity that brings together nine partners to create an independent organisation with a strong voice for research and innovation, more information can be found at www.ukri.org

MRC - 3
Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire
£40,016 - £53,270 per annum
Permanent
Science
Full Time

Overall Purpose: 

To take a key role in managing the in-vivo work in the Mary Lyon Centre. This post would be a main point of contact between researchers and technicians, advising, planning and organising experiments using genetically altered mouse models. This post requires a strong scientific background, including experience in experimental design and drug studies/clinical trials, as well as good knowledge of molecular biology and use of genetically altered models. All work will be carried out under Home Office regulations (Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act amended 2012), and justification. 

Main Duties/Key Responsibilities: 

  • Liaise with researchers to set up new experiments, including requirement gathering, advising on the best course of action, checking relevant licencing, and generating detailed experimental plans
  • Generate quotes and timelines for new experiments
  • Responsible for the delivery and completion of experimental plans, communicating between teams to ensure that all work is carried out on time and to the correct standards
  • Ensure compliance with ISO9001 for all projects for which the post-holder is responsible
  • Plan and monitor breeding schemes, including complex genetic crosses
  • Lead meetings with research groups to update each other on progress and plans for subsequent weeks
  • Design and develop new protocols and techniques, including but not limited to dosing, drug studies and the use of inducible gene editing/protein modulation tools
  • Keep up to date with advances in the 3R’s and provide advice to users of the Mary Lyon Centre (MLC)
  • Assist in writing and critique of new project licences to carry out experimental work at the MLC
  • Project licence holder covering aspects of the MLC service work
    Deputise for Scientific Manager in their absence
  • Train technicians in laboratory skills and ensure up-to-date training and competence of all technicians working on experimental projects
  • Design and deliver training courses as part of the Advance Training Centre at Harwell, specialising in best practice for animal studies

Working Relationships: 

The post-holder will work under the direction of the Scientific Manager of the MLC but with significant autonomy to manage projects. The post-holder will liaise with external researchers to both inform of project progress and advise on the best course of action. Significant cross-team communication will be required within the MLC, including with husbandry, phenotyping, gene delivery and molecular biology teams to ensure efficient delivery of projects.

Equality & Diversity 

The MRC values the diverse skills and experience of its employees and is committed to achieving equality of treatment for all.  Our objectives are that all individuals shall have equal opportunities for employment and advancement on the basis of their skills, aptitudes and abilities.  The MRC is committed to the engagement and retention of the best possible talent and to creating an environment that encourages excellence in scientific research through good equality and diversity leadership and management.  

Corporate/Local Responsibilities & Requirements

The post-holder must at all times carry out their responsibilities with due regard to the MRC’s: 

  • Code of Conduct
  • Equality and Diversity policy
  • Health and Safety policy
  • Data Protection and Security policy

Job descriptions should be reviewed on a regular basis and at the annual appraisal.  Any changes should be made and agreed between the post holder and their manager.

The above lists are not exhaustive and the post-holder is required to undertake such duties as may reasonably be requested within the scope of the post.  All employees are required to act professionally, cooperatively and flexibly in line with the requirements of the post and the MRC. 

Education/Qualifications/Training Required: 
Essential: 

  • PhD in Genetics or Biology

Previous Work Experience Required: 

Essential: 

  • Post-doctoral or equivalent position managing a research project
  • Designing studies

Desirable: 

  • Clinical trials or drug studies

Knowledge and Experience: 

Essential: 

  • Genuine interest in the welfare of animals
  • Experience in working under the Animal in Scientific Procedures Act
  • Experience in using statistics 

Desirable: 

  • Knowledge of complex genetic alterations, conditional systems, CRISPR/Cas9


Personal skills/Behaviours/Qualities: 

Essential: 

  • Excellent attention to detail
  • Ability to work autonomously and make decisions
  • Good communication and ability to work across multiple teams
  • Self-motivated and positive influence on other team members
The MRC is a great place to work and progress your career, be it in scientific research or the support functions.The MRC is a unique working environment where our researchers are rewarded by world class innovation and collaboration opportunities that the MRC name brings. The MRC is an excellent place to develop yourself further and a range of training & development opportunities will be available to you, including professional registration with the Science Council.

Choosing to come to work at the MRC (part of 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 salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme, as well as the chance to put the MRC and UKRI on your CV in the future.

Our success is dependent upon our ability to embrace diversity and draw on the skills, understanding and experience of all our people. We welcome applications from all sections of the community irrespective of gender, race, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, disability or age. As "Disability Confident" employers, we guarantee to interview all applicants with disabilities who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy.

UKRI supports research in areas that include animal health, agriculture and food security, and bioscience for health which includes research on animals, genetic modification and stem cell research. Whilst you may not have direct involvement in this type of research, you should consider whether this conflicts with your personal values or beliefs.

We will conduct a full and comprehensive pre-employment check as an essential part of the recruitment process on all individuals that are offered a position with UKRI. This will include a security check and an extreme organisations affiliation check.  The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role.  UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.

This opportunity is closed to applications.