The Role

Are you an experienced in vitro biologist with a passion for leading teams and delivering high-quality, client-driven scientific projects within a drug discovery environment?

Do you have the expertise and leadership capability to guide complex immunology studies while mentoring scientists and driving exceptional project outcomes?

Based at our Portishead site, this is a laboratory-based leadership role within the In Vitro Biology team.

The Associate Group Leader will provide both scientific and managerial oversight to their direct reports, ensuring effective day-to-day leadership and the successful delivery of high-quality scientific leadership for client projects.

The role carries accountability for team development, operational coordination, and advancing scientific excellence across assigned studies. 

Main Tasks

• Lead scientific activities within in vitro biology or as part of an integrated project team, providing clear technical and scientific direction.  
• Use strong scientific judgement to guide decisions, influence study outcomes, and ensure high‑quality project delivery.  
• Provide project leadership, overseeing scientific planning, execution, and delivery against client objectives and financial expectations.  
• Engage directly with clients and internal stakeholders to understand requirements, define deliverables, and maintain high levels of client satisfaction.  
• Maintain current knowledge of relevant scientific literature, industry trends, and contemporary laboratory practices, sharing insights with the wider team.  
• Support training and development of direct reports in core techniques such as flow cytometry, Incucyte assays, ELISpot, Luminex, high‑content imaging, complex primary cell culture, and molecular biology.  
• Act as project lead when required, ensuring accountability for delivery across scientific areas and effective communication with external stakeholders.  
• Proactively share scientific knowledge to foster continuous learning, collaboration, and scientific excellence across the group 
• Effectively manage direct reports on a day-day basis, through meaningful onsite interactions ensuring optimal performance and delivery to assigned client projects.  
• Demonstrate strong business awareness, identifying issues that affect operations and proposing practical plans and actions to address them.  
• Establish strong working relationships across the management community, identifying any potential areas for improvement and/or development and facilitating those opportunities for self and direct reports where possible.  
• Promote a strong safety culture, ensuring teams always work safely and in full compliance with CRL policies and laboratory standards.  
• Be a positive influence across the group, able to coach, guide and mentor more junior staff and peers as needed to achieve strategic goals as set out by the Senior Leadership Team and Director cohort.  
• Contribute to the management and performance of the Portishead In Vitro Biology team by taking on selected responsibilities. 
• Support Talent Acquisition in recruitment process, hosting candidate interviews and/or participating as part of interviewing panels.   

Skills and Qualifications

• MSc within relevant discipline  
• Demonstrable lab-based industry led experience within a drug discovery environment.  
• Previous experience of leading client projects within a similar CRO/drug discovery/biotech environment  
• Proven leadership or supervisory experience, overseeing smaller teams on a day-day basis.
• Strong communication skills, able to foster working relationships with peers and reports alike in a professional manner.
• Able to effectively guide, mentor and coach junior team members positively, outlining clear expectations of what is expected.
• Experience with working in an in vitro biology lab.  
• Strong understanding of immunological techniques and principles. 

Advantageous, but not essential:

• PhD within relevant discipline.
• Previous experience of leading client projects within a similar CRO/drug discovery/biotech environment.  
• Effectively managed a team previously, with strong passion for developing and training others. 

What We Offer

At Charles River Discovery UK, we offer a competitive and comprehensive benefits package designed to support our employees’ health, wellbeing, and professional growth. A generous Bonus and non-contributory pension, health, dental and much more.