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Thu March 28 2024

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Test Laboratory Manager - Testing & Certification

Job Description

TEST LABORATORY MANAGER - TESTING & CERTIFICATION
Salary: c£40,000 + Benefits
Location: Wolverhampton


Our client is a well-established and respected manufacturer of fixtures, fittings and components both mechanical and electronic in the home and building infrastructure products sector. Highly acquisitive and experiencing excellent growth, the company is based in a brand-new office, distribution centre and test centre complex in the West Midlands close to the M6/M54 but has operational facilities and subsidiaries nationally and globally.


They are now seeking to strengthen their Test Centre team with the appointment of a Manager to head up their brand-new Test & Certification facility. Our client offers testing and certification services both on an in-house basis to internal group companies and also to external customers including other manufacturers of mechanical, electrical and electronic components and products, in line with industry and national and international standards and certifications. The role also encompasses management of product certification schemes to ensure continuity of compliance and maximise value from product certifications


Testing equipment is predominantly pneumatic, hydraulic plus electrical/electronic includes tensile and other strength tests.

The Role:

  • You will manage our client's brand-new Test Engineering Centre, ensuring that internal and external customer needs are met, providing an exemplary service, managing product certification scheme to ensure continuity of compliance and maximum value from product certifications. The role is as much about team management as technical competence.
  • Promote and maintain compliance with procedural requirements and best practice for safety, health and environmental factors associated with testing operations, ensuring suitable provision is made for the identification of hazards and management of risks
  • Develop & maintain the necessary systems and competencies within the testing team to manage daily operations, testing scheduling, and quote and report generation
  • Promote and maintain professional standards of service.
  • Manage the testing capacity to suitably cater for customer indicative, UKAS accredited, competitor analysis, development and audit test requirements.
  • Develop & maintain the necessary systems and competencies within the testing team to manage daily operations, testing scheduling, and quote and report generation
  • Preparation of audit test samples for our client's certified product testing.
  • Maintain a test quotation and booking service with transparent lead times and manage the provision of testing to agreed service levels.
  • Maintenance and development of UKAS accredited ISO 17025 Laboratory management system, manuals, procedures and accreditation requirements.
  • Identification and implementation of testing service improvements including scope of service and efficiency
  • Promotion of our client's testing services within the industry to maximise value.
  • Development and maintenance of our client's product certifications including CE marking, Kitemark and Certify product schemes, and product specific testing evidence.
  • Monitor and evaluate developments within industry testing and product standards, identifying threats and opportunities and liaising with key stakeholders.
  • Represent our client's testing services at the Test House Studies Group.
  • A key area is the day to day management and development of the Test Engineers and Team Leader to ensure flexibility and a high quality of service.
  • Maintain good relationships internally with key members of executive team as well as customers and external bodies.

The Background:

  • Degree/HNC/HND educated in Mechanical or Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Metallurgy, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Forensics or similar.
  • Experience of Electrical/Electronic Engineering advantageous. Experience could be gained in mechanical, electronic, chemicals, biological, metals sectors or forensics.
  • Currently working within a similar specialist testing team or alternatively as part of a quality or product development function within a manufacturing environment but keen to develop career further into testing and certification.
  • Experienced leading and motivating engineers including apprentices is essential.
  • Experience of BSI standards essential.
  • Customer facing experience essential - this could be external customers or internal customers within different product or manufacturing divisions of the same organisation.
  • Experience of planning resource allocation and creating and presenting reports.
  • Structured problem-solving techniques, including analysis and corrective and preventative action identification
  • Ability to technically appraise company and competitor products.

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