About the MHRA laboratories

Under contract to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), LGC hosts and operates the UK’s combined Official Medicines Control Laboratory (OMCL) for chemical testing and the British Pharmacopoeia (BP) Commission Laboratory.

The work of The MHRA Laboratories at LGC helps to protect public health by ensuring that medicines and healthcare products are safe for those who use them. The MHRA laboratories carried out routine surveillance testing on licensed medicines to ensure the integrity of the market, as well as testing on unlicensed, illegal and counterfeit medicines.

One of The MHRA Laboratory's primary roles is to procure, establish and maintain reference standards (British Pharmacopoeia Chemical Reference Substances - BPCRS). The laboratory also supports the work of the British Pharmacopoeia Commission in establishing methods (known as monographs) for generic medicinal products (including herbals) available in the UK. The monographs established by laboratory staff are subsequently published in the British Pharmacopoeia.

The laboratories are equipped with appropriate instrumentation which includes HPLC, GC-FID, GC-MS, HPLC-MS, TLC, titrimetry, Infra Red and UV spectrometers as well as necessary balances and other essential equipment.

Job purpose

The job holder will support the activities of the MHRA Laboratories by undertaking physico-chemical testing of pharmaceutical API's, impurities thereof and formulated products. Full training will be given and the job holder will work under supervision. The laboratory operates to the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025. The successful candidate will need to work effectively as part of a busy team of ~ 30 analytical scientists.

Key responsibilities and accountabilities

Analysis of pure organic substances using FTIR, HPLC, TLC, GC, KF, titrations and possibly some thermal methods (e.g. TGA etc) to support British Pharmacopoeia Chemical Reference Substance (BPCRS) production.
Analysis of formulated products with the aim of developing new or revised pharmaceutical monographs.
Analysis of formulated products including over-the-counter medicines, antibiotics and herbal products, for identity, uniformity, assay and impurities.
Adherence to quality system and UKAS accreditation requirements.
Collating data.
Problem solving - including identification and implementation of solutions.
Drafting of analytical reports and safety assessments to standard specification.
Routine maintenance, daily performance checks and periodic calibration of equipment.
Day-to-day laboratory housekeeping.
Supporting general lab activities and delivery as required.
Vialing of BPCRS to support and maintain the overall stock level

Knowledge, experience and technical skills

Essential

Expected to achieve 2:1 or higher in chemistry or a related science subject, containing a high degree of analytical chemistry content.
Aptitude for experimental analytical chemistry.
Good written and verbal communication skills.
IT skills – MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint, email & Internet.
Self motivated.
Attention to detail.
Methodical approach to work.
Ability to work well as part of a multi-functional team.

Person Specification

The job holder will be able to demonstrate the following behaviours in line with LGC’s values:

Passion- enjoy the work that you do and have that enthusiasm influence others.
Curiosity- keep questioning why and how we do things so as to continuously improve processes.
Integrity- ensure our integrity cannot be questioned by the customer by maintaining a high quality of work.
Brilliance- push the boundaries of what we do to inspire brilliant performance.
Respect- have respect for the customer and all in the team and treat all equally.

MHRA Lab Industrial Placement