Job summary
- Main area
- Admin
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 4
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 282-SA1744
- Employer
- The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- The Royal Marsden Sutton
- Town
- Sutton
- Salary
- £33,262 - £36,027 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 02/09/2026 23:59
Employer heading
MLA Team Leader
NHS AfC: Band 4
Job overview
The MLA Team Leader will be responsible for the day-to-day supervision of Medical Laboratory Assistants within Specimen Reception and associated Blood Sciences services. The successful candidate will play a key role in ensuring samples are received, processed and referred efficiently while maintaining service quality, turnaround times and compliance with ISO 15189 standards.
Main duties of the job
The Clinical Pathology Department provides diagnostic services for the Trust, primarily focusing on Blood Sciences. The post-holder will perform administrative, technical, and quality assurance duties, primarily supporting the Biomedical Scientists and Section Leads.
The post-holder will perform a range of tasks to support the Biomedical Scientists in the provision of a high-quality service to our patients. The post holder will organise and receive samples ensuring they are processed in a timely manner, including samples analysed on site and referred to other laboratories.
Working for our organisation
The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is a world-leading cancer centre. Our role is to offer our patients the best cancer care available anywhere in the world, and to continue to make a global contribution to finding better ways of diagnosing and treating cancer. We employ over 4,500 staff in a diverse range of careers including nursing, medical, science, radiography, pharmacy, occupational therapy, finance and administrative services. We have two hospitals – one in Chelsea, London, and one in Sutton, Surrey – as well as a Medical Daycare Unit in Kingston Hospital.
At The Royal Marsden, we deal with cancer every day, so we understand how valuable life is. When people entrust their lives to us, they have the right to demand the very best. That's why the pursuit of excellence lies at the heart of everything we do.
At the heart of the hospital is our dedicated team. We offer a stimulating and dynamic working environment, a wide range of staff benefits, learning and development opportunities and clear career pathways. There are opportunities to work flexibly across a range of areas and specialities and we welcome flexible working requests from point of hire to support employees work life balance. We are looking for employees who aspire to excellence, share our values and can play a crucial role in our on-going achievements.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
For further information please refer to the job description and personal specification
Supervise, carry out and assign MLA team activities and duties in all specimen reception areas to ensure workflow turnaround time (TAT) targets are achieved.
Conducting performance reviews and appraisals in line with Trust policy
Allocating work and assisting with recruitment, selection, and training
Providing training and competency assessments for new MLA and Biomedical Scientist staff in Pathology Reception
Working for our organisation
The Blood Sciences Department provides diagnostic services that support patient care across The Royal Marsden. The department is undergoing significant service and equipment modernisation, providing opportunities to contribute to service development, innovation and continuous improvement.
Our Offer
• NHS Pension Scheme
• Generous annual leave entitlement
• Access to learning and development opportunities
• Flexible working arrangements where service needs allow
• Staff wellbeing and support programmes
• Opportunity to work within a leading specialist cancer centre
Informal enquiries
For further information or an informal discussion about the role, please contact:
Gopyraj Sundararajah
Blood Sciences Service Manager
Person specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Good general education. GCSE grade C or higher in English and Maths. A levels or equivalent relevant experience.
Desirable criteria
- ECDL or equivalent
- BSc (Hons) or equivalent qualification
Experience
Essential criteria
- Previous experience in a laboratory role
- Experience of MS Excel and MS Word, including creating and using spreadsheets
Skills Abilities/knowledge
Essential criteria
- Ability to write clearly and concisely
- Able to work to deadlines
- Ability to express themselves clearly and communicate information
- Attention to detail
Experience
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working in a Blood Transfusion department or NHS organisation
- Understanding of Good Manufacturing Principles in hospital blood banks.
- Knowledge of Quality Management Systems
- Experience of using a blood tracking application
- Able to perform basic training
Skills Abilities/knowledge
Desirable criteria
- Demonstrates proactive approach to problem solving
Experience
Essential criteria
- Ability and experience of understanding and following Standard Operating Procedures
- Experience of effective team working
Skills Abilities/knowledge
Essential criteria
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to work closely and effectively with staff at all levels within the organisation
- Good organisational skills
- Ability to filter and prioritise work load
- Ability to work independently but within limits of the role.
Other Requirements
Essential criteria
- Able to work flexibly to meet the unexpected needs of the role
- Self-confident, contributes to meetings
- Understanding of laboratory H&S procedures
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Gopyraj Sundarajah
- Job title
- Blood Sciences Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
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