Team Lead

About UsWe are a team of passionate individuals, developing ground-breaking biological technologies designed to sustainably, and safely, control insects that transmit diseases and destroy crops. We do this work to improve lives and livelihoods around the world in the face of the growing threats that insects pose to human health and the global food supply.   Whilst what we do relates to developing insect control technologies, Oxitec is about people and is in service to people.    We are strongly committed to a set of values, principles, and behaviours, and foster a culture of trust, respect, creativity, and accountability. Click here to learn more, and here to read our CEO’s blog about trust and our culture.   Purpose of the JobTo be a successful Team Lead, you will have extensive experience of leading highly technical and specialized teams, managing multiple work streams in parallel, and communicating progress to senior management. You will take a leading role in innovating novel solutions to technical problems, have a hands-on approach to generating and interpreting data, and work closely with your team and our engineering department to develop, test, improve, and validate insect rearing technologies. ResponsibilitiesYour key responsibilities will involve leading a team that will develop Oxitec’s rearing methods. You will be responsible for ensuring that laboratory spaces are fully compliant with required regulations and equipped in a way that meets all of the projects’ needs, developing novel and innovative rearing systems, and nurturing respectful relationships with our partner organisations where applicable.Working under the guidance of a Group Lead, as well as the Program Lead, you will: Manage and direct the work of a small team (1-3 direct reports) responsible for developing, testing and implementing insect rearing methods.Provide clear communication regarding outcomes of processes, experiments, and planning with the project stakeholders.Co-operate and co-ordinate with other Team Leads to allocate technical resources across the department, based on company and departmental priorities.Proactively engage with other departments (e.g. Strain Dev, Engineering, Field, QC/H&S) where required to ensure full alignment on priorities and progress.Report data in meetings throughout the company, to audiences with various technical knowledge, and write clear and concise reports for internal and external review.Have a clear understanding of the commercial impact of the work and responsibilities and strive to deliver cost effective technologies.Support the team’s compliance to establish, implement and maintain procedures, regulations and health and safety.Support ongoing development of team members, using Oxitec’s established development framework, ensuring staff are trained as required in-line with SOPs and training records.Provide occasional weekend support as part of a rota within the R&D team.Where required, work closely with partner organisations and maintain strong and collaborative relationships.Travel to other Oxitec locations as required, and depending on project needs. Skills, Experience, and Education RequirementsDemonstrated experience in innovation and creative problem solving is essential. An MSc or PhD in a life science or engineering discipline (e.g. entomology, biology, biochemistry, bioengineering, process engineering) or relevant industry experience (minimum 2 years) is essential.Previous experience in a leadership/mentorship role is essential.Demonstrated people management, technical and organisational abilities appropriate for the role are essential.Experience with animal husbandry and/or colonies of invertebrates is desirable.Previous experience with establishing a laboratory and procedures is desirable.Excellent written and oral communication is essential to communicate with a wide variety of stakeholders including junior and senior staff members.A track record of scientific diligence including valuing careful generation and recording of data.Strong attention to detail, with excellent timekeeping standards and responsiveness.Proficiency in R/R Studio, Python, or Excel and experience in using statistics is desirable. Behavioural RequirementsCommitted to and passionate about the Oxitec mission and values.Diligent and organised.Comfortable working independently and within a team.Adaptable and flexible, thriving and being resilient in an environment of change and ambiguity.Responsive to the needs of an international business working across different time zones, adapting working patterns in-line with business requirements.Have a self-starting attitude and demonstrate original thinking.Decisive and assertive with a driven and proactive approach.Positive, humble, co-operative and professional.Work with a sense of urgency and solves things promptly.Resilient and persistent in an innovative and constantly changing environment.Empathetic, with the ability to build effective relationships quickly.A team player who believes the success of us all depends on us working together.