Microbiologist (secondment 12 months)

Welcome to Haleon. We’re a purpose-driven, world-class consumer company putting everyday health in the hands of millions. In just three years since our launch, we’ve grown, evolved and are now entering an exciting new chapter – one filled with bold ambitions and enormous opportunity.

Our trusted portfolio of brands – including Sensodyne®, Panadol®, Advil®, Voltaren®, Theraflu®, Otrivin®, and Centrum® – lead in resilient and growing categories. What sets us apart is our unique blend of deep human understanding and trusted science.

Now it’s time to fully realise the full potential of our business and our people. We do this through our Win as One strategy. It puts our purpose – to deliver better everyday health with humanity – at the heart of everything we do. It unites us, inspires us, and challenges us to be better every day, driven by our agile, performance-focused culture.

Microbiology Scientist Secondment 12 months

Job Purpose

The Haleon Oral Healthcare R&D team supports the development of leading global Consumer Healthcare brands across both R&D and Supply Chain projects. As part of the Oral Healthcare Microbiology Research team and reporting to the Microbiology Research Team Leader, the Microbiology Scientist will provide technical support to project teams through microbiological evaluation and assessment of product efficacy and robustness.

Position Purpose

Provide scientifically robust microbiology expertise that supports product development, launch readiness, quality and compliance, while proactively identifying risks and delivering practical solutions aligned with business priorities.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, execute and interpret microbiological assays to evaluate product efficacy and robustness, including antimicrobial and preservative efficacy testing and kill-time methodologies.

• Ensure Microbiology Quality by Design (QbD) principles and relevant regulatory requirements are incorporated into project plans.

• Maintain a strong overview of projects and business priorities, anticipate potential issues and work proactively to develop effective solutions.

• Deliver routine and non-routine microbiological work on time, following good scientific practice or Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), as applicable, and approved written procedures.

• Develop test plans using Design of Experiments (DoE) principles to generate robust data packages for new product launches.

• Follow documented laboratory procedures, ensuring samples are correctly handled and all relevant sample information, records and quality data are complete and accurate.

• Review internal and external microbiology data, highlighting issues, alerts or outages and recommending appropriate actions.

• Conduct root-cause analysis and implement effective corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).

• Ensure adherence to Quality, Environment, Health and Safety practices and support internal and external audits and inspections.

Key Competencies

• Technical proficiency in microbiology and the independent application of relevant laboratory methods.

• Strong experimental design, data interpretation and scientific problem-solving skills.

• Ability to balance project requirements, quality standards and business priorities.

• Clear communication of microbiological risks, findings and recommended actions to project stakeholders.

• Commitment to good scientific practice, data integrity, quality, safety and continuous improvement.

Skills & Experience

• Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology, Biomedical Sciences, Biological Sciences or a closely related discipline, with a specialisation in Microbiology.

• Experience working in a microbiology laboratory where independent experimental design, testing and research are required.

• Experience in antimicrobial or preservative efficacy testing, release testing and kill-time methodologies.

Basic qualifications

A Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology, Biomedical Sciences, Biological Sciences or a closely related discipline is required because of the technical and scientific nature of the products, research and laboratory activities managed and performed in this role.

Desirable

• Knowledge of the product development process and microbiology requirements within a quality and compliance framework.

• Experience supporting product launches and generating robust microbiological data packages.

• Experience supporting audits or inspections in a regulated laboratory environment.

 

 

 

 Job Posting End Date

 

 

2026-08-25

 

 

 

Equal Opportunities

Haleon are committed to mobilising our purpose in a way that represents the diverse consumers and communities who rely on our brands every day. It guides us in creating an inclusive culture, where different backgrounds and views are valued and respected – all in support of understanding and best serving the needs of our consumers and unleashing the full potential of our people. It’s important to us that Haleon is a place where all our employees feel they truly belong.

During the application process, we may ask you to share some personal information, which is entirely voluntary. This information ensures we meet certain regulatory and reporting obligations and supports the development, refinement, and execution of our inclusion and belonging programmes that are open to all Haleon employees. 

The personal information you provide will be kept confidential, used only for legitimate business purposes, and will never be used in making any employment decisions, including hiring decisions.

 

 

 

Adjustment or Accommodations Request

If you require a reasonable adjustment or accommodation or other assistance to apply for a job at Haleon at any stage of the application process, please let your recruiter know by providing them with a description of specific adjustments you are requesting. We’ll provide all reasonable adjustments to support you throughout the recruitment process and treat all information you provide us in confidence. 

 

 

 

Note to candidates

The Haleon recruitment team will contact you using a Haleon email account (@haleon.com). If you are not sure whether the email you received is from Haleon, please get in touch.