Laboratory and life sciences

The jobs

8 jobs in this family

• Laboratory Assistant

  Way inAround 22,000 to 26,000

  You keep the lab running: preparing equipment, making up solutions, labelling and logging samples, keeping benches and stock in order. It is the job most lab careers start from.

  How you get in: Apply directly. Employers look for care, accuracy and reliability more than a science degree. GCSE maths and a science subject help.

  Unlocks: GCSEs including a science, or a Level 2 laboratory skills course

  See Laboratory Assistant openings

• Laboratory Technician

  TechnicianAround 26,000 to 34,000

  You run tests and experiments to a set method, record and check the results, and keep the instruments calibrated and working. Technicians are the backbone of every research and testing lab.

  How you get in: A Level 3 laboratory technician apprenticeship is the most common route, and you earn while you train. People also move up from lab assistant.

  Unlocks: Level 3 Laboratory Technician apprenticeship, or a BTEC / T Level in applied science

  See Laboratory Technician openings

• Senior / Research Technician

  QualifiedAround 32,000 to 42,000

  You run more complex work, often on a specific technique or instrument, and you train and check the people coming up behind you.

  How you get in: Build experience as a technician, then take a Level 5 technician or a part-time degree route while you work.

  Unlocks: Level 5 Technician Scientist apprenticeship, HNC / HND or degree in a science subject

  See Senior / Research Technician openings

• Quality Control Analyst

  TechnicianAround 27,000 to 38,000

  You test samples and materials against a standard and record whether they pass. Regulated work, so the method matters as much as the result.

  How you get in: Common move from lab technician. Employers value people who follow a procedure exactly and document it properly.

  Unlocks: Level 3 or Level 5 science apprenticeship, or a science degree

  See Quality Control Analyst openings

• Bioprocess / Manufacturing Technician

  TechnicianAround 28,000 to 38,000

  You run the equipment that grows, purifies and packages biological products, keeping conditions and records exactly right.

  How you get in: Apprenticeship or a move across from another technician role. Shift patterns are common and are often paid at a premium.

  Unlocks: Level 3 Science Manufacturing Technician apprenticeship

  See Bioprocess / Manufacturing Technician openings

• Clinical Trials Coordinator

  QualifiedAround 30,000 to 40,000

  You keep a study on track: scheduling participants, keeping the paperwork right, and making sure every step is recorded the way the rules require.

  How you get in: Often reached from an administrator or healthcare background rather than a lab bench. Organisation and accuracy are the core skills.

  Unlocks: Degree or equivalent experience, plus Good Clinical Practice training

  See Clinical Trials Coordinator openings

• Laboratory Operations / Facilities Coordinator

  QualifiedAround 30,000 to 42,000

  You look after the lab itself: equipment servicing, consumables, waste, safety records and the contractors who come in to work on it.

  How you get in: A crossover role. People arrive from lab technician jobs and from facilities and building services jobs alike.

  Unlocks: Experience in a lab or facilities role, plus health and safety training such as IOSH

  See Laboratory Operations / Facilities Coordinator openings

• Laboratory Equipment Engineer

  QualifiedAround 32,000 to 45,000

  You install, service and repair the scientific instruments a lab depends on, and get them back up fast when they fail.

  How you get in: Usually from an engineering apprenticeship. Electrical, electronic and mechanical maintenance experience all transfer.

  Unlocks: Level 3 or Level 4 engineering apprenticeship, or an engineering HNC

  See Laboratory Equipment Engineer openings

Source: Oxfordshire Local Skills Improvement Plan, Annex A: Occupational Demand by Sector, Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce, March 2026. Pay ranges are indicative for Oxfordshire and are there to help you compare roles, not a promise about any one vacancy.