Lab Teamleader XRD

We are seeking a proactive and people‑focused Lab Team Leader to guide our XRD Applications team in the Almelo laboratory. This role is designed for a strong senior application specialist who is ready to step into leadership—someone who can balance technical depth with the ability to coordinate workloads, develop people, and bring structure and clarity to daily operations.

As Team Leader, you will ensure that the XRD team consistently delivers high‑quality customer value while driving improvements in the way we work. You will streamline processes, reduce unnecessary administrative burden, and ensure that the team’s time is focused on high‑impact activities that truly matter for customers, revenue, product success, and overall business performance.

This is a key role that acts as the bridge between strategy and execution—translating strategic direction into clear actions, aligning applications work with commercial priorities, and strengthening collaboration with Sales, Service, Product Management, and R&D.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, coach, and mentor XRD specialists to grow skills, confidence, and independence.
• Empower the team to solve routine technical issues while you focus on communication, planning, and people development.
• Ensure a consistent, professional, high‑quality customer experience across all interactions.

Operational Excellence & Simplification

• Oversee daily lab operations, manage workload allocation, and maintain standards.
• Simplify ways of working in Almelo by reducing unnecessary administrative burden and optimising processes.
• Improve efficiency in response to the current high workload linked to time‑tracking and reporting structures.
• Make short‑term operational decisions and manage escalations effectively.

Business & Financial Acumen

• Interpret basic dashboards, KPIs, and performance indicators to guide decisions.
• Balance cost, resources, customer value, and long‑term business impact when prioritizing work.
• Incorporate profitability considerations into planning, resourcing, and team discussions.

Strategic Alignment

• Translate strategic decisions into clear, actionable steps for the team.
• Provide thoughtful input before decisions are finalised; fully commit after.
• Raise concerns constructively with solution‑oriented thinking and data‑driven reasoning.

Prioritisation & Impact Orientation

• Focus 80% of team effort on activities with real customer and business impact.
• Delegate low‑value or operational details appropriately.
• Escalate only issues with genuine business or customer consequences.

Professionalism & Collaboration

• Communicate with clarity, diplomacy, and professionalism—especially when disagreeing.
• Avoid friction, mixed messages, or confusion within the broader team.
• Serve as a role model for behaviour aligned with company values.

Decision-Making Discipline

• Use data, customer impact, and strategic alignment—not personal preference—to guide decisions.
• Consult relevant stakeholders early, document decisions clearly, and close topics promptly.
• Avoid unnecessary back‑and‑forth and maintain momentum on key activities.

What You Bring

Education

• PhD in Physics, Chemistry, Materials Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• Note: Strong hands‑on experience with XRD instruments may compensate for higher formal degrees.

Experience

• 5–8 years of hands‑on XRD applications experience (demos, training, feasibility studies, troubleshooting).
• Experience mentoring colleagues or leading projects; formal management experience not required.
• Solid understanding of customer workflows and end‑to‑end application processes.
• Ideal for a senior application specialist ready for a first leadership step.

Skills & Competencies

Strong technical and application expertise in XRD.

Effective prioritization, triage, and workload management.

Coaching and mentoring capability.

Clear communication and customer expectation management.

Strong governance discipline (documentation, escalation routing, operational standards).

Do you want this job?

Apply now

About us - Malvern Panalytical, Micromeritics and SciAps.

Together we are a powerful and highly complementary combination of market leading technologies.

We are the toolmakers for the world's most innovative companies, academic institutions, and government laboratories. We are their partners in discovery.

Malvern Panalytical instruments analyze the chemical, physical and structural nature of materials, from proteins to polymers and semiconductors to minerals. Our leading technologies measure particle size, shape, concentration and zeta potential, biomolecular interactions and stability, elemental concentrations and crystallographic structure.

Micromeritics manufactures systems for the characterization of particles, powders, and porous materials for a wide- range of end markets including catalysts, chemicals, building materials, clean-tech and battery. Our leading technologies measure surface area, porosity, density, adsorption and particle activity.

SciAps specializes in portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF), laser-based (LIBS) and near-infrared (NIR) analyzers to measure any element in any environment. SciAps is the Center of Excellence for our handheld instruments.

We have a global footprint with R&D and manufacturing sites in North America, Europe, and Asia.

We are more than 2,500 employees in a customer-focused organization with sales and service offices in 20 countries, all committed to delivering expert and responsive customer support.

We are part of Spectris. Spectris combines precision with purpose, delivering progress for a more sustainable world. Precision is at the heart of what we do – our leading, high-tech instruments and software equip our customers to solve some of their greatest challenges to make the world cleaner, healthier and more productive.

Malvern Panalytical, Micromeritics & SciAps

Your Partners in Discovery

Malvern Panalytical, Micromeritics and SciAps, part of the Spectris Group, are committed to a diverse and inclusive culture where everyone can thrive and achieve a fulfilling career. Changing the world isn’t something you can do on your own, or with a single way of thinking; it takes a wide collection of experiences, stories, knowledge, and expertise. We encourage applications from underrepresented individuals and people with diverse backgrounds. Although we always select the most qualified applicant for each role and make all decisions without regard to race, sex, age, or any other protected class, we are an inclusive, equal opportunity organization that prizes diversity. Your unique perspective is important to us.