MLA Team Leader | The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust


Company:	The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust
Salary:	£33,262 - £36,027 per annum
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	Sutton, SM2 5PT
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	19 Aug 2026
Closing date:	18 Sept 2026

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Summary

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.

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.

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.

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

This advert closes on Wednesday 2 Sep 2026

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