LIMS Administrator Job Description

If you’re coming to the end of a LIMS implementation project, you’ll know that up ahead is the question of how best to support the system during business as usual (BAU). Bringing in an administrator is the usual solution to this issue. On the other hand, if you’ve been working as a LIMS consultant or other specialist and are considering moving to a permanent role, you may want to tailor your CV to fit the new title. In either case, it’s important to know what a LIMS administrator job description looks like.

What’s Essential in Any LIMS Administrator Job Description?
Obviously these job descriptions will vary somewhat from company to company and role to role, but there are certain ‘minimum’ skills that will need to be demonstrated.

A LIMS administrator must be able to:

• Maintain master data
• Oversee standard operating procedures needed for BAU
• Understand and resolve user requests
• Maintain the system with an eye to long-term use
• Troubleshoot any unexpected errors which arise
• Process access requests
• Carry out any needed data analysis and reporting to the satisfaction of stakeholders

Put together like this it’s quite a list. It’s worth bearing in mind that different implementations (and business processes) may make some of these more important than others.

Looking at the market in general, a lot of administrators place most of their emphasis on their technical skill, listing successful projects, relevant qualifications, and experience with associated software – and all of this is good!

However, what’s far less common is proof of the ‘soft skills’. That makes these the key difference that decision makers will look for, so long as the candidate has the technical expertise required.

If training your staff is part of the role this is even more important, but ultimately, between handling user requests and providing useful and relevant reporting, soft skills are already vital. A report that can’t be understood creates friction and frustrations, even if the results have been fantastic.

Hidden Knowledge
One point that’s often overlooked in a LIMS administrator job description is a knowledge of the specific industry the role is in. This isn’t always necessary, but if your administrator has only worked with systems in different industries, there’s still a learning curve in place.

There are many other factors to be checked for in interview that can’t really be assessed in the CV – but happily, working with a recruitment consultant, it’s possible for a candidate to be pre-qualified for these ahead of application.

The consultant should have spoken with the decision maker extensively, building up further understanding of the job role. That allows us to check off these extra requirements – everything from problem-solving instincts to cultural fit – before we submit the CV.

Candidate and client alike benefit from the involvement of a dedicated, focused recruitment consultant. Reach out today and we can begin the work.