Facilities Manager

About this role

About Meatly

Meatly is a UK-based cultivated meat biotechnology company on a mission to make real meat, without animals. We take cells from a single chicken egg — just once — and use them to produce real, nutritious meat here in the UK, giving our pets the meat they need and crave without ever hurting another animal. We are the world's first company to receive regulatory approval to sell cultivated meat for pet food in the UK, and we are building the technology and production capabilities to scale that breakthrough globally.

Role Overview

We are looking for a proactive, detail-oriented Facility Manager to keep our laboratory and production environment running safely, compliantly, and efficiently - freeing our science and engineering teams to focus on what they do best.

As Meatly scales its operations, the integrity of our facility becomes increasingly critical. The Facility Manager will own the day-to-day operation of our laboratory, production, and office spaces — ensuring all environments are safe, well-maintained, compliant with relevant regulations, and capable of supporting a growing, science-led team.

Reporting to the Head of Production, you will work closely with the engineering, production, and R&D teams to coordinate maintenance activities, manage contractors and service providers, and oversee health and safety compliance. This is a hands-on role that requires both operational rigour and the interpersonal skills to work effectively across a multidisciplinary organisation.

The role will be full-time in-person in North Acton, London with limited possibility for remote or flexible working.

Key Responsibilities

Facilities Operations & Maintenance

• Own day-to-day facilities management across lab, production, and office spaces, ensuring they are safe, well-maintained, and fit for purpose
• Develop and run a preventive maintenance programme for all building services (HVAC, electrical, gas, water, specialist lab utilities), and manage reactive maintenance to minimise downtime
• Maintain the facilities asset register and act as primary liaison with the landlord/property management team on lease and building services matters

Laboratory & Production Environment

• Ensure lab and production environments meet the environmental standards (temperature, air quality, cleanliness) required for cell culture and bioprocessing, and support commissioning/installation of specialist equipment
• Manage access control, security, and environmental monitoring systems, and oversee lab gases, chemical storage, cryogenics, water treatment, and waste streams
• Support the team in maintaining biosafety and containment standards appropriate to Meatly's operations

Health, Safety & Compliance

• Act as primary responsible person for day-to-day H&S compliance, maintaining risk assessments, COSHH, fire risk assessments, and safe working procedures
• Ensure compliance with relevant UK legislation (Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, PSSR 2000, DSEAR 2002, COSHH 2002) and manage relationships with regulators
• Coordinate fire safety procedures and run the safety induction and training process for new starters and visitors
• Maintain safety records and manage incident reporting and investigation

Contractor & Supplier Management

• Appoint and manage contractors and service providers for maintenance, waste, and cleaning, ensuring safe working (permits, inductions) and value-for-money contracts
• Manage facilities-related procurement, including consumables, PPE, and cleaning materials

Space Planning & Projects

• Support facilities improvement projects, refurbishments, and new capability installations with engineering and production teams
• Manage office space and visitor facilities, and contribute to longer-term space planning as the company grows

Budget & Administration

• Own the facilities budget, reporting variances to the Head of Production, and maintain facilities records (maintenance logs, certificates, compliance documentation)

Requirements

Essential

• Proven experience in a facilities management role, ideally within a laboratory, research, manufacturing, or similarly technical environment
• Strong working knowledge of UK health and safety legislation and its practical application, including COSHH, PSSR, fire safety, and general workplace regulations
• Experience managing external contractors, service providers, and maintenance programmes
• NEBOSH General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety, or equivalent qualification (or willingness to work towards this)
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously and prioritise effectively
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills — able to work collaboratively with scientists, engineers, and senior leadership alike
• Practical, proactive, and hands-on approach to problem solving
• Experience managing facilities or maintenance budgets

Desirable

• Experience in a biotech, pharmaceutical, food manufacturing, or similarly regulated laboratory or production environment
• Familiarity with biosafety requirements and containment level classifications
• IOSH Managing Safely or equivalent safety management qualification
• Experience with laboratory gas systems, cryogenics, or specialist chemical storage and waste disposal
• Membership of the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM/IWFM) or equivalent professional body
• Experience planning or supporting facility fit-out, expansion, or relocation projects
• Familiarity with computerised maintenance management systems (CMMS) or facilities management software

What we offer

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience
• Equity participation in a high-growth, mission-driven company
• 24 days annual leave plus 8 UK bank holidays
• Learning & development budget, including support for relevant training, courses, and conferences
• Access to well-equipped laboratory and bioprocessing facilities
• The opportunity to develop novel bioprocesses that have never been built before, at the company leading the world in cultivated meat
• Pension contribution and private health insurance

All candidates will be informed by the start of September, and interviews will be held in the first two weeks of September.

Meatly is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team and welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds.

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