Mechanical Instrumentation Workshop Manager

South Kensington Campus

Open ended

The Department of Physics is looking to recruit a Mechanical Instrumentation Workshop Manager. The Mechanical Instrumentation Workshop provides design and manufacturing support for the Department’s research experiments, and the postholder will be responsible for all aspects of the facility’s management and provisioning; this includes budgeting, Workplace Health & Safety, scheduling, quality checking and any subcontracting.

The postholder will liaise directly with research staff and students, contributing expert knowledge, innovation and creativity to research activities. The postholder will supervise the workshop’s core team of technicians and hold responsibility for their recruitment, performance and development. They will also have oversight of the local apprentice tutors, providing a safe working environment for apprentices while on rotation in the Department of Physics

The role will be to run the Mechanical Instrumentation Workshop, providing facilities to researchers and technicians. You will review and prioritise workshop requests, managing requirements, scheduling and any charging of work where necessary, and you will provide troubleshooting and quality checking to ensure timely and economical delivery of research neds. You will serve as a technical expert for research staff and students to solve workshop requests and advise on complex design and manufacture needs, including keeping abreast of advancements in relevant equipment and techniques. Alongside constant development of the facility – upskilling, investing in new technology and project manging of any installations and upgrades – you will act as the manager of the workshop, supervising the core team of technicians and serving as lead tutor for mechanical apprentice technicians. You will support relevant teaching activities and represent the workshop on necessary working groups and committees.

We are looking for an individual with experience in mechanical engineering with the following attributes:

• Educated via apprenticeship and/or BTEC/HNC qualification in Mechanical Engineering or hold equivalent experience.
• Substantial experience working in a mechanical workshop or equivalent, with knowledge of design and production; CADCAM; CNC production methods in turning, milling and EDM wire erosion; and operation of general workshop manual machine tools
• Thorough knowledge of Workplace Health & Safety regulations and demonstrable good practice
• Experience with procurement of goods and services within a research or engineering environment.
• Experience working in a Higher Education, University, Industrial R&D or similar environment.
• Experience of line managing staff and their development.
• Ability to assess and change priorities as requirements and deadlines evolve, organising your own work with minimal supervision.
• A creative, analytical and technical approach to problem solving.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills for effective interaction in key working relationships and the ability to deal with a wide range of people, understanding, conceptualising and interpreting their requirements.
• Computer skills, including word-processing, spreadsheets and the Internet.
• Discipline and regard for confidentiality and security at all times.

Please note this is a readvertisement, previous applicants need not apply.

Visit our webpages for more information about the Department of Physics

Further details about the position are available from Paul Brown p.l.brown@imperial.ac.uk.

If you experience any technical issues when applying online please email support.jobs@imperial.ac.uk

The Department of Physics is an IoP JUNO Practitioner and an Athena Silver SWAN Award winner reflecting our commitment to building a supportive, inclusive and highly motivated community. The Department is committed to being a welcoming and supportive environment for everyone and has put in place a number of measures to promote a collaborative and stimulating culture. We value diversity and strongly encourage applications from all backgrounds. Individuals who identify as female and those who consider themselves as underrepresented are particularly encouraged to apply. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to eliminating discrimination and to creating an inclusive working environment for all. We therefore encourage candidates to apply irrespective of age, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion and belief, gender reassignment, sex or sexual orientation. Further information about how the College strives to create and support an equitable workplace can be found here.