Technical Instructor, Civil Engineering

Our College of Science and Engineering is made up of the School of Science, School of Computing, School of Sport and Exercise Science, and School of Engineering. We are the University’s STEM College, in a city with a strong STEM heritage that hosts some of the world's leading STEM companies, and in a region with STEM at the centre of its economic growth plan.

Technical Services at the University of Derby underpins the key activities of teaching, research, knowledge transfer and innovation. As an applied University we value the importance of practical work and experimental learning. Our highly skilled Technicians from across all areas of the organisation have a vital part they play in delivering the very best student experience, developing research activity and contributing to innovation. Central to the success of our Technical Service is collaboration, teamwork and knowledge sharing through our TechNet. 

About the Role

The primary purpose of this role is to provide specialist support to the built environment discipline, encompassing research, teaching, outreach, and industry activities. While this role supports the entire discipline, including surveying and fluids, your area of expertise will be in geotechnics and highway materials.

You will oversee health and safety in designated areas, maintaining risk management, maintenance logs, and equipment-specific safety systems to ensure compliance with Health and Safety Regulations and policies. This involves collaborating with academic and technical team members to ensure risk assessments and method statements are up to standard and clearly presented.

Our programmes conduct over seven residential field trips annually. Some trips involve just a few students gathering data for independent scholarships, while others are tied to module delivery with 40+. You will be expected to attend most of these trips, providing core technical support, ensuring equipment is used correctly and safely, and being a mentor to the students. You will also have the opportunity to establish your own trips to support research, interests, and development, offering additional experiences to keen students and broadening the department’s offerings.

Technicians in the built environment sector are heavily involved in teaching due to the practical nature of the course. You will benefit from high standards of staff development and benefit from the university’s commitment to the Technician Commitment, which pledges to support the career development of technicians. This includes support for attending technician development courses (such as via HEATED) or becoming a Fellow or Associate Fellow of Advanced Higher Education.

About You

You will have relevant experience working with equipment used in civil engineering geotechnical and highway materials, and knowledge of relevant computer modelling software. You should be capable of developing guidance materials for practical classes and possess excellent verbal communication skills, enabling effective interaction with both students and staff.

You must be able to plan and monitor your own workload, working independently as well as part of a team. You should demonstrate a high level of organisational and practical skills. Additionally, you should have a good working knowledge of relevant Health and Safety protocols, including risk assessments and COSHH.

Key Contact

For further information and informal enquiries regarding the role, please contact Richard Bostock, Technical Team Leader via r.bostock@derby.ac.uk

For enquiries regarding your application and for sponsorship eligibility, please contact the recruitment team via recruitment@derby.ac.uk

For more information and to apply on-line, please click the above “Apply” button.

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