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Senior Technician, Electronic Engineering and Design

Employer
DURHAM UNIVERSITY
Location
Durham, United Kingdom
Salary
£26,715 - £32,817 per annum
Closing date
7 May 2021

Department of Physics

Grade 6: - £26,715 - £32,817 per annum
Open-Ended/Permanent - Part Time
Contracted Hours per Week: 14
Closing Date: 07-May-2021, 6:59:00 AM 

Job Family: Technical, Research and Teaching Services

Our Characteristics: We are a globally outstanding centre of teaching and research excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, in a unique and historic setting.

Our ValuesWe are inspiring, challenging, innovative, responsible and enabling.

Durham University

Durham University is one of the world's top universities with strengths across the Arts and Humanities, Business, Sciences and Social Sciences. We are home to some of the most talented scholars and researchers from around the world who are tackling global issues and making a difference to people's lives.

The University sits in a beautiful historic city where it shares ownership of a UNESCO World Heritage Site with Durham Cathedral, the greatest Romanesque building in Western Europe. A collegiate University, Durham recruits outstanding students from across the world and offers an unmatched wider student experience.

Durham University seeks to promote and maintain an inclusive and supportive environment for work and study that assists all members of our University community to reach their full potential. Diversity brings strength and we welcome applications from across the international, national and regional communities that we work with and serve.

It is expected that all staff within the University:

  • Contribute to our learning culture by engaging in mentoring, training and coaching.
  • Positively contribute to fostering a collegial environment; as well as demonstrating commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
  • Have due regard to Health and Safety requirements appropriate to grade and role.

Family key attributes

Roles in this family provide creative and analytical input to facilitate the delivery of world-class teaching, learning and research activities.

Overall family purpose

  • Support stakeholders to ensure the delivery of research, teaching and scholarly activities.
  • Align and tailor services to meet strategic and operational research, teaching and learning objectives.
  • Prepare and set-up equipment, apparatus and resources to ensure the successful delivery of scheduled academic activities.
  • Monitor, manage and maintain teaching, learning or research facilities, workshops, laboratories and experimental environments to ensure compliance with internal and external regulations.
  • Contribute guidance, advice and/or professional expertise to increase intellectual and creative capacity for world-class teaching and research outputs.
  • Actively participate with peers and specialists internally and externally to expand knowledge and practice.
  • Design and construct equipment, environments, tools, techniques and methodologies to meet research and learning objectives.
  • Adapt and develop equipment, techniques and methodologies to meet research and learning outputs and timescales.
  • Engage and network with internal and external specialists and experts to facilitate knowledge exchange and enhance research, teaching and learning activities.
  • Work collaboratively and network across the University with staff in other families to ensure a smooth, timely and high-quality delivery of service.

Link to key strategic plan

  • An economically sustainable approach to delivering technical and experimental support services across the University;
  • Support and facilitate world-leading research across all academic departments;
  • Support and facilitate research that has a positive impact on global, national and regional challenges and which benefits culture, society, health, the economy and the physical environment;
  • Support and facilitate a rewarding research environment and an exceptional research-led learning experience;
  • Support and facilitate programmes that offer intellectual challenge, cohesiveness and a strong sense of progression;
  • A stakeholder-focused orientation, offering satisfying careers to all staff;
  • Ensure that an increasingly diverse workforce is treated equally, fairly and with respect, and that all staff are demonstrably valued and actively engaged.

The Department and role purpose

The Department of Physics at Durham University is one of the very best UK Physics departments with an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching, research and employability of our students. Ranked in the top 10 in REF2014 in terms of grade point average, 96% of Durham Physics research was considered either to be of “internationally excellent quality” or “world leading”.

The post holder will be responsible for assisting with the day-to-day technical functions and operations in the Physics Department, providing technical and engineering related assistance from within the Electronic Engineering Services (EES) Workshop, thereby ensuring smooth and efficient operation of the area.

The post holder will be required to exercise an acquired depth of knowledge and experience to provide flexible, specialist technical support as part of a technical team supporting all teaching and research activities conducted within the Department of Physics. Primarily servicing the needs of teaching and research projects, providing all stakeholders with an expert level of electronic engineering technical service, design and guidance, while supporting other areas of the Department as and when required.

Core responsibilities:

  • Experienced service practitioner, planning and co-ordinating of projects and work streams with inter-related activities.
  • Plan and organise own workload with or without involvement with project work streams.
  • Specialist support with problem solving and query handling.
  • Reactive and proactive service provision with others to deliver an excellent stakeholder experience.
  • Relationship building, network participation internally and externally to build and update knowledge and skills.
  • Engage with external peers and specialists to exchange knowledge and information.
  • Supervises service users and stakeholders undertaking activities, events, project work and exhibitions.
  • Interpret, curate, design and present artefacts, information, data, equipment and resources.
  • Implement and monitor protocols, procedures, processes and regulations.
  • Monitor and report incidents.
  • Carry out more in-depth investigations, searches and research information and data to identify trends and patterns.
  • Take responsibility for day to day decision making within own area of responsibility for operational aspects of service delivery, translating external requirements into practical application and advice.
  • Implement and monitor recognised procedures to ensure compliance and meet University values of inclusion, diversity and participation.
  • Contribute to business meetings, working groups and committees to help shape service delivery and stakeholder expectations.
  • Accountable for managing/maintaining financial and budget records and reconciling consumable expenditure queries.
  • Involved in the purchase and return of goods and services.
  • Support the capture of business requirements from users and work with colleagues to translate these into recommendations for future service provision.

Role responsibilities:

  • Provide high-level technical guidance and advice to academic stakeholders to support teaching, research and learning activities within a defined area.
  • Responsible for organising and maintaining technical and experimental facilities, teaching, learning and research environments.
  • Provide technical guidance and advice to solve problems and help shape the delivery of teaching, learning and research outcomes.
  • Carry out a range of activities that includes the commissioning, construction and set-up of test and experimental scenarios and practical sessions.
  • Construct, test, repair and calibrate tools, resources, equipment, components and instrumentation.
  • Set-up, demonstrate, instruct and supervise the use and operation of specialist pieces of equipment.
  • Supervise key stakeholders where necessary.
  • Deliver projects that demonstrate a high-standard of accuracy, complexity, originality and excellence.
  • Provide support to team members to share technical knowledge and expertise.
  • Liaise and network with specialist professionals to exchange knowledge and ideas internally and externally to the organisation.
  • Expert user with a range of machinery and equipment either physical, virtual or digital.
  • Take responsibility for carrying out more specialist risk assessments and incident resolution.
  • Record, monitor and collate information, analyse patterns and trends as part of teaching and research activities.
  • Any other reasonable duties.

Recruiting to this post

In order to be considered for interview, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification above (including those listed in the section ‘Realising Your Potential Approach’).

In some cases, the recruiting panel may also consider the desirable criteria, so we recommend you evidence all criteria in your application.  

Please note that some criteria will only be considered at interview stage.

How to apply

We prefer to receive applications online.

Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement https://www.dur.ac.uk/ig/dp/privacy/pnjobapplicants/ which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.

What you are required to submit

  1. A CV;
  2. A covering letter which details your experience, strengths and potential in the requirements set out above;
  3. Examples of how you satisfy both the person specification and the Realising Your Potential Approach criteria. This may require completion of the 'Supporting Evidence' application section if specified by the recruiting manager. Please ensure you give detailed examples of how you meet these criteria if requested.  

Please ensure that you submit all documentation listed above or your application cannot proceed to the next stage.

Contact details

For further information please contact; Wayne Dobby - Technical Services & Facilities Manager, Department of Physics, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, E-Mail: wayne.dobby@durham.ac.uk. Tel:+44 (0) 01913343679

At Durham University, our aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work. We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

We will notify you on the status of your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails.

Person specification - skills, knowledge, qualifications and experience required

Essential Criteria:

  • Good oral and written communication skills.
  • Proven IT skills, including use of Microsoft Office.
  • Five GCSE’s at least Grade C or level four (or equivalent) including English Language and Mathematics (or equivalent experience).
  • Qualified to Ordinary National Certificate level (or equivalent qualification / experience) in electrical and electronic engineering.
  • Experience of working in a team.
  • Ability to solve problems and resolve issues, plan solutions and make pragmatic decisions.
  • Demonstrable ability to provide advice and guidance to a range of customers and colleagues.
  • Professional knowledge and expertise in one or more area of technical specialism, and the application of skills to create, build, construct and realise new and innovative resources, equipment and research outputs.
  • Experience of working within an electronics environment with an understanding of both digital and analogue electronics and the operation of general workshop test equipment and tools.
  • Demonstrable ability to deliver high precision technical skills and the operation of standard and complex scientific, technical and creative equipment.

Desirable Criteria:

  • Qualified to Higher National Certificate level (or equivalent qualification / experience) in electrical and electronic engineering.
  • Evidence of continuing professional development.
  • Extensive experience of relationship building and ability to turn opportunities into long-term knowledge exchange and collaboration.
  • Extensive knowledge and experience of monitoring activities of self and others to ensure health and safety regulations are adhered to.

Realising Your Potential Approach

The Realising Your Potential Approach clarifies the behaviours expected to be demonstrated by all staff across Professional Services in the University regardless of their role. Along with the core responsibilities, role responsibilities and the person specification, the Realising Your Potential Approach behavioural indicators are used to inform the recruitment and selection process. Further information on the Realising Your Potential Approach is available here.

DBS Requirement: Not Applicable.

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