Technical Manager & Lead Research Engineer

Job Summary

­­­Are you an experienced Technician or Research Engineer looking to progress your career into management?

The Department of Mechanical Engineering is seeking a Technical Manager for their Mechanics of Materials Research Division.

The postholder will be responsible for the overall efficiency of the research laboratories and line managing other technical staff working in the Division. This will include ensuring safety is the highest priority across the experimental facilities, whilst also managing the workload and capacity of the facilities to provide an efficient service for users of the laboratories. The Technical Manager will review the facilities to identify upgrade opportunities and will also ensure that equipment is maintained and serviced appropriately. Where new installations and facility upgrades arise, the postholder will manage these projects.

As the Lead Research Engineer for the Microscopy, Adhesives and Soft Solids laboratories, the postholder will support the ground-breaking research taking place within these spaces. This will involve offering expert advice in operating complex equipment for use, including Scanning Electron Microscopes, Instron Mechanical Testers, Rheometers and many other state-of-the-art equipment and machines.

The Mechanics of Materials Division research’s deformation and failure behaviours in a range of materials, to ensure industrial viability. Our research touches the power generation, automotive, defence, food, art and aerospace industries with a view to improve efficacy, economic and safety standards. The real world impact of our research can be seen all around society, from metal forming, to battery production, to food processing.

More information about the Division, and to access our podcast, can be found here: Mechanics of Materials, Imperial.

Duties and Responsibilities

• You will manage the Mechanics of Materials Division experimental laboratories. This will include management of facilities and other technicians within the team.
• You will offer technical expertise in our Adhesives, Soft Solids and Microscopy suite of laboratories; supporting the research that takes place.
• You will manage and coordinate the delivery of teaching for our Soft Solids Undergraduate modules, ensuring that the taught module requirements are met.

Skills, knowledge and experience

• You will have a relevant qualification in a technical / experimental field, such as a recognised apprenticeship or Engineering degree.
• You have experience of working within modern laboratories, designing, and conducting experiments.
• You should have some experience in managing people’s development and workload.
• You will have experience in project management and safety management.
• You must have experience using Scanning Electron Microscopes, Optical Microscopes and Instron Testing Machines.

A full description of the duties and requirements of this role can be found in the Job Description.

Further information:

Queries relating to the position should be directed to Mrs Julia Easton, Technical Operations & Safety Manager at j.easton@imperial.ac.uk.

Due to the nature of this role, it is ineligible for a hybrid working structure.

Our preferred method of application is via our website. Please visit our website by clicking the Apply button above for more information about the post and the application process. 

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