(Senior) Cleanliness and Contamination Engineer

RAL Space: Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Harwell, Oxfordshire

Contract Type: Open-Ended

Hours: Full-Time (We understand the importance of work-life balance, and are happy to discuss the possibility of flexible working with applicants)

Together, our scientists, technologists, engineers and business support team explore the unknown and turn what they find into work that changes the world around us. Whether it’s sending probes into space or finding new ways to treat cancer, everyone here plays a vital role in making a positive difference to society.

Come and discover how much you can achieve when you’re surrounded by world-leading experts, encouraged to constantly learn and empowered to explore your curiosity.

We work alongside the UK Space Agency who co-ordinate UK civil space activities, collaborate with international space agencies such as the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA, and also work on projects with other countries and organisations around the world.

An important element of this work is to ensure the environment in our facilities is suitable for the storage, handling and testing of flight hardware which includes monitoring of molecular contamination in accordance with the European Space Agency (ESA) Standards. This service is provided by the in-house Molecular Contamination (MOC) laboratory and involves sample preparation, sampling, analysis and reporting of results using FTIR spectroscopy.

You must be capable of thorough and conscientious work to tight deadlines across multiple projects simultaneously, adapting to changing priorities as the need arises. The work of the MOC laboratory involves liaison with multiple teams, so effective oral and written communication skills are essential when dealing with managers, engineers and scientists within STFC and with external stakeholders. There may be some need for travel on an ad-hoc basis, occasionally with overnight stays, and possession of a full UK driving license is desirable.

Key Responsibilities

• Technical lead for the provision of MOC monitoring by FTIR Spectroscopy to the RAL Space clean room operations and projects
• Driving the development and continuous improvement of the MOC lab and its capabilities, to meet the needs of regulatory and organisational requirements
• Supporting projects and facilities with contamination investigations
• Supporting the Quality Assurance and Safety Group with MOC analysis data handling
• Maintaining and updating the MOC Laboratory’s documentation

At the more senior role (band E), you will also:

• Participate and act as the subject matter expert for internal investigations and/or customer meetings
• Support the Product Assurance Team in the creation of cleanliness and contamination control plans
• Undertake the development of measuring methods for the determination of organic contamination in accordance with ECSS-Q-ST-70-05C and/or customer specific requirements.

Person Specification

Possess Bachelor's degree or Diploma in a related subject or equivalent experience:

• A minimum of 3 years of working experience in a technical organisation (Scientific or engineering), preferably working in analytical chemistry
• Excellent knowledge of laboratory testing and experience handling laboratory samples and laboratory instruments such as FTIR
• Good interpersonal and communication skills, both written and spoken skills
• Excellent in verbal and written communication skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

In addition to the above for the band E position:

• Work experience in a certified testing laboratory system (ISO9001 and/or ISO17025)
• Substantial work experience in a technical organization, working in analytical chemistry
• Experience of personnel and budgetary management
• Experience producing technical and QMS policy documentation

We ask some of the biggest questions in the universe, to answer some of the biggest challenges in the world. Whatever our role, we have the freedom to explore, learn and connect, as part of a community that loves to share knowledge and support one another.As one of Europe’s largest research organisations, this is a place where there’s always something new to learn – about the world around us, about your career, but most of all, about yourself. Join us and discover what’s possible.

STFC values their employees by offering a benefits package designed to provide an excellent work/life balance. This includes 30 days’ annual leave, 10.5 public and privilege holidays, flexible working hours, a workplace nursery, exceptional average salary pension scheme, social and sporting activities and societies and a subsidised restaurant.

Applicants who are unable to apply online should contact us by telephone on 07710 115815.