Technical Lead (Engineering, Design and Metallurgy) - 16274

Location: Brunel University London, Uxbridge Campus

Brunel University of London is seeking an exceptional individual to take on the role of Technical Lead (Engineering, Design and Metallurgy) — a key senior leadership position in the University’s newly unified Technical Services structure.

This is a rare opportunity to lead technical services at a truly technical university—shaping the future of our engineering, design and materials environments while supporting outstanding teaching, enabling world-class research, and embedding professional, compliant practice at every level.

About Brunel
Brunel University of London is a dynamic, research-intensive institution known for its commitment to technical excellence and real-world impact. Established in 1966.

About the role
As Technical Lead (Engineering, Design and Metallurgy), you will be a senior leader in our newly unified Technical Service, providing strategic and operational leadership to technical teams supporting teaching and research across a broad and diverse portfolio. You’ll manage the technical services underpinning engineering and design education and internationally recognised experimental research facilities—ensuring they are safe, professional, efficient and future-focused.

As a senior leader within Technical Services, your remit will include:

• Leading multidisciplinary technical teams (circa 60 people) across engineering, design and metallurgy subject areas.
• Providing visible, confident leadership that motivates staff and builds a culture of excellence, inclusion and professional development.
• Oversee the implementation of safe systems of work, ensuring full compliance with health and safety legislation and statutory and technical regulations.
• Embedding a proactive safety culture through robust systems, training and governance.
• Driving continuous improvement and service transformation aligned to the University’s strategic needs.
• Collaborating with academic, research and estates colleagues to optimise facilities and support delivery of outstanding teaching and research.

You are not expected to be an expert in every technical discipline. What matters is your ability to lead confidently across complexity, support and empower specialist staff, and ensure professional standards are consistently met.

About you
You will be a confident technical leader with significant experience managing people, services, safety and compliance in complex environments. You will bring:

• Proven leadership and team development skills, ideally across multidisciplinary technical teams.
• A successful track record of delivering service change or process improvement.
• Hands-on experience managing compliance with technical and safety regulations (e.g. LOLER, PUWER, PSSR etc.).
• A deep understanding of health and safety systems in technical or regulated contexts.
• Outstanding interpersonal and influencing skills, with the ability to lead collaboratively across professional and academic boundaries.
• Experience in engineering, manufacturing, research operations or complex laboratory environments will be highly beneficial—even if your background isn’t in higher education.

Why join Brunel?
This is an opportunity to take a leading role in modernising and professionalising technical services at a university that has engineering in its DNA. You will help shape the culture, systems and services that underpin some of the UK's most innovative academic and industrial partnerships, and offer generous benefits for staff.

For an informal conversation, contact Chris Stock (Associate Director of Technical Services – christopher.stock@brunel.ac.uk.

Closing date for applications: 27 July 2025

Interviews (in person): Week commencing 11 August 2025

For further details about the post including the Job Description and Person Specification and to apply please click the 'Apply' button.

If you have any technical issues please contact us at: hrsystems@brunel.ac.uk

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