Assistant Technical Specialist – School of Metallurgy and Materials – 107808 – Grade 6 Full-time NEW

Job Title

Technical Support Role for Custom Medical Devices Group

Job Description

The University of Birmingham is committed to engineering excellence, and the School of Metallurgy and Materials is one of the UK's leading centres for research, education, and innovation. The School is proud of its strong and extensive links with industry and boasts a creative and dynamic environment, which provides opportunities for both staff and students to develop.

This full-time position within the Centre for Custom Medical Devices led by Dr Sophie Cox at the University of Birmingham.

The post is funded through the EPSRC 4D Health Tech network through a project led by Mr Jonathan Stevenson (Consultant Orthopaedic Oncology Surgeon, Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Birmingham). The post holder will provide direct support to this project, which is focused on the validation and prototyping of a novel orthopaedic oncology device. These responsibilities will include, along with another technician, managing the usage of metal 3d printers and associated equipment within the Centre for Custom Medical Devices.

They will be supporting the management of research team members by monitoring and advising where appropriate, basic housekeeping, infrastructure and Health and Safety (H&S) matters relating to the CMD laboratory.

The post holder will be required to establish an effective working relationship with academic, industrial and clinical leads for the project.

Role Summary

You will provide technical support to the Custom Medical Devices Group in the School of Metallurgy and Materials at the University of Birmingham. The group focuses on the use of metal additive manufacturing for the production of implantable medical devices, predominantly for orthopaedic applications.

The role involves progressing the development of a specific novel orthopaedic oncology device. This will include operation of research equipment used for metal processing and characterisation, such as powder metallurgy, additive manufacturing (such as laser powder bed fusion), and various analytical techniques used to study performance.

You will work closely with researchers and students, offering technical guidance, troubleshooting experimental setups, and supporting the development of new procedures. A strong understanding of design and additive manufacturing methods will be essential to provide high-quality support for this project.

As a senior technical team member, you'll play a key role in maintaining a safe, efficient, and collaborative laboratory environment. You'll be expected to uphold high health and safety standards.

You will also support the broader technical team within the school, sharing expertise, mentoring junior staff, and contributing to a positive and proactive working culture. Your input will be vital in helping the group deliver innovative, high-impact healthcare technologies research.

Main Duties

Research Support

• Setting up experiments and acquiring, processing and interrogating data for use in publications and related activities associated with the project
• Support the development of research protocols as well as efficient completion of programmes of work to agreed timescales and project deadlines
• Responsibility for the day-to-day planning of any on-going work in the laboratory to meet agreed objectives and timetables.
• Will be indirectly responsible for the management of laboratory equipment within the Centre for Custom Medical Devices, namely metal 3D printers
• To advise, arrange, train, assist and supervise other researchers working on the project
• Responsible for ensuring all items of laboratory equipment are kept in good working order when being used for project tasks
• Where required/appropriate provide a service/facility for overseeing purchase orders for the project
• Working with collaborators from local industry, other departments and institutions in regard to using the Centre facilities and assessing feasibility of such proposals.

Health and Safety duties

• Proactive support for health and safety within the laboratory. This may include being required to look after a communal area as part of your duties. Comply with all current rules and ensure all required assessments are in place, approved, and in-date.
• Fully understand the safety aspects of equipment operation
• Responsible for ensuring that the following safety paperwork is in place and remains up to date, being reviewed at least annually where required: risk assessments, standard operating procedures, project training records, notifications of experiments to run out of hours
• Monitor that Standard Operating procedures and the control measures specified in risk assessments are being followed. This will include ensuring that laboratory equipment is operated in a safe manner.
• Reporting any breaches or non-compliance with H&S procedures to the relevant staff members.
• Upholding the correct waste disposal stream as governed by College and local policy for the laboratory.
• Postholders may be asked to undergo training as a First Aider and Fire Warden.

General Administration and Organisation

• Ensuring all records are accurate and kept up to date.
• Proactively maintain stocks of consumables and, when required, generate purchase order requisitions using University systems, or delegate as appropriate.
• Receiving and correctly storing consumables/ equipment and chemical reagents.
• Ensuring that the facilities are maintained in a clean, functional, and safe condition; reporting any problems through the appropriate channels.
• Adopt a proactive attitude to assisting with and implementing carbon reduction and energy saving measures.
• Maintaining relevant research lab databases/ records.

Other Duties

• Supports equality and values diversity, moderates own behaviour to avoid unfair discriminatory impact or bias on others.
• Any other duties commensurate with the role, as may reasonably be required.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Educated in a science or engineering subjects to degree level or equivalent experience
• Experience of digital design tools, computational modelling, 3d printing for prototyping and part production (plastic and metal)
• Preparation of data for presentations and reporting
• Experience of hands-on experimental work
• Experience of method development
• Extensive experience of similar laboratory-based work, together with familiarity with a wide range of laboratory equipment, equivalent professional qualification, or degree in a relevant STEM field.
• Proven specialist knowledge of additive manufacturing techniques, methods, and procedures gained through either extensive experience and/or formal qualifications.
• Ability to diagnose/ resolve problems and suggest solutions in own area, whilst having regard to the local and wider interests.Extensive proven practical and technical experience of own area, its operation and development.
• Ability to analyse problems and summarise key points to others, including non-specialist staff.Proactively anticipates and identifies problems/ weaknesses within own area based on own experience.
• Demonstrable ability to plan ahead, work to deadlines involving time management and strong organisational skills.
• Ability to organise and manage own work load and demonstrate flexibility in terms of work practices and requirements for.
• Able to develop and implement improvement programmes within own local, school or service area. Manages own time and sometimes small project teams to meet a service or particular project needs.
• Will prioritise and delegate work as appropriate to ensure continuity of service.
• Liaises with staff, students and technical colleagues to anticipate and understand need/ provide advice/ guidance.
• Ability to work under minimal supervision but function as part of a team.
• Proficiency in commonly used software packages.
• Understands the importance of equality and diversity in the workplace.
• Ability to identify and respond to equality and diversity issues in line with relevant policies and procedures.