Expert Technical Specialist

Salary : - per annum Newcastle University is a great place to work with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you. Closing date: 22 September 2025 The Role You will be part of a multidisciplinary team based in the Newcastle Cancer Centre. You will synthesize compounds for biological testing to support a group using structural and chemical biology to understand the roles and mechanisms of cyclin-dependent protein kinases to generate hypotheses for drug discovery. You will use a variety of methods including semi‑preparative HPLC and LC‑MS. You will display an in‑depth knowledge of technical or scientific practices, methods and procedures gained through either experience and/or formal qualification and will deploy this knowledge to provide a range of technical support activities. The post will provide an opportunity to obtain experience at the chemistry‑biology interface. You must be reliable, flexible and able to work well both unsupervised and in a small team. You should develop skills in fragment chemistry for probe design and in carrying out high‑throughput screens. Working as part of a professional community you will provide a technical support service to staff and students by mainly following established working patterns but there will be a need to resolve most problems without access to more senior colleagues. You will be based in the Faculty of Medical Sciences and will also work as required in the CRUK Drug Discovery Group (Chemistry). The position is funded by the Medical Research Council and is available on a fixed‑term basis until 31/12/2026 available immediately. Responsibilities Complete a range of maintenance activities and repairs Liaise with suppliers and manufacturers to resolve problems and investigate replacement options Advise on equipment capabilities demonstrating how results can be achieved By developing local procedures establish and maintain a safe / compliant working environment Assist with the completion and updating of a wide range of safety paperwork Oversee compliance tasks ensuring timely completion and maintenance of appropriate records Complete accident reporting and assist with investigations Maintain broad and up to date health and safety knowledge providing support / advice to others. Schedule, prioritise and monitor work and performance in line with demands and deadlines Hold delegated responsibility from the academic / technical lead for the planning operation and supervision of a variety of laboratory spaces. Work collaboratively with the other areas to ensure efficiency and elimination of duplicated effort Organise and facilitate progress and management meetings Be a key contributor to service development delivery and planning Contribute and support change Oversee local record keeping inventory and asset management Monitor resource usage and stores operations Source and negotiate with suppliers for a range of items including specialist parts / equipment Create, update and implement procedures to deliver an aligned efficient and effective service Provide a broad range of skilled research / teaching support Prepare and manufacture a range of specimens / samples with limited direction Manage equipment bookings and assist with recharging Contribute to small and large scale building works Design, develop and deliver inductions, demonstrations and training covering a broad range of activities (not limited to techniques and equipment) Assist managers with the identification of training and development needs Develop a broad knowledge and skills base sharing with others Mentor junior staff Any other duties within the scope and general nature of the grade which may be required Informal approaches can be made to Professor Jane Endicott () or Professor Martin Noble () The Person Knowledge Skills and Experience Thorough working knowledge of Health and Safety procedures and experience of safe waste management within a workshop / laboratory environment. Demonstrable work experience in a relevant technical laboratory role Excellent team working skills Demonstrates technical and problem solving capability Demonstrates good organising ability to meet deadlines with a positive and proactive approach to duties and attention to detail Contribute to design and specification of teaching / research activities (Desirable) Ability to adapt to changes in teaching / research priorities Attributes and Behaviour Excellent oral and written communication skills Good interpersonal skills to interface with staff Attention to detail to ensure accuracy and precision Work in a collaborative and flexible way To exhibit University and Faculty values and principles Qualifications BTEC HNC / HND or equivalent in relevant subject or equivalent experience Desirable Professional registration with an accredited professional body (including HEA) or working towards this on appointment Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution. We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population. At Newcastle University we hold a silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC. We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme. In addition we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. #J-18808-Ljbffr