Senior Mechanical Technician Salary: Band D (S1) £44,982 per annum Hours: Full-Time (We understand the importance of work-life balance and are happy to discuss the possibility of flexible working with applicants) Contract Type: Open-Ended Location Science and Technology Facilities Council, UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Edinburgh. Come and do the kind of science that made you want to become a scientist. Explore the unknown and get to grips with the biggest challenges in Big Science. And, alongside world class engineers, technicians and technologists, use everything you've learnt to find real answers that shape society and improve lives. Put simply, discover the kind of impact you can make when you work with some of the best facilities and brightest scientists in the world About the role The UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UK ATC) is the UK's national centre for leading-edge astronomical instrumentation and systems. We design and build instrumentation for world-leading astronomy facilities on the ground and in space. Here you will work alongside world-leading scientists, engineers and technologists to develop and build leading-edge scientific instruments. We have a friendly and flexible work environment, on a beautiful site combining the historic Royal Observatory Edinburgh architecture with a high-tech engineering facility including modern laboratories and cleanrooms. We are currently seeking a Mechanical Technician to support the development, manufacture, assembly, test, delivery, installation and commissioning of equipment across various ground-based and space-based astronomy projects. Specifically, your duties will include: Working as a senior technical person within the Mechanical Technician Team (Engineering Support Group) The manufacture and modification of precision mechanical, optomechanical and electromechanical parts and assemblies to defined requirements. This will include inspection, metrology, fitting and alignment of internally and externally sourced precision parts to verify dimensional and geometric tolerancing, and other quality requirements. Planning, organising and testing of parts, assemblies and mechanisms including the use of environmental test facilities, such as vacuum and cryogenic test systems and cleanroom operations. (Training will be given on specialist equipment and processes). Planning, organising and doing the assembly and test of these parts and assemblies into more complex systems. Planning and coordinating integration, test and commissioning of development and completed systems both on site and occasionally at telescope. Planning, coordinating and doing specialist work within a clean room environment. (Training will be given on specialist equipment and processes). Working and collaborating in cross-functional teams across a variety of projects. Person Specifications: ONC or City & Guilds in an appropriate Engineering Mechanical / Manufacture Engineering discipline or equivalent as minimal formal qualification. Time served mechanical technician or machinist with post apprenticeship experience in machining or assembly and / or mechanical maintenance or similar. Including working within a structured engineering environment with an established safety and quality culture. Experience of manufacturing precision parts using a variety of manual or CNC machine tools (e.g. Haas machines) and / or experience of working with precision parts and assemblies including build and test activities. Experience of organising, producing and inspecting technical work to defined safety, quality, and delivery requirements. Experience with safety related processes and regulations relevant to machining, assembly or workshop environment. Able to perform a variety of manual handling and assembly tasks. Understanding of manufacturing drawings, specifications, and instructions, with a working knowledge of relevant engineering standards, and some experience of CAD (e.g. AutoCAD) and CAM software (e.g. EdgeCAM) Evidence of good collaboration skills and working as part of a team including clear verbal and written communication in English. Please note, if you will require sponsorship to work in the UK, as part of your sponsorship application, you and any dependants travelling with you, will be required to pay costs directly to The Home Office for the application before you start your role with us. UKRI is normally able to reimburse some, or all of these fees after you have become an employee and this can be discussed with the Hiring Manager. For more information, please visit https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/how-much-it-costs or contact Recruitment@ukri.org. STFC offers our staff a wide range of excellent non-paying employee benefits, including but not limited to 30 days holiday (in addition to 10.5 bank holidays and privilege days) and excellent learning and development opportunities. Link to more benefits: https://stfccareers.co.uk/rewards-and-benefits/ We ask some of the biggest questions in the universe to answer some of the biggest challenges in the world. Together, our scientists, technologists, engineers, technicians and business support team explore the unknown across every field you could think of. And they turn what they find into work that changes the world around us. What could you achieve with the world-leading facilities and experts of one of Europe's largest research organisations by your side? Join us and discover what's possible. The closing date for applications is 3rd September 2025. UKRI - UK Research and Innovation UKRI is an organisation that brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Together, we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision ensuring the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation. Supporting some of the world's most exciting and challenging research projects, we develop and operate some of the most remarkable scientific facilities in the world. We are pushing the frontiers of human knowledge through fundamental research and delivering benefits for UK society and the economy through world-class research, skills and business-led innovation. More information can be found at www.ukri.org. Choosing to come to work at UKRI means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme, excellent holiday entitlement, access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme. For more details, visit benefits of working for UKRI. How we support EDI in the workforce At UKRI, we believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to thrive and succeed in an environment that enables them to do so. We also value diversity of thought and experience within inclusive groups, organisations and the wider community. For further information, please visit 'How we support EDI in the workforce'. Disability Confident Employer As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy/ies. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation. How to apply Online applications only preferred for this role. Please submit a CV and covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for UKRI and the role. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit an application without a covering letter may result in the application not being considered. Assessment will only be based upon the content of your submitted covering letter and CV and not the 'experience' section of the application. UKRI seeks to ensure it creates and maintains a system of openness, fairness and inclusion - a collaborative, trusted environment, which is attractive to and accessible to everyone who is interested in developing their career with us. The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment. The Science and Technology Facilities Council is a world-leading multi-disciplinary science organisation where curiosity-driven, blue-skies thinking meets practical, application-led science and engineering. Our goal is to deliver economic, societal, scientific and international benefits to the UK and its people - and more broadly to the world. One of Europe's largest research organisations, we're trusted to support, enable and undertake cutting-edge projects in an amazing diversity of fields. Through world-class facilities and people, we're driving ground-breaking advances in science, engineering, computing and technology. Our research seeks to understand the Universe from the largest astronomical scales to the tiniest constituents of matter, yet creates impact on a very tangible, human scale. For more information about STFC please visit https://stfc.ukri.org/ You can also visit our careers site https://www.stfccareers.co.uk/