The Role and the Department The role will involve providing expert technical advice and support to research and teaching projects within the Bioengineering node in the Engineering Department at Durham. Working alongside academic colleagues and reporting to the senior technical manager, you'll provide day-to-day oversight and supervision of the newly redeveloped Bioengineering lab facilities and equipment, where our research includes arterial mechanics and physiological fluid mechanics, mechanical Heart Assist Devices (blood pumps), Biomedical imaging and Biological tissue characterisation. Overseeing safe operations will be critical. Many of the projects you will work on will be one-offs that will require innovative approaches. Your "clients" could range from internationally renowned academic staff through to local school pupils as part of an outreach project. Your extensive knowledge of biological and bioengineering-related labwork, initiative and teamworking skills will let you adapt to the wide-ranging challenges you might face but the regular weekday working hours (typically 8-4 or 9-5, with an expectation that you will manage your time flexibly) will ensure you have time outside of work too. As a technical and predominantly lab-based role, most of your time will be spent on-site in Durham, with limited opportunities to work from home if tasks and workloads permit. The Department of Engineering at Durham is consistently one of the very best UK Engineering Departments with an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching, research and the employability of our students. The strategic vision for the Department includes a growth plan over the next five years with a significant enhancement of our research and teaching provision. It's an exciting time to join this expanding Department and make your mark. Essential Criteria 1. Educated to at least HNC level in a relevant discipline or have significant directly relevant experience 2. Five GCSE's at least Grade C or level four (or equivalent) including English Language and Mathematics 3. * Professional knowledge/recognition in Bioengineering or closely related bioscience fields, supported by relevant courses or certification. 4. Experience of working in a team. 5. Experience or ability to provide advice and guidance to a range of customers and colleagues. 6. * Experience of implementing policies and procedures, including laboratory standard operating procedures (SOPs) 7. Extensive experience of relationship building and turning opportunities into long-term knowledge exchange and collaboration (e.g. sharing best practice with similar labs and facilities) 8. * Extensive knowledge and experience of ensuring health and safety regulations are adhered to, including bio-specific safety regulations and BioCOSHH. 9. Good spoken and written communication skills including the ability to develop effective working relationships, both internally and externally. 10. Strong digital competence across a range digital devices and apps including Microsoft 365 applications 11. Committed to continuing professional development. 12. Ability to solve laboratory and equipment-related problems and decide on and plan appropriate solutions. 13. Professional knowledge and expertise in Bioengineering or a closely related field and the application of skills to create, build, and construct new and innovative equipment and research outputs. 14. Demonstrable ability to deliver Bioengineering-related technical skills and to operate standard and complex scientific, and technical equipment. Desirable Criteria 1. Experience of working to the provisions of the Human Tissue Act 2. Experience of leading projects working within an educational, commercial or industrial environment. 3. Experience of maintaining and servicing pumps and other hydraulic and pneumatic equipment 4. Experience building and maintaining simple electrical and electronic circuits and devices What you need to demonstrate when you apply/Person Specification When you apply it is important that you let us know what skills/experience you have from a similar role and/or what skills/experience you have which would make you right for this role. Further information about the role and responsibilities is at the end of this job description. Where a criteria has an asterisk* next to it, it may be given additional weighting when your application is considered. How to apply To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification above. Where there are desirable criteria we would also urge you to provide any relevant evidence. Please don't forget to check if there is any weighted criteria (see above). While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview. Submitting your application We prefer to receive applications online. We will update you about your application at various points during the process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails What you are required to submit: A CV A covering letter or statement which shows examples of how you meet all of the criteria within the Person Specification. We strongly encourage you to format part of your covering letter as a table, or other way of clearly displaying how you meet each of the role criteria in turn. Contact details If you would like to have a chat or ask any questions about the role, Steve Robertson (senior technical manager steven.robertson@durham.ac.uk) or Alessandro Borghi/Ashraf Khir (academic leads alessandro.borghi@durham.ac.uk, ashraf.w.khir@durham.ac.uk) would be happy to speak to you. The University At Durham University we are proud of our people. A globally outstanding centre of educational excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting - Durham is a university like no other. Across the University we have a huge variety of roles and career opportunities, which together make us a large and successful community, which is a key hub of activity within our region and nationally. Whether you are at the very start, middle or end of your career, there is a role for you. We believe everyone has their own unique skills to offer. We would be thrilled if you would consider joining our thriving University. Further information about the University can be found here. Find out more about the benefits of working at the University and what it is like to live and work in the Durham area on ourWhy Join Us? - Information Page. Working at Durham A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits: 27 Days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year - a total of 39 days per year. The University closes between Christmas and New Year No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered. We have parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies. Lots of support for health and wellbeing including discounted membership for our state of the art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme. On site nursery is available plus access to holiday camps for children aged 5-16. Family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, which are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers). There is a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally. There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University. All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities. The opportunity to take part in staff volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community. Discounts are available via our benefits portal including; money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, the cinema and days out at various attractions. We offer generous pension schemes. Discover more about our total rewards and benefits package here. Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work. As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University's Strategy and a central part of everything we do. We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct. At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It's important to us that all of our colleagues are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI. We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role. Typical Role Requirements Service Delivery • Show a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and the University's values. • Ensure that the University's procedures and values are always reflected in all aspects of the service and adapt ways of working where this is not evident. • Provide specialist advice and make decisions to resolve problems relating to Bioengineering • Share technical knowledge and expertise to support other team members. • Use your experience and problem-solving skills to investigate and resolve issues relevant to your role such as and make recommendations based on your findings. • Provide the best possible service to staff, students and others who you work with by reviewing and make suggestions to improve the service. • Collect, organise and record data and information accurately to provide reports. • Manage, maintain and monitor designated Bioengineering equipment, facilities, and systems to ensure safety, security and compliance. • Carry out specialist risk assessments and resolve incidents that require specialist expertise. Planning and Organising • Plan and organise own workload to deliver the role. • Deliver assigned projects in accordance with agreed objectives ensuring a high level of accuracy, complexity, originality and excellence. • Supervise the work of staff and teams involved in delivering project work or core operational service. • Seek feedback from staff, students and anyone else that you come across as part of your role to ensure that the service is updated to meet customer expectations. • Manage budgets and expenditure including buying (and returning) goods and services. Teaching and Learning Support • Commission, construct and setup test and experimental scenarios and practical sessions. • Construct, test, repair and calibrate, Bioengineering tools, resources, equipment, components and instrumentation. • Be an expert in the use of a range of machinery and equipment related to Bioengineering. • Provide high-level technical guidance and advice to solve problems and help shape the delivery of teaching, learning and research outcomes. • Arrange the maintenance of technical and experimental facilities, teaching and research environments. • Setup, demonstrate, instruct and supervise the use and operation of specialist pieces of equipment. • Record, monitor and collate information, analyse patterns and trends as part of teaching and research activities. Communication/Liaison • Develop and improve services by taking part in meetings, working groups and committees. • Explain and demonstrate to others how to carry out tasks and use a range of tools, machinery, equipment and digital services. • Create good working relationships, including internal and external networks which allow you to increase your knowledge and skills, while swapping information with peers. • Build relationships with contractors and third-party suppliers to share good practice, exchange information and work together on joint initiatives. • Any other reasonable duties. Useful links Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Privacy Notices - Durham University which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data. When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.