Senior Workshop Technician in Newcastle upon Tyne

Newcastle University's Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering is home to a diverse and talented technical community supporting world-class teaching and research. Within the School of Engineering, our technical teams play a vital role in enabling innovation and delivering high-quality support across a range of disciplines. We are committed to the development and wellbeing of our staff and fostering an inclusive and collaborative working environment. This is an exciting opportunity for a skilled and highly motivated individual to join a team of technical colleagues supporting and delivering successful teaching and research activities with a focus on mechanical manufacturing and prototyping.

You will take a lead role in the manufacture, fitting, and assembly of components, working closely with students, academic staff, and external suppliers to deliver bespoke solutions that meet project specifications. The role involves operating CNC machinery, as well as manual lathes and milling machines, to produce high-quality parts for experimental setups and prototype development. In addition, you will be responsible for the design and manufacturing of jigs, fixtures, and custom test pieces, contributing to the development of innovative research and teaching tools. This is a varied and hands-on role that offers the opportunity to work on cutting-edge projects in a supportive and forward-thinking environment.

Responsibilities

• Specify, design, develop, and construct specialised mechanical components and equipment to support teaching and research activities within the school.
• Provide advice on optimal use of modern technologies.
• Prepare mechanical drawings and specifications—either manually or using CAD software.
• Design and manufacture components and equipment to support work, while accurately recording and organising test data in digital formats for both educational and research purposes.
• Train staff and research students in appropriate workshop techniques, promoting good practice to ensure all activities are conducted safely and effectively.
• Provide hands-on supervision and guidance to postgraduate and undergraduate project students, as well as junior technical staff, supporting their use of workshop facilities and ensuring adherence to safe working procedures at all times.
• In conjunction with academic, research, technical staff and students as appropriate, identify consumable and equipment requirements and initiate their ordering according to the school and university purchasing procedures.
• Keep financial records of any activities as directed by the Manufacturing Team Leader.
• Ensure compliance with relevant safety procedures, including relevant risk assessments.
• Monitor compliance with all statutory and local safety arrangements in conjunction with the Manufacturing Team Leader and School Safety Officer.
• Contribute to regular team meetings, health and safety processes and audits.
• Be responsible for the day-to-day operation of specific workshop facilities and items of equipment and instrumentation.
• Undertake fault diagnosis, repair and preventative maintenance on equipment and instrumentation.
• Provide general guidance and support and, where appropriate, detailed instruction to staff and students regarding tests, experiments, and the fabrication of components and equipment; this may also involve demonstrating relevant techniques and procedures.
• Provide comprehensive support and advice to staff on technical development, design preparation, construction, assembly and setting up of experiments.
• Any other duties within the scope and general nature of the grade which may be required.

Qualifications

• Substantial experience in mechanical manufacturing and a good understanding of engineering drawings.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively to meet deadlines and quality standards.
• Substantial experience of working in a relevant technical role, with practical knowledge of CNC mills, lathes, and manual machining equipment.
• Knowledge of CAD/CAM.
• Up-to-date and thorough understanding of Health and Safety procedures in workshop environments, ensuring compliance and safe working practices, including experience of writing risk assessments and standard operating procedures.
• Works effectively as part of a team, contributing to shared objectives and supporting colleagues in a collaborative setting.
• Works in a structured, detail-oriented manner, prioritising tasks and resources to meet targets and maintain high service standards.
• Demonstrates technical and problem-solving ability and adaptability to changing research and teaching laboratory priorities.
• Experience of operating and maintaining a mechanical workshop, with involvement in safety procedures and resource management.
• Possesses sound theoretical and practical knowledge of workshop machines and equipment, including the maintenance and repair of components and machinery used in precision engineering.
• Higher National Certificate in Mechanical Engineering (or Equivalent Level 4 Qualification) or equivalent relevant technical experience.

Desirable Skills

• Welding and Fabrication
• Mazartrol programming
• Intelligent D-CUBES programming
• Full UK driver's licence
• Forklift operator's licence

Attributes and Behaviour

• Team-working (Self): Works collaboratively with others, plays a positive role in teams and establishes and grows relationships across the organisation where different skills, expertise and opinions are valued. Shares relevant and useful information with others. Respects the expertise and contribution of others even if own opinion is different. Willing to help others and share workloads.
• Planning and organising (Self): Works in a planned and structured way. Ensures that all activities are completed on time. Ensures that others know how processes and systems work. Sets own priorities in conjunction with team and area objectives.
• Finding Solutions: Looks at ways of overcoming obstacles rather than coming to a standstill. Keeps an open mind to alternative ways of doing things.
• Delivering services (Self): Keeps fellow team members up to date with progress. Pays attention to detail. Has a positive attitude for doing things better. Takes responsibility for achieving own targets. Co-operates with others to achieve targets. Strives to deliver high-quality results. Is enthusiastic in getting job done on time.
• Embracing change (Self): Recognises the need for change and is forward looking. Promotes the benefits of change to others and regularly comes up with new ideas. Has the willingness to adopt new ways of working and to make improvements.

Benefits

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 well-being initiatives to support you.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

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 Gold 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. 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.