Senior Engineering Technician

Salary: £31,236 to £32,080 with progression to £34,610 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: 23 February 2026

The Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering is seeking a Senior Technician to join the School of Engineering. Working as part of a technical team you will support the research activities of the School of Engineering. The role will provide support for academic colleagues, research staff and students with technical advice to successfully progress research and teaching projects. Under the direction of the Technical Team Leader for your designated area, you will support other technical staff within the team in maintaining all aspects of operations such as Health & Safety and estate management. You will also provide expertise in the maintenance and operation of an array of analytical instrumentation and equipment used for both research and teaching activities. You will also liaise with academic and research staff and industry partners as well as other end users, supporting the translation from research to industrialisation for the development of projects. No 2 days will be the same, with opportunities to work across campus, and both Walker and DER site based at Sunderland, providing significant opportunity for personal development.

This opportunity offers 30 days annual leave, in addition to bank holidays and Christmas closure.

Informal enquiries can be made to Jay Bartlett - Head of Technical Services, email Jay.Bartlett@newcastle.ac.uk or Lucie Oxley, DER - Head of Centre Operations, School of Engineering, email Lucie.Oxley@newcastle.ac.uk.

To apply, please upload your CV along with cover letter evidencing how your skills and experience align to the person specification as outlined within job description.

• Responsible for the day-to-day operation, installation, repair, and preventive maintenance of specific DER machinery and items of equipment and instrumentation.
• Diagnose and repair electrical, mechanical, and technical faults specific to DER.
• Identify, maintain and resupply equipment consumables in line with the school and university purchasing procedures, and keeping accurate records as directed by the Team Leader.
• Maintain an effective inventory of chemicals within your designated work area to ensure a continuous supply is available and ensure safe disposal of hazardous materials generated by activities according to standard university procedures.
• Ensure compliance with health, safety, and environmental regulations, including risk assessments and method statements.
• Contribute to regular team meetings, health and safety processes and audits.
• Train and advise staff, students and clients in appropriate techniques and good working practice to ensure they can carry out their work in a safe manner.
• Provide comprehensive support and advice to staff on technical development, preparation, execution and maintenance of client projects and works.
• Any other duties within the scope and general nature of the grade which may be required.

• Experience of working in a relevant technical environment with demonstrable team working skills.
• Experience of running day-to-day activities and their associated infrastructure, inventories, instrumentation, equipment and sustainable practices.
• Experience of using an array of equipment and instrumentation with a good theoretical and practical knowledge of technical equipment, including repair and maintenance.
• Up-to-date and detailed knowledge of health and safety procedures in a lab setting, including experience of writing risk assessments and standard operating procedures.
• Demonstrates technical and problem-solving capability.
• Proven written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to adapt to changes in lab research and priorities.
• Contribute to design and specification of research and activities.
• Demonstrates good organisation and ability to meet deadlines, with a positive and proactive approach to duties and diligence with attention to detail.

• Higher National Certificate in Mechanical Engineering (or Equivalent Level 4 Qualification) or equivalent relevant technical experience.
• Full UK Driver’s License.

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.