Technical Lead - Senior Materials Engineer in Ilkeston

SureScreen Materials are an ISO 17025 UKAS accredited materials laboratory based 10 minutes outside Derby in a converted 1740's Georgian House surrounded by rolling hills, walled garden and orchard. We are looking for an experienced materials engineer to join the technical team and support manufacturers in materials analysis and consultancy.

Job Purpose: To deliver high-quality technical services in materials analysis, failure investigation, and consultancy. To exceed client expectations in accuracy, efficiency, and turnaround time. The role encourages continuous personal improvement, and contributes to client satisfaction, technical leadership, and business growth.

Key Accountabilities and Responsibilities:

• Conduct technical work including failure investigations, materials consultancy, testing, and analysis, aiming to exceed client expectations in quality and turnaround time. Ensure all work is methodical, ethical, well-documented, and clearly communicated.
• Act as a technical lead to provide ongoing mentoring, support, and training to colleagues.
• Authorise technical reports created by the technical team and where necessary amend, critique, feedback to the author to ensure technical outputs are sound and there is continuous improvement of report writing and alignment in reporting style and language across the team.
• Use, interpret and report a broad range of relevant laboratory instruments including hardness testing, SEM, SEM-EDS, OES, FTIR, XRF.
• Maintain high standards of sample chain of retention and document organisation. Continuously identify opportunities to improve procedures, systems, software, and equipment.
• Take a proactive approach to workload, seeking additional tasks to support the business and colleagues, and contributing to a positive team environment.
• Prepare and issue accurate technical quotations promptly and liaise with the client in a personable manner to support their requirements.
• Use laboratory equipment in line with standard operating procedures. Promptly report and assist in resolving any equipment or facility faults.
• Support and improve the Quality Management System, with working knowledge of ISO17025 and commitment to high-quality, accredited outputs.
• Take personal responsibility for health and safety and communicate any risks or improvement opportunities to the management.
• Engage in your own ongoing professional development through hands-on work, training, technical writing, and competency evaluations.
• Support the sales and marketing team by providing technical input, identifying leads, and participating in client outreach and campaigns. Create and review technical content for social media, whitepapers, and the library of failures, ensuring accuracy, clarity, and confidentiality.

Qualifications, skills, and experience:

• Technical background in materials with 5+ years industry experience (essential)
• A degree or equivalent in science, material science, engineering, metallurgy (essential)
• 2+ years experience in working in a business with ISO17025 accreditation (essential)
• To have chartership status with the Engineering Council or Science Council (desirable)
• Commercially savvy to ensure quotations are competitive, find opportunities and to assist in business growth
• Excellent customer service and communication skills
• High attention to detail
• Well organised
• Maintaining a positive ‘can do’ attitude
• Is self-motivated and results driven
• Is a resilient and reliable team player