Technical Specialist – School of Metallurgy and Materials – 107124 – Grade 7 Full Time

Position Details

School of Metallurgy and Materials

Location: High Temperature Research Centre, Coventry, UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £36,636 to £46,049 with potential progression once in post to £48,822. As this vacancy has limited funding the maximum salary that can be offered is Grade 7, salary £38,784.

Grade: 7

Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to January 2028

Closing date: 10th May 2026

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do.

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham

Background

The School of Metallurgy and Materials has a strong history of expertise in the study of materials in challenging environments, including oxidation and degradation of superalloys.

We are seeking a Technical Specialist to provide high‑level support to research staff working on the degradation and characterisation of high‑temperature materials. The successful candidate will work closely on projects focused on nickel‑based superalloys.

The post holder will assist in generation, analysis and interpretation of data from experimentation, such as oxidation, mechanical or microscopy. The post holder will also assist in designing bespoke testing instruments and assisting with general technical needs of the research groups.

Role Summary

The post holder will carry out oxidation testing at high temperatures and microscopic characterisation of various nickel-based alloys. The post holder will be expected to have expertise in physical metallurgy or advanced characterisation (microscopic or mechanical). Experience on materials degradation, such as oxidation and corrosion, are desirable but not essential. Characterisation techniques will include SEM, EBSD/EDS, FIB and mechanical testing. The post holder will also get involved in modifying existing instruments to enable further capacities, under guidance from the principal investigator.

The post holder will contribute to safe operation of relevant equipment and services by ensuring that safety paperwork is up to date and is being followed by users, and any statutory inspections are carried out on time. The post holder will also perform duties associated with keeping their work areas safe and operational as advised by Technical Manager and Health and Safety Coordinator.

The post holder will be required to lead on daily, weekly, and monthly tasks without daily supervision, leading on projects with medium to longer term horizons also. They may be involved in monitoring of research and will be able to investigate, modify, and adapt protocols after consulting relevant senior staff.

The post holder will need an in-depth understanding of the research questions, techniques, and experimental protocols. They will be able to use their knowledge and experience to advise on procedures, diagnose and resolve problems, and proactively suggest solutions to issues which arise.

The post holder will form part of a large, diverse team of technical staff who collectively support the research and teaching activities in the School of Metallurgy and Materials. You will provide support to colleagues and students at all levels in the school and will be expected to act as a role model and coach others as appropriate. The post holder will be line managed by the Technical Manager in the School of Metallurgy and Materials.

The post holder will be expected to Line Manage, supervise, and mentor technical staff, as well as providing guidance to Postgraduate Students and Post-Doctoral Research Staff. The post holder will provide necessary information to ensure compliance with local standard operating procedures, and all Health and Safety policies.

Main Duties

• Carry out experimental work within your area of specialism including characterisation, degradation, mechanical testing, sample preparation etc.
• Analyse and interpret experimental data acquired.
• Contribute to day-to-day technical needs of the research group and contribute to the development of research, new services, or techniques.
• Assist in managing the laboratory areas including maintaining high standards of Health & Safety.
• Use in depth knowledge of methods and procedures to advise and lead on experimental techniques being used by researchers and/or students. This will involve communicating with colleagues and students at a range of experience levels.
• It will be essential to contribute to effective knowledge transfer in the context of user training and teaching new users, and in presenting at technical and scientific meetings and workshops for knowledge and skill exchange.
• Diagnose and resolve problems and suggest solutions regarding techniques and experiments. Problem solving, liaison with service engineers to ensure as little down time with equipment as possible, using own judgment on when to call a service engineer.
• Carry out work with a large amount of autonomy while keeping the Principal Investigator and other key stakeholders updated and informed of progress.
• Responsible for proactively managing and maintaining the equipment related to processes. Calibrate and maintain equipment as required.
• Organise disposal of waste materials though the correct processes.
• Develop cutting edge services and systems to anticipate and meet customer needs and improve the available facilities.
• Maintain accurate records of all techniques and experimental procedures carried out, and for any other research activities involved.
• Contribute to internal and external audit procedures and to regulatory inspections.
• Comply with and promote safe operating procedures for the area, including the classification, labelling and packaging of substances and samples. Several of the materials will be classified as hazardous substances so will require specialist handling.
• Advise and train staff, students, apprentices and internal/external visitors in the safe operation of general equipment as appropriate.
• Managing IT systems administration, with operations including file transfer, scheduled back-ups and long-term archiving of data.

Health and Safety management

• Knowledge of the regulations and safety implications related to the work you are undertaking.
• Ensuring that regular maintenance processes are carried out and that appropriate records are maintained.
• Responsible for ensuring all facility users, working within the area of responsibility, comply with all University, College, and School Health & Safety policies. This will include compliance by all staff with current rules governing work with hazardous substances and processes, and ensuring all required assessments are in place, approved and up to date.
• Write and maintain Risk Assessments, COSHH assessments, and Standard Operating Procedures in line with the relevant policies.
• Reporting any breaches or non-compliance with Health and Safety procedures to the Health and Safety Coordinators and/or College Health and Safety Manager.
• Ensuring the correct waste disposal protocols are complied with for laboratory, recycled, and general waste, as governed by the College and the local policy for the laboratory.
• Proactively assisting with the implementation of carbon reduction and energy saving measures.
• Post holders may be asked to undergo training as a Fire Warden and First Aider.

Facilities Management

• Managing consumables orders linked to each project. If necessary, generating purchase order requisitions via the web-based ordering system.
• Support equipment purchases for the project. Assessment of needs for new equipment and arranging the necessary alterations to meet these needs.
• Manage large equipment deliveries, collaborating with suppliers/shippers to arrange adequate resources for offloading and transport into the building.
• Receiving and correctly storing consumables and chemical reagents.
• Ensuring that the facilities are maintained in a clean, functional, and safe condition, reporting any problems through the appropriate channels.
• Assisting the Technical Manager in identifying and tracking items held on the University Asset Register.

Finance, procurement and purchasing

• Identify any issues with orders, invoices and/or suppliers and taking the appropriate corrective action on own initiative.
• Ensuring all financial rules and procedures are followed, including assisting and guiding others through learning these systems.
• Assisting the project, when required, with arranging and following up contract work for external customers for use of facilities and equipment.

People Management

• Working with the PI to ensure that the goals and objectives for staff in the project support the development and delivery of a quality, customer-focussed service.
• Prioritising and allocating work to meet day to day needs, and future planning across different projects.
• Checking on quality of work and customer feedback.
• Undertaking supportive interventions where staff are not meeting objectives.
• Line-manage members of technical staff, which will include undertaking annual Performance and Development Reviews (PDRs), regular one-to-one meetings.

Other Duties

• Representing the team as required when liaising with variety of other University departments.
• Supporting emergency call outs.
• Developing and maintaining collaborative working relationships with a wide variety of colleagues internal and external to the College, including contractors and suppliers.
• Promoting equality and valuing diversity, acting as a role model and fostering a fair and equitable workplace for all staff.
• Supporting the University’s sustainability agenda through resource efficient working.
• Any other duties commensurate with the grade.

General Administration and Organisation

• Ensure all records are accurate and kept up to date.
• Proactively maintain stocks of consumables, and when required generate purchase order requisitions using University systems.
• Receipt and correct storage of consumables, equipment, chemical reagents, and other materials.
• Ensure that the facilities are maintained in a clean, functional, and safe condition, reporting any problems through the appropriate channels.
• Ensure that PAT testing, calibration of equipment and locally and centrally held equipment inventories are up to date and maintained including asset registers.
• Adopt a proactive attitude to assisting with and implementing carbon reduction and energy saving measures.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Recognised and substantial technical expertise in physical metallurgy, advanced materials characterisation, mechanical testing or materials degradation.
• Typically requires a degree (or equivalent) and a number of years’ relevant experience to have the necessary conceptual understanding of the area.
• A proven high level of instrumentation, experimentation, and analytical capability.
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills.
• Fluency in relevant techniques or methods and ability to contribute to developing new ones.
• Demonstrable ability to assess resource requirements and use resources effectively.
• Demonstrable understanding of and ability to contribute to broader management/administration processes.
• Demonstrable ability to co-ordinate own work with others to avoid conflict or duplication of effort
• Significant experience of working in a compliance-based organisation.
• Significant knowledge of working within a research & scientific environment and demonstrable relevant technical skills.
• Ability to work without supervision, but function as part of a team.
• Experience of working collaboratively as part of a wider team to deliver operational or strategic goals.
• Practical knowledge of relevant technical and scientific methods including.
• Ability to organise and manage own workload and demonstrate flexibility in terms of working practices/requirements.
• Ability to devise solutions and develop creative approaches to problem solving.
• Knowledge of the protected characteristics and duties under the Equality Act 2010. Including fostering good relations and advancing the universities Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED)

Informal enquiries to Tom Hutchinson, email: t.hutchinson@bham.ac.uk

View our staff values and behaviours here

Use of AI in applications: We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.

We believe there is no such thing as a ‘typical’ member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website .