Assistant Technical Specialist - School of Metallurgy and Materials Grade 6

Job Description

Position Details

School of Metallurgy and Materials

Location:

University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £33,002 to £35,608 with potential progression once in post to £39,906

Grade: 6

Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to August 2027

Closing date: 10th September 2026

Interviews are scheduled for 16th September

The University of Birmingham is committed to engineering excellence, and the School of Metallurgy and Materials is one of the UK's leading centres for research, education, and innovation. The School is proud of its strong and extensive links with industry and boasts a creative and dynamic environment, which provides opportunities for both staff and students to develop.

This full‑time position within the Centre for Custom Medical Devices led by Dr Sophie Cox at the University of Birmingham.

The post is funded through the EPSRC 4D Health Tech network through a project led by Mr Jonathan Stevenson (Consultant Orthopaedic Oncology Surgeon, Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Birmingham). The post holder will provide direct support to this project, which is focused on the validation and prototyping of a novel orthopaedic oncology device. These responsibilities will include, along with another technician, managing the usage of metal 3d printers and associated equipment within the Centre for Custom Medical Devices.

They will be supporting the management of research team members by monitoring and advising where appropriate, basic housekeeping, infrastructure and Health and Safety (H&S) matters relating to the CMD laboratory.

The post holder will be required to establish an effective working relationship with academic, industrial and clinical leads for the project.

You will provide technical support to the Custom Medical Devices Group in the School of Metallurgy and Materials at the University of Birmingham. The group focuses on the use of metal additive manufacturing for the production of implantable medical devices, predominantly for orthopaedic applications.

The role involves progressing the development of a specific novel orthopaedic oncology device. This will include operation of research equipment used for metal processing and characterisation, such as powder metallurgy, additive manufacturing (such as laser powder bed fusion), and various analytical techniques used to study performance.

You will work closely with researchers and students, offering technical guidance, troubleshooting experimental setups, and supporting the development of new procedures. A strong understanding of design and additive manufacturing methods will be essential to provide high-quality support for this project.

As a senior technical team member, you'll play a key role in maintaining a safe, efficient, and collaborative laboratory environment. You'll be expected to uphold high health and safety standards.

You will also support the broader technical team within the school, sharing expertise, mentoring junior staff, and contributing to a positive and proactive working culture. Your input will be vital in helping the group deliver innovative, high‑impact healthcare technologies research.

• Setting up experiments and acquiring, processing and interrogating data for use in publications and related activities associated with the project
• Support the development of research protocols as well as efficient completion of programmes of work to agreed timescales and project deadlines
• Responsibility for the day‑to‑day planning of any on‑going work in the laboratory to meet agreed objectives and timetables.
• Will be indirectly responsible for the management of laboratory equipment within the Centre for Custom Medical Devices, namely metal 3D printers
• To advise, arrange, train, assist and supervise other researchers working on the project
• Responsible for ensuring all items of laboratory equipment are kept in good working order when being used for project tasks
• Where required/appropriate provide a service/facility for overseeing purchase orders for the project
• Working with collaborators from local industry, other departments and institutions…