Senior Scientist / Engineer - Time & Frequency

TN United Kingdom; Teddington; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading organization in Teddington is seeking a Senior Scientist/Engineer to develop Time and Frequency infrastructure. The role involves leading a team, designing systems, and collaborating with stakeholders to enhance the UK's National Time Scale. Candidates should have a relevant degree and experience in time measurement, with opportunities for flexible working arrangements.

Qualifications

• Experience in Time and Frequency measurement/Time scales.
• Experience leading Systems Engineering processes.

Responsibilities

• Leading a team of System Engineers and Scientists to deliver projects.
• Designing and implementing hardware and software for time transfer techniques.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Problem Solving

Education

Degree in a relevant Science or Engineering field

Tools

Python

LabVIEW

MATLAB

Job description

Social network you want to login/join with:

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Client:

National Physical Laboratory

Location:

Teddington, United Kingdom

Job Category:

Other

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EU work permit required:

Yes

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Job Reference:

35abdeb572ac

Job Views:

3

Posted:

17.05.2025

Expiry Date:

01.07.2025

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Job Description:

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced and practicing Senior Scientist / Engineer.

We now work in a hybrid manner, combining remote and office work. We aim to offer a great work-life balance; whether you're looking for full-time, part-time, or flexible options, we will try to accommodate where feasible.

You will join our team at an exciting time — we maintain the UK’s National Time Scale, UTC (NPL), and are developing systems to underpin our Critical National Infrastructure. This initiative addresses the risks associated with our reliance on global navigation satellite systems (such as GPS), which are vulnerable to natural and intentional interference.

About the Role

Our team seeks an experienced Senior Scientist / Engineer to join a multidisciplinary group of scientists and engineers working on developing new Time and Frequency infrastructure within the UK. You will play a pivotal role in creating robust systems for ground- and satellite-based Time and Frequency dissemination, utilizing Atomic Clocks located at various UK sites.

This includes testing and implementing:

• Satellite communication
• Optical fibre systems
• GNSS-based and monitoring subsystems

Key responsibilities:

• Leading a team of System Engineers and Scientists to deliver projects on time, within budget, and to quality standards
• Designing and implementing hardware and software for satellite communication, optical fibre, and GNSS-based time and frequency transfer techniques for comparing distant atomic clocks
• Developing novel time dissemination systems, equipment, and applications to support UK sovereignty and industry needs
• Collaborating with wider teams to develop high-specification solutions
• Engaging with internal and external stakeholders to understand their needs and expectations

This role offers opportunities to collaborate with external organizations and work across multiple UK sites.

About You

We value diversity and unique perspectives in our science projects. We especially encourage applications from underrepresented groups in STEM, including women, disabled individuals, and candidates from Black, Asian, and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Reporting to a Principal Scientist, you will contribute to designing critical UK infrastructure that advances the UK’s new resilient Time Scale.

To succeed, you should have:

Essential:

• Experience in Time and Frequency measurement/Time scales
• A degree in a relevant Science or Engineering field
• Experience leading Systems Engineering processes, including requirements, design, and implementation
• Team management skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong customer-facing skills
• A rigorous approach to problem-solving and solution development

Advantageous:

• Postgraduate degree in a related field such as satellite navigation systems (GNSS), SATCOM, or systems engineering
• Postgraduate experience in software engineering applications (Python, LabVIEW, MATLAB)
• Professional experience in an engineering or R&D environment
• Experience managing Systems Engineering projects from start to finish
• Practical knowledge of SATCOM, optical fibre, and GNSS systems
• Experience with real-time monitoring and control of electronic hardware
• Knowledge of atmospheric propagation of radio/microwave signals or space systems
• Experience developing robust operational software systems

We actively seek candidates from all backgrounds. Due to the sensitive nature of our work, nationality, residency, and security requirements may apply. You will need to obtain BPSS security clearance to work at NPL.