Head of Radiation Protection and Consultant Clinical Scientist

NHS; London; On-site; GBP 76,000 - 89,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in the UK is seeking a Head of Radiation Protection and Consultant Clinical Scientist. The candidate will support multiple NHS Trusts, ensuring compliance with radiation safety regulations. Ideal candidates will hold HCPC registration and have extensive experience in Radiotherapy Physics. This permanent role offers a competitive salary with a high-cost area supplement.

Benefits

Flexible working patterns

High-cost area supplement

Qualifications

• HCPC registered Clinical Scientist with experience at consultant level.
• Must have MPE and RPA certification or be working towards it.
• Experience in Radiotherapy Physics, analyzing treatment options.

Responsibilities

• Lead radiation protection and scientific support for various NHS Trusts.
• Manage senior clinical scientists and technologists.
• Ensure compliance with statutory obligations for ionizing radiation use.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Judgment and problem-solving

Leadership and staff management

Manual dexterity and precision

Ability to work under time pressure

Education

Good (1st or 2nd class) honours degree in a relevant subject

Relevant MSc or higher degree

Completion of IPEM higher training scheme or equivalent

HCPC registered

On the MPE register

Tools

Radiotherapy equipment

Specific treatment planning techniques

Software for dosimetry and treatment planning

Job description

Head of Radiation Protection and Consultant Clinical Scientist

We are recruiting for a Head of Radiation Protection and Consultant Clinical Scientist who shares our vision to be trusted to provide consistently outstanding care and exemplary service to our patients. The post holder will also support a number of external Trusts under service level agreements. The radiation protection department is part of the wider radiation services team at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre and provides specialist scientific advice and technical support to radiology, and other users of imaging including radiotherapy, nuclear medicine, breast screening, u/s and MRI. The Radiation Protection Department includes scientific and technical support services, radiation protection advice, quality assurance for imaging equipment, a personal dosimetry service for the assessment of dose to staff, radiation safety surveys. The Trust is part of the ImageEast network, and the post holder will lead on medical physics contribution to several workstreams. The post holder will act as the lead Radiation Protection Adviser and Medical Physics Expert for the Trust and other staff groups and patients in the Trust and other specified organisations.

At the heart of everything we do are our core values: Include, Respect, and Improve. We encourage you to embrace these values throughout the recruitment process and in your role with us.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will be a HCPC registered Clinical Scientist, qualified to act as an RPA and MPE in diagnostic radiology with sufficient experience to work at consultant scientist level.

You will have excellent communication skills as you will lead on the provision of radiation protection and scientific support to several Employers including a number of NHS Trusts.

You will be required to work alongside local clinical and managerial service leads to ensure organisations deliver statutory obligations with respect to the safe use of ionising radiation.

The post holder will line manage senior clinical scientists and technologists and lead on staff development and training, including the provision of trainees undertaking the STP programme or equivalent, MPE and RPA training and HSST.

Ideally, we are looking for someone who already has MPE and RPA certification, but if you have begun to work towards this and expect to be able to submit a portfolio within twelve months of appointment, we would still like to hear from you.

About us

At East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust, we are proud of the range of general and specialist services we provide and our 6,000 or so dedicated staff ensure our patients get the best care. Our ability to be flexible and innovative in the way in which we work and deliver our services to our catchment has never been more important than it is now.

We run the following hospitals:

• The Lister Hospital, Stevenage
• New Queen Elizabeth II (New QEII), Welwyn Garden City
• Hertford County, Hertford
• Mount Vernon Cancer Centre (MVCC), Northwood

We have ambitious plans to become an outstanding, patient-led Trust where dedicated staff provide high-quality, compassionate care to our patients. We continue to undergo significant transformation, and our staff and patients are at the heart of delivering this ambitious agenda.

We are committed to a positive work life balance for our employees. This means that any employee is entitled to seek to work flexible working patterns and we are committed to listen and consider all requests. Such requests, of course, have to be made and considered formally, and will need to be balanced against service needs, but our starting point will always be to find ways to support making them happen.

Details

Date posted: 12 September 2025

Pay scheme: Agenda for Change

Band: Band 8c

Salary: £76,965 to £88,682 a year per annum, plus 15% High Cost Area Supplement

Contract: Permanent

Working pattern: Full-time

Reference number: 361-7427490

Job locations: Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, Rickmansworth Road, Northwood, HA6 2RN

Job description

ENHT is seeking to maintain and expand the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre staff as we move to an exciting new future. We welcome applications from those who would relish the opportunity to be part of new and developing cancer service, building on the excellent reputation, research and patient experience the Cancer Centre already delivers. In addition, you will receive a High-Cost Area Supplement of 15% of your basic salary, subject to a minimum payment of £4,552 and a maximum payment of £5,735 per annum pro rata. Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification applicant pack for further detailed information regarding this role.

Note: This description includes details of the role and responsibilities as published by ENHT. Applicants should refer to the official job pack for complete information.

Person Specification

Qualifications / Training

• Good (1st or 2nd class) honours degree in a relevant subject
• Relevant MSc or higher degree
• Completion of IPEM higher training scheme or equivalent
• HCPC registered
• On the MPE register
• PhD in a relevant subject or equivalent level of study demonstrated through publications and /or presentations
• Good written and spoken English

Desirable

• HSST or can demonstrate equivalent experience to be eligible for HSSR

Previous Experience

• Extensive specialised experience in Radiotherapy Physics including: analysing and judging treatment options, identifying problems with patient-related equipment, exercising judgement to solve problems and making decisions on how equipment is to be used safely and correctly, all usually under time-pressure.
• Highly Specialist training and extensive practical experience in the use of one of: radiotherapy equipment (including linear accelerators, imaging equipment and test equipment); Treatment planning techniques and algorithms; Brachytherapy techniques including all equipment used for brachytherapy and its associated treatment planning system
• Training and practical experience in the use of all others from above list
• Extensive experience in planning and checking complex patients treatment plans in brachytherapy

Desirable

• Experience in planning and checking patients treatment plans in an additional subject area from brachytherapy, external beam or stereotactic radiotherapy

Skills

• Able to use judgement involving facts that require analysis, interpretation and comparison of a range of options, e.g., in analysing results of measurements or treatment plans
• Ability to problem solve and provide novel solutions to technically challenging problems
• Able to line manage staff with proven leadership
• Evidence of implementation of change
• Self motivated with ability to improve a highly complex technical service
• Able to prioritise and manage own work
• High degree of manual dexterity and precision in measurements and adjustments
• Ability to concentrate under time pressure and across safety-critical tasks
• Proficiency with Excel, Word, Access; ability to extract information
• Ability to design, develop and adapt software solutions
• Ability to communicate highly complex information to other professional groups
• Ability to present scientific papers at conferences
• Ability to train groups of other professional staff
• Ability to deliver teaching and training on complex Radiotherapy Physics topics
• Ability to work independently within professional guidelines
• Ability to handle distressing circumstances when working with terminally ill patients
• Good negotiation skills with staff and suppliers
• Ability to deal with complex and unpredictable patient treatment scenarios

Knowledge

• Broad knowledge of radiation and related Medical Physics areas
• Specialist level knowledge across Radiotherapy Physics
• Advanced knowledge of radiotherapy equipment, dosimetry and treatment planning
• Knowledge of IRR, IR(ME)R, ISO9001-200 and related standards and guidelines
• Knowledge of treatment planning system algorithms and limitations
• Understanding of risks from planning systems, equipment failure, and dosimetry
• Experience of equipment specification and purchase
• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Understanding of hazards and precautions for ionising/non-ionising radiation, electricity, bio-hazards, solvents, gases and other hazards

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer details

East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust

Mount Vernon Cancer Centre

Rickmansworth Road, Northwood, HA6 2RN

Employer's website: https://www.enherts-tr.nhs.uk/