Laboratory Technical Specialist

Newcastle University; Newcastle upon Tyne; On-site; GBP 33,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous holiday

Pension schemes

Health & wellbeing initiatives

Job summary

Newcastle University is seeking an IT installation technician to install sensors and networking equipment in patients' homes as part of the TORUS project. The role involves some out-of-hours work and travels to homes within the Newcastle area, with lab support when not in field deployments.

You will join the DIAN Research Group in the Translational and Clinical Research Institute, contributing to technical support, equipment readiness, and routine lab housekeeping.

Qualifications

• Demonstrable work experience in a relevant technical role.
• Experience in the installation of IT equipment.
• Good communication and customer service skills.
• Experience in network administration and configuring wireless access for devices.
• Ability to communicate with a wide variety of internal and external contacts, including elderly people.
• Health and Safety knowledge (Desirable).

Responsibilities

• Plan and undertake installation of sensors in homes across Newcastle.
• Provide technical support to ensure installed systems remain operational.
• Assist with data collection improvements and routine lab maintenance.
• Liaise with suppliers and managers to resolve problems and investigate replacements.
• Develop local procedures to maintain a safe, compliant working environment.
• Schedule, prioritise and monitor work to meet demands and deadlines.
• Oversee laboratory spaces and contribute to development and planning.

Skills

Installation of IT equipment

Network administration

Customer service skills

Technical problem solving

Effective communication

Education

BTEC/HNC/HND or A-level or equivalent

Job description

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Salary: £32,722 to £33,662 with progression to £35,302 per annum (plus market supplement)

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits . We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 27 November 2026

The Role

The TORUS research programme ( https://torus.ac.uk/) is an EPSRC-funded project which aims to improve the way in which the symptoms of Parkinson’s are measured, enabling better assessment of the efficacy of treatments provided for patients. The programme has created a platform of sensor technology, which is currently installed at the SPHERE house (a living lab), and will later be deployed in the homes of people with Parkinson’s.

To support this project, we are looking for an IT installation technician to undertake the installation of sensors and networking equipment in the homes of patients.

State-of-the-art sensors have been developed as part of the TORUS project and will be installed in private homes of people living with Parkinson’s within the Newcastle area over a period of several months and up to a year. As the primary task of the role holder is installing sensors in houses of members of the public, some out-of-hours working may be needed, the role holder will be informed in advance.

When not undertaking remote installations, you will help the research team in the lab - troubleshooting technical issues, getting equipment ready for deployment, and undertaking routine lab housekeeping activities.

You will be part of an interdisciplinary team within the Digital Health Innovation in Ageing and Neurodegeneration (DIAN) Research Group Research Group based in the Translational and Clinical Research Institute at Newcastle University.

Reporting to the Institute Technical Manager team and Dr Silvia Del-Din, the role will display an in-depth knowledge of technical or scientific practices, methods and procedures gained through either experience and/or formal qualification and will deploy this knowledge to provide a range of technical support activities

As part of this role, you’ll need a willingness to travel to the homes of research participants to install technology. You will hold a valid UK Driving License and have access to a car.

The successful candidate will be subject to a DBS check.

This post is fixed term for 24 months. Contact for the post is: Isabel Neatrour ([e-mail])

Key Accountabilities

Working with the research team and patients to plan and undertake the installation of sensors in the homes across Newcastle.

• Providing technical support / troubleshooting to ensure installed systems remain operational.
• Supporting the research team in identifying potential improvements in the collection of relevant data.
• Complete a range of routine and complex maintenance activities and repairs.
• Liaise with suppliers and manufacturers to resolve both routine and complex problems and investigate replacement options.
• Advise on equipment capabilities demonstrating how results can be achieved.
• By developing local procedures, establish and maintain a safe/compliant working environment.
• Oversee compliance tasks ensuring timely completion and maintenance of appropriate records.
• Maintain in-depth and up-to-date health and safety knowledge and hold specific safety responsibilities relevant to the specialism. Assist with the completion and updating of a wide range of safety paperwork.
• Schedule, prioritize and monitor work in line with demands and deadlines.
• Hold delegated responsibility from the academic lead for the planning, operation and supervision of laboratory spaces occupied by the specialism.
• Be a key contributor to specialism development, delivery, and planning.
• Contribute to and support change.
• Manage one or more budgets monitoring resource usage.
• Source and negotiate with suppliers for a range of items including specialist parts/equipment.
• Create, update and implement procedures to deliver an aligned, efficient and effective service.
• Develop and deliver inductions, demonstrations and training covering complex techniques and specialist equipment.
• Assist managers with the identification of training and development needs and mentor junior staff

The Person (Essential)

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Demonstrable work experience in a relevant technical role
• Experience in the installation of IT equipment
• Good communication and customer service skills
• Experience in network administration, e.g. setting up access points, configuring wireless access for PCs and other devices.
• Demonstrates technical and problem-solving capacity.
• Ability to effectively communicate with a wide variety of internal and external contacts, including elderly people
• Ability to convey knowledge and complex technical information to service users Ability to adapt to changes in laboratory research priorities (Desirable)
• Thorough working knowledge of Health and Safety procedures (Desirable)

Attributes and Behaviour

• Tact, diplomacy and able to handle difficult situations
• Ability to meet deadlines with effective time and resource management.
• Clear communicator and active listener
• Consistent and appropriate approach to staff and situations
• Use of feedback for process improvement and staff development
• Team player, self-starter and able to manage complex workload
• Ability to respond enthusiastically and positively to undergraduate students
• Commitment to customer care and to providing a quality service
• Take ownership for continuous improvement in own knowledge, practice and skillsAbility to use initiative in service delivery
• Ability to adapt to changes in laboratory research priorities

Qualifications

• BTEC HNC / HND; or A’ level (or equivalent) qualification; or broad work experience acquired through a combination of vocational training and considerable on-the-job experience, demonstrating development through progressively more demanding relevant roles.
• Professional registration with an accredited professional body (including HEA) or working towards this on appointment (Desirable)

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a Gold Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC. We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.