Lead Clinical Scientist RPA & MPE - Radiation Protection

NHS; Northwood; On-site; GBP 64,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading health care provider in Northwood is seeking a Lead Clinical Scientist to provide radiation protection and scientific support to several hospitals. Candidates should have a degree in physics or engineering, along with HCPC registration as a Clinical Scientist. This permanent role offers a salary range of £64,455 to £74,896 plus an additional High Cost Area Supplement.

Qualifications

• HCPC registered Clinical Scientist with experience in diagnostic radiology.
• Certification or progression toward MPE/RPA certification.

Responsibilities

• Lead radiation protection and scientific support to hospitals.
• Work with the head of radiation protection for service delivery.
• Manage clinical scientists and technologists.

Skills

Communication skills

Analysis and interpretation of complex data

Understanding of Radiation Protection

Education

Honours degree in a relevant subject (physics or engineering)

Postgraduate qualification (MSc)

State registration with HCPC as a Clinical Scientist

Job description

Overview

We are recruiting for a Lead Clinical Scientist who shares our vision to be trusted to provide consistently outstanding care and exemplary service to our patients.

The radiation protection department is part of the wider radiation services team including nuclear medicine and radiotherapy physics at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre. We are looking for a lead clinical scientist to provide RPA and MPE support for the Trust and to support a number of external Trusts under service level agreements.

The radiation protection department provides specialist scientific advice and technical support to radiology, and other users of x-ray imaging including radiotherapy, nuclear medicine and breast screening services. The department supports optimisation of a wide range of imaging equipment and is playing an active role in new imaging network activity.

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.

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 imaging.

You will have excellent communication skills as you will lead on the provision of radiation protection and scientific support to several hospitals. Working closely with the head of radiation protection you will be part of the leadership team delivering services to a number of Trusts.

The post holder will be required to work alongside local service leads to ensure organisations deliver statutory obligations with respect to the safe use of ionising radiation.

You will also support and line manage clinical scientists and technologists and contribute to staff development and assist in the supervision of trainees undertaking the STP programme or equivalent.

Ideally, we are looking for someone who already has MPE/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. We would consider an appointment to a developmental role at a lower band and support you to achieve certification.

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: 18 September 2025

Pay scheme: Agenda for Change

Band: Band 8b

Salary: £64,455 to £74,896 a year per annum + 15% High Cost Area Supplement

Contract: Permanent

Working pattern: Full-time

Reference number: 361-7337932-B

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

Job responsibilities

Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification applicant pack for further detailed information regarding this role.

Person Specification

Qualifications / Training

• Honours degree in a relevant subject (physics or engineering)
• Postgraduate qualification in a relevant branch of physics or medical physics to the level of at least a Master’s degree (MSc)
• State registration with the Health & Care Professions Council, as a Clinical Scientist
• Relevant experience as a clinical scientist
• Certificate of competence to practice as a Radiation Protection Adviser
• MPE certificate of competence or on the active RPA 2000 MPE list

Desirable

• Experience providing radiation protection advice in nuclear medicine

Previous Experience

• Highly specialised training and practical experience in Diagnostic Imaging and Radiation Protection, and QA testing of a range of highly technical equipment
• Experience in the application of relevant legislation, national standards, professional and other guidelines and ability to communicate their application to other health professionals including senior management
• Experience of working in teams
• Experience of auditing others
• Experience of clinical service provision

Skills

• Good communicator of highly complex and sensitive information to patients and members of the public; able to communicate highly complex scientific data to multi-disciplinary staff
• Ability to analyse and interpret complex data, compare options, make judgments and determine causes of erroneous results
• Ability to interpret technical and scientific situations with conflicting facts and determine appropriate measures
• High physical accuracy, manual dexterity and good eyesight for precision with sophisticated equipment
• Expertise in using VDUs and creating/developing electronic documents, spreadsheets and Clinical Applications software
• Ability to teach, train and supervise students and staff across Radiation Protection
• Ability to apply knowledge of practical diagnostic imaging and radiation protection to propose and manage new procedures and equipment
• Ability to manage priorities and respond flexibly to changing requirements
• Occasional moderate physical effort; frequent prolonged concentration
• Frequent exposure to distressing or emotional circumstances; occasional exposure to highly unpleasant working conditions

Knowledge

• Advanced theoretical and practical knowledge in Radiation Protection (clinical, technical and scientific)
• In-depth knowledge of IRR 2017, IR(ME)R 2017 and related guidelines
• Extensive knowledge across clinical, research, development and personnel areas
• Specialist knowledge of measuring the performance and radiological safety of modern X-ray imaging equipment
• Specialist knowledge of dose measurement techniques for ionising radiations

Other requirements

• Understanding of, and commitment to, equality, diversity and inclusion
• Ability to concentrate where the work pattern is unpredictable
• Flexibility in coordinating workload
• Be prepared to work in an environment with a radiation hazard
• Ability to work independently and within a small team
• Aware of own limitations and when to ask for advice from senior team members

Other

Disclosure and Barring Service Check: This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975. A disclosure check will be required.

UK Registration: Applicants must have current UK professional registration.

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/