Principal Radiotherapy Physicist 8a

#CatchUpWithCancer; Greater London; On-site; GBP 66,000 - 73,000; Full time

Job summary

Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is inviting applications for a Band 8a Radiotherapy Physicist at the Royal Free Hospital. The role involves clinical, technical and scientific support within Radiotherapy Physics, with potential oversight of a defined service area. Certification support is provided for MPE/HCPC matters.

The post is based in London with a salary of £66,274–£73,496 per year (HCAS included). The closing date is 08 September 2026 and the contract is permanent, full-time.

Qualifications

• Honours first degree (1st or 2nd) in physics or containing a major physics component.
• Relevant MSc or higher degree or equivalent level of knowledge.
• HCPC registration as a Clinical Scientist.
• Certified Medical Physics Expert on national register or application in progress.

Responsibilities

• Provide clinical, technical and scientific support to the Radiotherapy Physics service.
• Oversee and maintain a specific part of the physics service as required.
• Contribute to equipment safety, calibration and testing, and development of new techniques.

Skills

Time management

Prioritisation

Problem solving

Communication

Education

Physics degree

MSc or higher in a related field

HCPC registration as Clinical Scientist

CME/ MPE eligibility

Tools

Python

Job description

Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust

Band 8a Principal Radiotherapy Physicist

The closing date is 08 September 2026

Job Summary

A vacancy has arisen within the Radiotherapy Physics service at the Royal Free Hospital site for a Band 8A Radiotherapy Physicist. The successful candidate should ideally be an MPE however applicants in the process of applying or about to apply for certification will be considered and supported. The applicant is required to participate in all the routine support for the radiotherapy physics service, however they may subsequently be required to oversee and maintain a specific part of the physics service

Main duties of the job

The Radiotherapy Physics Service at the Royal Free Hospital isresponsible for providing clinical, technical and scientific support to theRadiotherapy Department at the Royal Free Hospital.The Service is a multi-disciplinary team consisting of Clinical Scientists,Therapy Radiographers and Clinical Technologist.The Clinical Scientists are responsible for the scientific aspects of thispatient critical service, including patient radiotherapy treatment planningand checking, advising clinical staff on the physics of radiotherapy, measuring patient doses, implanting radioactive sources, ensuring thatequipment is operating safely and effectively, calibrating therapeuticequipment, ensuring the safety of patients and staff in a hazardousenvironment that includes exposure to high levels of ionising radiation,selecting, procuring and acceptance testing of equipment, introducingnew techniques, applied research and development and teaching.

About Us

The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK's biggest and most innovative trusts with over 17,000 staff serving 2 million patients every year. It comprises Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital, the Royal Free Hospital, North Middlesex University Hospital and more than 30 services in the community. This larger scale organisation provides an unprecedented opportunity for us to continue our pioneering work, particularly in finding ways to deliver even better care to our patients.Our mission is to deliver world class care and expertise in our clinical services, underpinned by world class teaching and research and we will continue to measure our progress against our five governing objectives: excellent outcomes, excellent patient and staff experience, excellent value for taxpayers' money, being safe and meeting our external duties, and building a strong organisation.Everyone is welcome at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. We're proud of our diversity and we continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for LGBT+, BME, gender equality, staff carers and people with disabilities and lived experiences to promote good relations and understanding between our staff.

Details

Date posted 27 August 2026

Pay scheme Agenda for change

Band 8a

Salary £66,274 to £73,496 a year per annum inclusive of HCAS

Contract Permanent

Working pattern Full-time

Reference number 391-RFL-8198727

Job locations Royal Free Hospital

Pond Street

London

NW3 2QG

United Kingdom

Job Description

Job responsibilities: Please see attached Job Description for more information about this role and working at royal free London NHS foundation Trust

Person Specification

Skills

Essential

• Able to prioritise and manage own workload with effective time management skills. Flexible, able to adjust commitments when required and work to tight deadlines (checking complex treatment plans to a tight deadline for example).
• Able to deal with complex and unpredictable situations (providing advice during equipment failure for example).
• Analytical problem solving ability, able to resolve complex issues and situations that are often unpredictable and do not fit a standard pattern.

Desirable

• Able to project manage effectively, setting quality standards, timescales, performance targets and goals, monitoring progress, checking results, providing support to other team members when required and writing reports.
• Ability to teach and train others, including other staff groups, on highly specialist subjects.
• Able to perform independent applied research and development.
• Able to prepare and present scientific papers at local, national and international meetings and conferences.
• Able to develop systems and write software and scripts (Python for example) relevant to radiotherapy computer systems

Personal Qualities & Attributes

Essential

• Able to communicate highly complex information to other healthcare professionals and equipment manufacturers
• Able to exercise own initiative when dealing with issues within own specialist area of competence.
• High degree of physical accuracy and dexterity, for making precision measurements and equipment adjustments.
• Ability to motivate a wide cross-section of healthcare professionals and lead a team approach to work.
• Able to maintain frequent periods of prolonged concentration, with often unpredictable work patterns (when collecting or analysing beam data and providing clinical advice for example).
• Able to deal with occasional distressing circumstances when (working with terminally ill patients for example).

Royal Free World Class Values

Essential

• Demonstrable ability to meet the Trust Values

Education & professional Qualifications

Essential

• Honours first degree (1st or 2nd) in physics or containing a major physics component.
• Relevant MSc or higher degree or equivalent level of knowledge.
• HCPC registration as a Clinical Scientist.
• Certified Medical Physics Expert on national register or application in progress

Desirable

• Corporate Membership of IPEM (MIPEM) or eligible for membership
• Chartered scientist (CSci) or eligible for the award.

Experience

Essential

• Highly developed specialist theoretical and practical knowledge of radiation dosimetry, treatment unit technology, treatment planning systems, and computer systems in radiotherapy, sufficient to act as a Medical Physics Expert in these areas
• Specialist training and practical experience of a wide range of radiotherapy equipment and computing equipment, including linear accelerators, treatment planning systems and dosimetry equipment
• Advanced knowledge of patient and machine dosimetry and quality assurance in radiotherapy
• Highly developed knowledge of clinical issues and their implications for radiotherapy physics practice
• Broad understanding of patient and staff risks arising from equipment failure and staff error.
• High level of understanding of patient and staff risks arising from treatment planning computer system errors, equipment failure, treatment errors and incorrect dosimetry
• Broad knowledge of clinical procedures and practices in radiotherapy.
• In depth knowledge of relevant legislation, national standards, professional and other guidelines, quality systems, local rules and safety practices (for example ISO 9001 2000, Health and Safety, COSHH).
• Understanding of hazards posed by, and precautions needed with: ionising radiation, non -ionising radiation and electrical hazards .

Desirable

• Broad knowledge of applied radiation physics and associated areas within medical physics
• Relevant clinical experience in radiotherapy physics post registration.

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 (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab). From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

For Questions About The Job, Contact:

Head of Radiotherapy Physics

Neil Dancer

[e-mail]

02078302113