Teaching Laboratory Technician -Optics

University of Oxford; Oxford; On-site; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A renowned educational institution in Oxford is seeking a Teaching Laboratory Technician - Optics to support physics laboratories. The role involves maintaining equipment, assisting with experiments, and ensuring safety standards. Candidates should have a level 6 qualification or relevant experience, with a strong ability in troubleshooting laboratory setups. The position is full-time and fixed-term until December 2027.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to troubleshoot and repair physics laboratory experiments.
• Experience in maintaining and repairing equipment.
• Familiarity with scientific programming packages.

Responsibilities

• Routine operation of experimental areas including maintaining equipment.
• Assisting with experiments, projects, and outreach events.
• Ensuring health and safety standards are observed.

Skills

Troubleshooting and repairing laboratory experiments

Software literacy

Interfacing hardware to computers

Education

Qualification to level 6 in the National Qualification Framework

Tools

Python

MATLAB

Job description

Applications are open for a Teaching Laboratory Technician - Optics post, at the Department of Physics, Oxford Univeristy.

Oxford Physics is one of the largest and most eminent departments in Europe - pursuing forefront research alongside training the next generation of leaders in Physics.

The Oxford Physics teaching laboratories broadly cover General Physics (Mechanics), Optics, Solid State Physics, Electronics, Electrostatics and Magnetism, Atmospheric Physics, Particle Physics, Nuclear Physics and Biophysics. As part of the degree course, we teach hands-on science to around 540 students across three years, with students moving between laboratories each term. We build and upgrade experiments between terms to keep the course relevant to our goal of training the next generation of leading scientists.

We seek a versatile member of staff who will have particular responsibility, with minimal supervision, for the routine operation of one or two of the experimental areas during term time including maintaining and repairing equipment, assisting with experiments, projects, outreach events, and ensuring health and safety standards are observed. The role will also include broader duties and interactions with the other technicians, students, and demonstrators in the laboratory., This temporary role will specifically be based in our Optics and Electromagnetism laboratories. The successful candidate will be required to assist with a relocation of those teaching labs to a new location during the summer of 2026

The succesful applicant must have a qualification to level 6 in the National Qualification Framework (e.g. NVQ level 6/ degree/graduate diploma) in engineering, physics, or similar, or relevant experience in lieu of these qualifications. Proven ability to troubleshoot and repair physics - or similar - laboratory experiments, ideally in an educational environment is essential, as well as proven levels of software literacy including familiarity with interfacing hardware to computers. Experience of scientific programming packages, e.g. Python or MATLAB would be desirable.

This is a full-time post, fixed term until 31 December 2027