Instrument Curator

Freeman Hospital; Carthage (MO); On-site; USD 38,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Band 5 Instrument Curator within Electronics & Medical Engineering to provide specialist mechanical engineering support for surgical instruments across multiple sites, including Freeman Hospital.

The role requires fault diagnosis, precision repair, planned maintenance, and quality inspection, with opportunities to train apprentices and work with clinical teams and manufacturers in a busy healthcare environment.

Qualifications

• Experience in fault diagnosis and precision repair of surgical instruments and power tools.
• HNC in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent required.
• Strong practical and analytical mechanical skills.

Responsibilities

• Maintain, diagnose and repair a wide range of surgical instruments and power tools.
• Coordinate planned maintenance and commissioning of equipment.
• Ensure quality control, maintain service records, and liaise with staff and suppliers.

Skills

Machining

Fabrication

Mechanical Eng

Attention to detail

Education

HNC in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Precision tools

Test equipment

Job description

• Cramlington Manor Walks
• Proven machining/fabricating skills

Employer heading

Instrument Curator

Band 5

Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the busiest and largest NHS hospital trusts in the country. We have around 16,000 staff and an annual budget of £1.7 billion.

With strong history of providing high quality care, clinical excellence, research and innovation regionally, nationally and internationally, we’re in the top five providers of specialised health services in the country.

As well as providing a wide range of hospital and community services, we support people with a range of rare and complex medical, surgical and neurological conditions, cancers and genetic orders.

We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and recognise the benefit in providing an inclusive environment. We value and respect the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects the communities we serve, and is equipped to deliver the best service to our patients. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.

Newcastle Hospitals are proud to be one of the exemplar organisations across the NHS on sustainability, with a long history of delivering Sustainable Healthcare in Newcastle (Shine) and the first healthcare organisation in the world to declare a climate emergency. Our strategy includes commitments to being Net Zero by 2030, for our direct carbon footprint, and Net Zero by 2040 for our footprint plus. Delivering these ambitions will not be possible without the help, support and action of every single member of our team.

Job Overview

An opportunity has arisen for a Band 5 Instrument Curator within Electronics & Medical Engineering (EME). The post provides specialist mechanical engineering support for a wide and complex range of surgical instruments and power tools used across Newcastle Hospitals. We are looking for an experienced mechanical engineering professional with strong practical and analytical skills, ideally holding an HNC in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent. The role involves fault diagnosis, precision repair, planned maintenance, quality inspection and commissioning of specialist surgical equipment, working closely with clinical and technical teams and equipment manufacturers. This is a varied technical role requiring excellent attention to detail, manual dexterity, professional communication and the ability to use initiative in a busy healthcare environment.

• Interview Date Thursday 29 October 2026
• 37 Hours 30 Minutes/Week

NO AGENCIES PLEASE

Main duties of the job

Maintain, diagnose and repair a wide range of surgical instruments, specialised dental instruments, handpieces and power tools, including component-level repairs using precision tools and appropriate test equipment. Coordinate and undertake planned maintenance for specialist equipment, departments and external clinics, and commission or install new equipment as required. Operate the Trust's quality control and inspection service for new and repaired surgical instruments, ensuring work complies with manufacturer recommendations, departmental procedures, relevant safety standards and MHRA guidance. Implement remedial actions arising from safety alerts and manufacturer notices; maintain accurate service records and appropriate stock and spare parts. Liaise with clinical and technical staff, suppliers and manufacturers, contribute to technical evaluations, equipment trials, audits and reports, and support the training or supervision of apprentices, students and new staff. The post requires sound judgement, excellent analytical ability, high levels of manual dexterity and the confidence to work independently when required.

Working for our organisation

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

With around 2 million contacts with patients every year, we deliver care from:

• Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI)
• Freeman Hospital
• Newcastle Dental Hospital
• Cramlington Manor Walks
• Urgent treatment centres
• Newcastle Fertility Centre
• Northern Centre for Cancer Care, North Cumbria
• Northern Genetics Service

These include a range of flagship services which deliver cutting-edge care (supported by state-of-the-art diagnostic services in both radiology and pathology) and a catalyst for innovation to support pioneering clinical practice in the NHS.

We also have offices at Regent Point in Gosforth and community sites.

Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust under ‘Documents to download’ or ‘Supporting documents’.

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