Laboratory Technical Specialist

Salary:  £30,805 to £31,637 with progression to £34,132 per annum

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: 22 August 2025

The Role

Are you a laboratory technician with cell culture experience? Could your skills help transform how we deliver faster, more accurate diagnoses for patients with mitochondrial disease?

We are seeking a motivated laboratory technician with a BTEC HNC/HND or equivalent experience to join our dynamic research team at the LifeArc Centre for Rare Mitochondrial Diseases https://www.lifearc.org/project/lifearc-translational-centres-for-rare-diseases/. You will work closely with a multidisciplinary team who are using proteomics to uncover the causes of rare mitochondrial disease.

The post will work as part of a professional community within the LifeArc Centre for Rare Mitochondrial Diseases to provide a technical support service to staff and students by following established working patterns, but there will be a need to resolve most problems without access to more senior colleagues. The role may involve developing further skills in a particular specialist area or planning and supervising the work of others.

Reporting to the Institute Technical Manager team, 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. This involves a good working knowledge of cell culture and the preparation of samples for proteomic and genetic analyses, acquired by considerable experience on the job and/or vocational training.

This post is tenable for 4 years.   

To apply, please attach your CV and a cover letter that demonstrates how you meet the essential criteria for the position, as outlined in the Person Specification of the Job Description.

For informal enquiries contact:  Robert.taylor@ncl.ac.uk, Gavin.Hudson@ncl.ac.uk or Sarah.pickett@ncl.ac.uk  

Please note that if you are successful to this role, you will require medical clearance before you can commence in the role

Key Accountabilities

•    Establish, culture and cryopreserve patient-derived cells  
•    Prepare a range of human-derived cells and samples for proteomic and genomic analyses 
•    Immortalise patient-derived cell lines using established protocols 
•    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
•    Hold specific safety responsibilities relevant to the specialism
•    Oversee compliance tasks ensuring timely completion and maintenance of appropriate records
•    Maintain in-depth and up-to-date health and safety knowledge 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
•    Prepare and manufacture specimens/samples requiring specialist skills with limited direction
•    Manage equipment bookings, calculate charges/costs and assist with re-charging
•    Design, 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 

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

•    Knowledge and experience of mammalian and human cell culture techniques 
•    Ability to prepare high quality samples for the analysis of proteins and nucleic acids from patient-derived samples 
•    Demonstrable work experience in a relevant technical role
•    Thorough working knowledge of Health and Safety procedures
•    Excellent team working skills
•    Demonstrates technical and problem-solving capacity.
•    Demonstrates good organising ability to meet deadlines, with a positive and proactive approach to duties and diligence and attention to detail.
•    Ability to adapt to changes in laboratory research priorities 
•    Specific lab or workshop and specific to role 

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

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

Desirable
•    Professional registration with an accredited professional body (including HEA) or working towards this on appointment 

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 silver 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. 

Requisition ID: 28377