Physical Geography Technician

Salary: £27,319 with progression to £28,778 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 June 2026

Physical Geography Technician

Requisition ID: 29416

Location: Newcastle, GB

Contract Type: Fixed Term, 12 months

Working Pattern: Full Time

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package of 30 days annual leave per year, 8 bank holidays and 4 Christmas closure dates, plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you. 

The Role

The School of Geography, Politics and Sociology are seeking a highly motivated and enthusiastic Physical Geography Technician to join our Professional Services team.  Reporting to the Physical Geography Facilities Manager, you will work as part of a team to provide vital technical support for Physical Geography teaching and research activities. Working as part of a team you will provide technical support for field and laboratory activities and will ensure that processes and procedures run smoothly and safely in accordance with quality standards and health & safety regulations. You will also support the work of our School Safety Officers. 

If you would like to discuss this opportunity in more detail, please contact the Physical Geography Facilities Manager, Bunmi Eniola (Bunmi.Eniola@ncl.ac.uk)

To apply, please submit an online application including your CV and a cover letter outlining how you meet the essential criteria for this role.

Key responsibilities

• Providing technical support for Physical Geography teaching and research activities
• Maintain, fault find, test, repair and calibrate field equipment and instrumentation
• Organise equipment stores, maintain equipment inventories and sign in/out equipment to colleagues and students
• Assist colleagues and students on the safe use of laboratory and field equipment including the departmental vehicle
• Support classroom and field sessions in the use of geospatial and surveying equipment
• Prepare equipment for fieldwork and fieldtrips
• Assist with research sample preparation and processing
• Support the process of ordering consumables and equipment
• Support the work of the School Safety Officers and assist in the disposal of chemical and electrical waste
• Contribute to regular team meetings as required
• Any other duties within the scope of the grade that may be required
  
  

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

• Experience of working in a laboratory or workshop environment
• A broad working knowledge of Geography technical skills, laboratory and field equipment
• Ability to demonstrate a good understanding of Health and Safety procedures in a laboratory and/or a field environment
• Excellent team working skills
• Good level of IT literacy, including confident use of MS office (or similar)
• Demonstrates technical and problem-solving capability
• Demonstrates good organisational skills
• Full UK Driving Licence (desirable)

Attributes and Behaviour

• Good communication skills
• Works in a planned and structured way with good attention to detail 
• Takes responsibility for own work and uses initiative to resolve problems
• Strong customer focus and a proactive approach to technical service delivery
• Works effectively with colleagues, showing flexibility and willingness to support team objectives

Qualifications

• Educated to a minimum of 5 GCSEs grade 9-4 (A–C) or equivalent, including Mathematics and English
• Relevant work experience in a laboratory or workshop setting

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 Gold 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: 29416