Specialist Technician – Large Scale Static & Dynamic Testing

This is an exciting opportunity to be involved in novel infrastructure research in the Faculty of Engineering’s brand-new facility on the University’s Langford Campus. This role is a fixed term post to support large-scale experimental activities as part of an EU funded project (ERIES ).

The UKCRIC Soil-Foundation-Structure Interaction (SoFSI) Laboratory is a state-of-the-art facility used to investigate the way in which structures interact with their foundations and the surrounding soil.

This position is well-suited for individuals with experience as a Testing Laboratory Specialist, Research Laboratory Technician, Laboratory Operations Manager and Construction Materials Testing Expert.

You will take a lead role in coordinating laboratory operations for ERIES funded projects. This includes hands-on construction of large-scale experiments in our 4m deep soil pit, and on our 6x4m seismic shaking table. You will work closely with senior technical staff and researchers to understand their requirements. You will direct the activities of other technical staff when needed.

You will be responsible for ensuring projects run safely and to schedule. This may include: building experiments according to agreed specifications, coordinating timely deliveries of materials, and planning lifting operations. Where problems arise, you will use initiative to seek solutions, acknowledging the limits of your expertise and escalating issues as appropriate.

Examples of activity include building retaining walls from precast concrete blocks within the soil pit and backfilling these with aggregate. You may need to make timber frames, or devise methods of mounting instrumentation to take reliable measurements during tests. You may need to assemble and install steel support structures and set up hydraulic actuators to apply loads to test items.

Although based at our Langford campus, you will sometimes need to travel to or work in the Faculty’s other laboratories on the main Clifton campus.

• You enjoy a challenge and want to make innovative engineering research happen
• You want to develop your project management skills and experience
• You have practical experience of working in a construction, engineering or materials testing setting
• You are competent in the use of a range of hand and power tools
• You can find simple and effective solutions to practical challenges
• You have excellent general and technical communication skills
• You appreciate the importance of a safe working culture

Additional information

This is an open-ended appointment for a part-time (0.5FTE) post with fixed funding until 26/03/2025. However, we are happy to be flexible within the constraints of funding to accommodate a working pattern to suit the right candidate.

For informal queries please contact:

David Williams, Technical Manager, [email protected]

Prof. Anastasios Sextos, Principle Investigator, [email protected]

To find out more about what it’s like to work in the Faculty of Engineering, and how the Faculty supports people to achieve their potential, please see our staff blog:

https://engineeringincludesme.blogs.bristol.ac.uk/

Interviews are anticipated to be held on w/c 15/01/2024.

We recently launched our strategy  to 2030 tying together our mission, vision and values.

The University of Bristol aims to be a place where everyone feels able to be themselves and do their best in an inclusive working environment where all colleagues can thrive and reach their full potential. We want to attract, develop, and retain individuals with different experiences, backgrounds and perspectives – particularly people of colour, LGBT+ and disabled people – because diversity of people and ideas remains integral to our excellence as a global civic institution.

Available documents

This is an exciting opportunity to be involved in novel infrastructure research in the Faculty of Engineering’s brand-new facility on the University’s Langford Campus. This role is a fixed term post to support large-scale experimental activities as part of an EU funded project (ERIES ).

The UKCRIC Soil-Foundation-Structure Interaction (SoFSI) Laboratory is a state-of-the-art facility used to investigate the way in which structures interact with their foundations and the surrounding soil.

This position is well-suited for individuals with experience as a Testing Laboratory Specialist, Research Laboratory Technician, Laboratory Operations Manager and Construction Materials Testing Expert.

You will take a lead role in coordinating laboratory operations for ERIES funded projects. This includes hands-on construction of large-scale experiments in our 4m deep soil pit, and on our 6x4m seismic shaking table. You will work closely with senior technical staff and researchers to understand their requirements. You will direct the activities of other technical staff when needed.

You will be responsible for ensuring projects run safely and to schedule. This may include: building experiments according to agreed specifications, coordinating timely deliveries of materials, and planning lifting operations. Where problems arise, you will use initiative to seek solutions, acknowledging the limits of your expertise and escalating issues as appropriate.

Examples of activity include building retaining walls from precast concrete blocks within the soil pit and backfilling these with aggregate. You may need to make timber frames, or devise methods of mounting instrumentation to take reliable measurements during tests. You may need to assemble and install steel support structures and set up hydraulic actuators to apply loads to test items.

Although based at our Langford campus, you will sometimes need to travel to or work in the Faculty’s other laboratories on the main Clifton campus.

• You enjoy a challenge and want to make innovative engineering research happen
• You want to develop your project management skills and experience
• You have practical experience of working in a construction, engineering or materials testing setting
• You are competent in the use of a range of hand and power tools
• You can find simple and effective solutions to practical challenges
• You have excellent general and technical communication skills
• You appreciate the importance of a safe working culture

Additional information

This is an open-ended appointment for a part-time (0.5FTE) post with fixed funding until 26/03/2025. However, we are happy to be flexible within the constraints of funding to accommodate a working pattern to suit the right candidate.

For informal queries please contact:

David Williams, Technical Manager, [email protected]

Prof. Anastasios Sextos, Principle Investigator, [email protected]

To find out more about what it’s like to work in the Faculty of Engineering, and how the Faculty supports people to achieve their potential, please see our staff blog:

https://engineeringincludesme.blogs.bristol.ac.uk/

Interviews are anticipated to be held on w/c 15/01/2024.

We recently launched our strategy  to 2030 tying together our mission, vision and values.

The University of Bristol aims to be a place where everyone feels able to be themselves and do their best in an inclusive working environment where all colleagues can thrive and reach their full potential. We want to attract, develop, and retain individuals with different experiences, backgrounds and perspectives – particularly people of colour, LGBT+ and disabled people – because diversity of people and ideas remains integral to our excellence as a global civic institution.

Available documents