Vacancy: CNC Machinist at UCL (Closed)

About us

University College London is a world-leading teaching and research university, often ranked in the top ten in the world with an annual turnover of well over £1 billion. We are a diverse community with the freedom to question and think differently and with over 14,000 staff and more than 41,500 students from 150 countries, we pursue academic excellence, break boundaries, and make a positive impact on real world problems. We have a proud heritage of disruptive thinking, a reputation for game-changing research and a unique multidisciplinary approach to problem solving.

 UCL Engineering Sciences comprises ten academic departments that undertake research and teaching across a wide range of disciplines. Our scientists and engineers take discoveries from fundamentals to practice, producing innovative technological solutions to challenging problems. It is a dynamic and growing Faculty, with a strong vision and desire to use our talents to ‘Change the world’.

For more information see www.ucl.ac.uk/engineering.

Many essential technologies originated from studies and work at UCL, including the rapid production of vaccines, fibre-optic communications (for which a share of the2009 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded) and the internet infrastructure. The complexity of today’s societies means that engineers deal with a huge range of challenges, ideas, and techniques.

The Faculty is uniquely international. Our students and staff are drawn from Europe, the Americas, Africa, India, China, the Middle and Far East, and Australasia – as are our academic and business partners.

Our teaching programmes are focused on subjects that have the biggest impact on the world around us, and their content is led by the best international research.

Our research is formally organised within and across academic departments. The Faculty’s work also transcends the boundaries between academic subjects and departments, with members of the Faculty working particularly closely with several institutes and centres, both physical and virtual, within the Faculty and UCL more generally.

UCL Mechanical Engineering has been pioneering the development of engineering education, having taught the core discipline for over 170 years. UCL was home to the UK’s first ever Professor of the Mechanical Principles of Engineering, Eaton Hodgkinson, in 1847. It was also where Sir Alexander Blackie William Kennedy introduced organized laboratory practicals in university education training; a world-leading educational innovation at the time. Today our students are taught core engineering disciplines and supervised in individual and group research projects by academics that are recognised research world-leaders in their fields. In the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021) 96% of the department’s research submitted in UoA12 was judged “world leading” or “internationally excellent”.

At UCL Mechanical Engineering, we develop and apply core competencies to produce world-class research into a wider range of engineering challenges than most would imagine. Amongst many other avenues we are:

• Leading research into low carbon shipping
• Designing the greenest engines and novel sustainable fuels
• Biomechanical research
• Development and testing of new and unique materials

Further information is available at https://mecheng.ucl.ac.uk/

About the role

As a CNC Machinist you will be a key part of a team that supports the needs of the Mechanical Engineering department with student projects and research by manufacturing items, such as experimental rigs and individual projects and help with their installation.

The successful post-holder will also help in maintaining our laboratories for a broad range of equipment including combustion engines, wave simulation tanks and bespoke equipment by repairing faulty equipment and manufacturing components. To be successful in this role the post-holder must be able to work on mechanical engineering projects in a timely manner and under minimal supervision and have the ability to lead projects to completion once the plan is agreed.

Our department thrives on collaborative working and as such the post-holder must be approachable, capable of working within a team and be open to offer advice and direction in the form of individual and group meetings, emails and telephone. Communication skills are key as the post-holder will be called upon to discuss sketches and preliminary drawings with colleagues. Having understood the operation of the component or rig, you will advise on modification and further development of the design to increase ease of manufacture and reliability of the component and system after it has been manufactured.

In addition, the post-holder will assist in assembly of the device and create modifications to improve it’s smooth and reliable operation. The range of advice given will vary, including the suitability of different materials to improve strength and smooth operation, their suitability i in certain conditions and the modifications required to avoid leaks or breakdowns.

We will provide ample opportunity and training to support your success in this role, particularly with respect to operating a wide range of machinery including milling, turning, EDM, Water-jet, and Grinding and 3D printing. Support of the department’s wider operations as required from time to time which could involve regenerations of laboratories and lecture rooms and also large scale projects that have specific deadlines. On occasion, this may require flexibility with working hours to ensure deadlines are met.

For a more detailed breakdown of the duties and responsibilities required in this role, please reference the attached job description.

About you

We are keen to receive applications from candidates with an Engineering ONC Level 4 NVQ or recognised apprenticeship in a relevant subject area  with substantial post qualification work experience, or substantial work experience in a relevant engineering discipline / technical role.

To  be a success in this role it is essential that you have good knowledge of engineering materials and their use and knowledge of workplace Health and Safety regulations and procedures and their practical implementation, i.e. Risk Assessments – Willingness to undertake Health and Safety training specific to role.

With respect to your skills and abilities, it is essential  that you have experience of the use of manual machinery and possess fitting and assembly skills, the ability to elicit information to identify specific customer needs and are able to read engineering drawings and work from sketches and verbal instructions and a good understanding of workshop principles.

Additional desirable criteria (without which, we are willing to provide upskilling, training and support) include moderate technical knowledge relating to a design / manufacturing engineering field, experience of precision manufacturing gained in a production environment using a wide range of tools and materials, experience of using 3D CAD software(i.e. Fusion 360 or Catia), experience of CNC programming using CAM software and using conversational controls (Siemens 828D controls and ProtoTRAK controls or equivalent). We are also interested in hearing from applicants with experience of contributing innovative ideas to solve technical problems to bespoke one-off components and assemblies. Proficiency with Microsoft word is also desirable.

 FURTHER DETAILS

• The advert will close on Thursday 23 March at 23:59 GMT, however we may close applications early if we receive a high volume of applications. Early application submission is recommended.

• A job description and person specification can be accessed at the bottom of this page.

• If you have any queries about the role, please contact Taneta Darko at t.darko@ucl.ac.uk.

What we offer

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:

• 41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)

• Additional 5 days’ annual leave purchase scheme

• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)

• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan

• Immigration loan

• Relocation scheme for certain posts

• On-Site nursery

• On-site gym

• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay

• Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service

• Discounted medical insurance

Visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/rewards-and-benefits to find out more.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.

We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce.

These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.

The Department is a proud holder of a Bronze Athena Swan Award  in recognition of our support in ensuring women are adequately represented in science, engineering and technology.