Detailed job description and main responsibilities

We invite applications from candidates with:
• 5 GCSEs at grade 9 to 4 (Maths, English and Science mandatory)
Plus either
• 2 A Levels at grade C or above
or
• Engineering BTEC at Level 3 with Merit grade profile

A Longlist of candidates will be determined based upon application. Candidates are advised to use the Supporting Information section of the application like a Personal Statement in order to set you apart from the competition. For example, explain why you are drawn to the role, describe your hobbies and interests and outline why you would be a good candidate for the position. Longlisted candidates will be asked to attend an Assessment Day at the Christie whereby their theoretical, practical and teamwork skills will be evaluated. Following the outcome of the Assessment Day a Shortlist of candidates will be determined and invited to interview which will be the final phase of the selection process.

The Assessment Day will also provide candidates with an opportunity to meet our current and past apprentices, see the medical equipment we maintain and also ask any questions about the Apprenticeship.

The Christie Medical Physics and Engineering team have extensive experience in running apprenticeship schemes. Our current apprentice Radiotherapy Engineers, Logan and Adam, carry out daily quality control checks as well as corrective and planned maintenance on our fleet of medical linear accelerators and CT scanners. They also gain experience in our Mechanical Workshop and carry out research and development projects. Furthermore, our apprentices spend time supporting a wide range of ward based medical devices such as infusion pumps and defibrillators.

Apprenticeship Development
• Entry level
• Final Year / Band 4

Duties and Responsibilities

1. General
1.1 Work as part of multidisciplinary teams to assist in supporting the clinical radiotherapy service.
1.2 Will assist with ongoing service work. This will form the main role of an apprentice engineer.
1.3 The Apprentice Engineer will be required to work within the framework of the ISO 9001(2015) Quality System.
1.4 Requirement for flexibility in your working hours to minimize interruption to clinical service, including bank holidays and weekends. This will include outside of normal 'agenda for change' working hours. Clinical coverage is 7am to 8pm.
1.5 Participate in the extended shift system.
1.6 Assist in the repair of safety critical complex medical equipment.
1.7 Assist with physics quality control of the radiotherapy / diagnostic equipment.
1.8 Involved in commenting on interdepartmental procedures and work instructions for the physics group and may also propose changes to current procedures.
1.9 Will be expected to work at any of the Christie sites at short notice.
1.10 Will be based at any of the Christie sites and will be part of a rota on all Christie sites.

2. Technical Support for Clinical Radiotherapy Treatment equipment
2.1 Assist in the repair, calibration and safety testing of highly complex Radiotherapy equipment. All work will be completed on a competency basis.
2.2 Assist in the running up and preparation of radiotherapy equipment for clinical use and the closing down of equipment on completion of use.
2.3 To assist in the approved modifications to radiotherapy equipment.
2.4 To maintain proper records of all work carried out on the radiotherapy equipment
2.5 Under supervision perform regular high precision machine quality control checks, measurements and associated adjustments to fractional mm accuracy.
2.6 Will have to work on radiotherapy equipment whilst patient is in the treatment room, or on the treatment couch.
2.7 To assist in ensuring that all radiotherapy equipment works to manufacturer's specification.

3. Technical support for radiotherapy peripherals
3.1 To assist in provision of specialist technical support to X-ray imaging systems, axis lasers and all peripherals used on radiotherapy/diagnostic equipment. This includes Brachytherapy systems.
3.2 To assist with technical support to radiotherapy simulators / CTsim as required.
3.3 To assist in the maintenance of all test, measurement and service instruments and equipment including dose measurement instruments.
3.4 To assist and participate in the development and construction of instrumentation and equipment to support the service.
3.5 Will assist with work on R&V solutions.
3.6 Will assist in work on any equipment that supports treatment of patients within radiotherapy and diagnostic departments.
3.7 Will apply high level engineering knowledge to solve technical problems associated with radiotherapy equipment and medical devices.

4. Health and Safety
4.1 Under supervision will work daily in potentially hazardous situations with ionizing radiation, including high voltage electricity, unguarded moving machinery, heavy equipment and industrial gases in confined spaces with responsibility for safety of self and others.

5. Organizational
5.1 Work will be supervised at all times.
5.2 To assist with service visits by outside engineers and contractors.
5.3 Increased responsibility to communicate information accurately to other staff groups and contractors.

6. Teaching, training and research
7.1 Attend college on day release.
7.2 May be involved in training less experienced engineers within multidisciplinary team.
7.3 Attend inter-departmental placements as part of ongoing training: electronics workshop, medical engineering, and physics department
7.4 Participate in continuous professional development (CPD).
7.5 Participate in the research and development work carried out by the radiation physics group.
7.6 Will be expected to follow proper project management arrangements to report on status of projects e.g. gannt charts etc.
7.7 The Engineer will be required to attend training courses which will occasionally involve periods away from home or overseas.
7.8 Will be expected to keep abreast of technical developments. Enroll in Continuing Professional Development Programs. Attend suitable seminars and courses as part of personal development and to further the work of the department.
7.9 Participate in the IPEM training scheme attending placements and lectures as necessary to meet the training competencies and learning objectives.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• 5 GCSEs at grade 9 to 4 (Maths, English and ICT are mandatory)
• Minimum of 104 UCAS points at A-level (grades BCC) or an equivalent (for example, BTEC DMM).

Desirable criteria

• GCSE in Physics / Engineering / Electronics / Design Technology

Experience

Desirable criteria

• Experience in ICT

Skills

Essential criteria

• Aptitude for problem solving.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Excellent time keeping skills

Desirable criteria

• Microsoft tools e.g. Access etc.

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• General awareness of Health and safety.

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge of ICT, physics and general scientific principles.

Values

Essential criteria

• Ability to demonstrate the organisational values and behaviours

Other

Essential criteria

• Must be prepared to work towards registration as Clinical Technologist.
• Able to work unsocial hours. Staggered working day and cover shifts that will involve frequent out of normal hours working
• Must work towards becoming a member of IPEM
• Able to attend training courses away from home.
• Able to work in the Christie network (satellite Centre's)
• Able to work in areas with difficult access.
• Requirement for daily heavy lifting

The closing date for this post may be extended if there are insufficient applicants or brought forward if there is a high volume of applicants.

Application Information - If you have not heard from us within four weeks of the closing date, I regret that on this occasion your application will have been unsuccessful.

Sponsorship Information - We are an approved sponsoring organisation. Applications will be considered from applicants requiring sponsorship alongside all other applications. Please be aware, not all roles are eligible for sponsorship. You can review the list of eligible role and requirements on the government website.

Pre-Employment Checks - To confirm your suitability for the role, we will carry out pre-employment checks in line with NHS Employment Check Standards. These include:

• Identity verification
• Right to work check
• Disclosure and barring service (DBS)/Criminal record check (dependent on role, payment of this will be the applicants responsibility)
• Professional registration and/or qualification check
• Occupational health assessment
• Employment history and reference validation

All applicants external to The Christie NHS Foundation Trust will be required to provide their HMRC employment history to cover the most recent three years employment. This information will used to validate employment history and references.

If you require sponsorship, we will assess your eligibility based on current government guidance. If the role is not eligible and you cannot demonstrate your right to work, your conditional offer may be withdrawn.

If You're Offered the Role - you will be agreeing to The Christie NHS Foundation Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system. Please note, all communication regarding your application will be made via email, please ensure you check your junk/spam folders as emails are sometimes filtered there.

The Inter-Authority Transfer (IAT) process is a critical and beneficial component of ESR and will form part of the recruitment process. In the event that you are successful following interview your previous NHS employment data, if applicable will be transferred from your current / most recent employer.

Sponsorship Information - We are an approved sponsoring organisation. Applications will be considered from applicants requiring sponsorship alongside all other applications. Please be aware, not all roles are eligible for sponsorship. You can review the list of eligible role and requirements on the government website.

No Smoking Policy - You should be aware the Trust operates a No Smoking Policy and therefore employees are not permitted to smoke at work.

Additional Information - We want to ensure that everyone who works at the Christie or uses our services is welcomed, valued and treated with dignity and respect. The Christie values diversity and is committed to ensuring equal opportunities for all and fair representation across the organisation at all levels. In support of these commitments, we particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and other ethnic minority people and people with disabilities for this post. Appointment will be only on merit.

We are committed to creating a balanced and diverse workforce. As such we welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. Together we will foster inclusion and tackle inequity and health inequalities in cancer care.

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy.

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust is committed to the highest standards of ethical conduct and integrity in all our activities. We have a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery in any of its forms, including slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory labour, and human trafficking. We are fully committed to acting ethically and with transparency in all our business dealings and relationships, and to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to ensure modern slavery is not taking place anywhere in our organisation or supply chains.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Documents to download

• Job Description & Person Specification (PDF, 828.9KB)
• The Christie Values and Behaviours (PDF, 919.5KB)
• Strategy Brochure (PDF, 1.0MB)
• Travel to The Christie (PDF, 3.8MB)
• Apprenticeships - Guidance for applicants (PDF, 200.5KB)