Senior Experimental Officer

The University     

At Durham University we are proud of our people.  A globally outstanding centre of educational excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting - Durham is a university like no other.

We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things professionally and personally.  Across the University we have a huge variety of roles and career opportunities, which together make us a large and successful community, which is a key hub of activity within our region and nationally. 

We would be thrilled if you would consider joining our thriving University. Further information about the University can be found here.

Find out more about the benefits of working at the University and what it is like to live and work in the Durham area on our Why Join Us? - Durham University

The Role and Department  

The Department of Physics at Durham University is one of the leading UK Physics departments with an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching, research and employability of our students.

The Department is committed to advancing equality and we aim to ensure that our culture is inclusive, and that our systems support flexible and family-friendly working, as recognised by our Juno Champion and Athena SWAN Silver awards. We recognise and value the benefits of diversity throughout our staff and students.

As the Senior Experimental Officer in charge of the Organic Light Emitting Display (OLED) fabrication facilities in the Department of Physics in Durham, you will be responsible for the maintenance of two Lesker Spectros deposition tools, including a state-of-the-art Super Spectros 200 system. Familiarity with such deposition tools is essential. You will be responsible for the day to day running and maintenance of these tools, working with Departmental technicians, and supervising all users, including teaching new users to an appropriate level such that they may use the tools independently. You will further be responsible for the upkeep of the OEM cleanroom and ancillaries for OLED preparation and testing. Further, you will be responsible for sublimation of OLED materials using our Creaphysics sublimation system. This will include the development of sublimation protocols for new materials. Also, you will help users to make electrochemical measurements to determine HOMO and LUMO levels of new materials so that appropriate OLED stacks can be designed. You will help in stack design and a working knowledge of SETFOS software will be advantageous. You will be expected to help in the fabrication and testing of OLEDs, using integrating sphere measurements and lifetime testing using new materials. You may also be involved with the supervision of final year undergraduate project students in the Department and PhD students. Further, you may be expected to contribute to writing research papers that the Department can count for REF.

Within the Department, you may be asked to offer technical support to other research groups where your expertise is relevant and participate in the teaching programme, mainly through final year project student co-supervision but also working in undergraduate teaching laboratories for example. Experimental Officers have a high degree of independence and will be expected to demonstrate a previous level of working commensurate with such a position. Evidence of an ability to work independently will be expected, as will evidence of supervision of students.

Further information about the role and the responsibilities is at the bottom of this job description.     

Working at Durham      

A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits:      

• 30 Days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year - a total of 42 days per year.    
• The University closes between Christmas and New Year.
• We offer a generous pension scheme, As a new member of staff you will be automatically enrolled  into the University Superannuation Scheme (USS).  
• No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered.  We have parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies.  
• There is a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally.  There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University.  All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities.   
• Lots of support for health and wellbeing including discounted membership for our state of the art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.  
• On site nursery is available plus access to holiday camps for children aged 5-16.
• Family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, which are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).  
• The opportunity to take part in staff volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community.  
• Discounts are available via our benefits portal including; money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, the cinema and days out at various attractions.   
• A salary sacrifice scheme is also available to help you take advantage of tax savings on benefits.   
• If you are moving to Durham, you may be eligible for help with removal costs and we have a dedicated team who can help you with the practicalities such as house hunting and schools.  If you need a visa, we cover most visa costs and offer an interest free loan scheme to pay for dependant visas.  

Discover more about our total rewards and benefits package here.

Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion

Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work.      

As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University's Strategy and a central part of everything we do.  We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct, At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It's important to us that all of our colleagues are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI.     

We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.  If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application.  If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role .