Support Technician (civil & mechanical engineering)

Job Description

Grade UE05: £29,588 - £33,951 per annum

CSE / School of Engineering

Full Time - 35 hours per week

Open Ended (permanent) contract

The Opportunity:

The School of Engineering is seeking to appoint a versatile and enthusiastic Support Technician to join its skilled Technical Services team of ca.35 technical staff. The appointee will be primarily responsible for delivery of technical services and support to the huge variety of teaching and research activity within the School. In particular, it is expected for the post holder to support the School's civil and mechanical engineering laboratories, assisting with the delivery of research projects and practical lab classes for undergraduate students. The post-holder will contribute to the safe and efficient running of laboratory and workshop areas, including through routine servicing and maintenance of equipment, Health & Safety implementation within labs and workshops, and the transfer of knowledge and practical skills to undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as staff (including, technicians and modern apprentices).

The civil and mechanical engineering teaching and research laboratories support a wide variety of topics. The labs have highly specialised equipment as well as maintaining a good range of hand tools and a stock of various components and materials to support project builds and equipment repair. The School's workshop facilities, which the postholder will have access to, include various items of manufacturing and fabrication equipment, such as pillar drills, 3D printers, guillotines, computer numerical control (CNC) router and press brake, laser cutters, and MIG and TIG welding plants. The successful candidate should therefore demonstrate good H&S awareness and familiarity with H&S documentation (e.g., risk assessments, COSHH).

While it is not expected for the post holder to be familiar with all of the equipment and apparatus listed above, they should have a multi-disciplinary skillset and be eager and willing to learn. An interest in knowledge transfer and the Continuous Professional Development of themselves and others would be beneficial.

With extensive work experience in a relevant engineering environment and with qualifications in a relevant engineering discipline (e.g., recognised apprenticeship, S/NVQ, O/HNC) the post holder will have proven technical abilities. Given the scope of the role, a varied skillset is essential which might include: civil and/or mechanical engineering, structural testing, materials science, additive manufacturing, fabrication, thermal joining, machining, analytical instrumentation and technical drawing/CAD skills.

The role is customer facing and the School is a diverse and international community of staff and students. The post holder will therefore have excellent interpersonal and communication skills and a strong commitment to service delivery.

This post is full-time (35 hours per week) - Monday to Friday.

Your skills and attributes for success:

• Passion for engineering
• Good practical skills and experience
• Experience in technical fault-finding and problem solving
• Good awareness of health & safety regulations and procedures in a laboratory/workshop environment
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills

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Application Information

Please ensure you include the following documents in your application:

- CV

- Cover letter

As a valued member of our team you can expect:

• A competitive salary
• An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work.
• To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community
• Comprehensive Staff Benefits, such as a generous holiday entitlement, competitive pension schemes, staff discounts, and family-friendly initiatives. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page and use our reward calculator to discover the total value of your pay and benefits

The University's commitment to technicians

In September 2017 the University of Edinburgh signed the Technician Commitment , recognising the important role technicians play in research, teaching and student support. The University's current Action Plan commits to supporting technicians across the University in four areas: visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability.

Championing equality, diversity and inclusion

The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality.

Prior to any employment commencing with the University you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages .

On this occasion the University will not consider applicants requiring sponsorship for this role. International workers will therefore only be able to take up this role if they can demonstrate an alternative right to work in the UK.

Key dates to note

The closing date for applications is 20 July 2026.

Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59 pm GMT. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.

About Us

As a world-leading research-intensive University, we are here to address tomorrow's greatest challenges. Between now and 2030 we will do that with a values-led approach to teaching, research and innovation, and through the strength of our relationships, both locally and globally.

About the Team

Engineering has been taught at Edinburgh in one form or another since 1673. In 2002, the present School of Engineering was formed from the previously existing departments of Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electronics and Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. Since then, the School has grown from strength to strength, growing rapidly in the last 5 years, now having the largest number of students among the seven Schools in the College of Science and Engineering, offering undergraduate degree programmes across all disciplines and taught Masters courses in niche areas. All of the undergraduate degree programmes are accredited by the relevant professional institutions.

The School of Engineering addresses diverse complex challenges across the entire field of engineering, at the micro- and macro/global scales. At the microscopic scale, its research supports the design and deployment of novel nanotechnology and devices for biological monitoring and medical diagnosis; at the macro/global scale, it optimises the security and sustainability of the built environment and develops engineering solutions to climate change issues. In REF 2021 the joint submission from the University of Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt University to General Engineering was ranked 1st in Scotland and 3rd in the UK for quality and breadth of research. The ranking cited is based upon the breadth and quality of research which apply standard formula (as used by the Times Higher Education) to the REF 2021 results.

The School has a strong track record in producing more than 50 technology spin-outs and developing industry links that enable our graduates to build career-long relationships. Current research income in the School was c.£22.0M in 2020/21.

We aim to ensure that our culture and systems support flexible and family-friendly working and recognise and value diversity across all our staff and students. The School has an active programme offering support and professional development for all staff; providing mentoring, training, and networking opportunities.

The School of Engineering holds a bronze Athena SWAN award, in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education & research.

Further information, including details of undergraduate & postgraduate taught programmes: