Technical Team Leader- Aerospace

Salary: £35,116 - £37,174  per annum, with progression to £45,413

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 18 August 2025

The Role

We are looking for an enthusiastic and experienced Technical Team Leader to lead the technical development and delivery of a new Aerospace Engineering degree programme. 
Working under the direction of the Electronic Technical Operations Manager, you will play a key role in establishing and managing a state-of-the-art aerospace teaching laboratory. This facility will support student learning and research across a range of systems, including flight simulators, electronic systems, instrumentation, software programming, and mechanical, thermodynamic, and aerodynamic systems - spanning fixed-wing, rotary-wing, rocket, and satellite applications. 

You will oversee a team of technical staff, ensuring effective support for teaching and research activities, and delivering high-quality services aligned with the school’s academic goals. You will also provide specialist technical advice to students, researchers, and academic colleagues to help advance learning and innovation within the aerospace field. 
In addition, you will support the School Technical Manager in overseeing broader technical operations, including school infrastructure, estates, sustainability, and health and safety compliance. 

For informal enquiries about the role please contact Stephen Robson by email, [email protected].

For more information about the School of Engineering, please click here.

To apply, please complete the online application and provide your CV and a two-page cover letter detailing how you meet the role requirements listed below under the knowledge, skills and experience section.

Key Accountabilities 

• To Lead, manage, and develop a technical team to ensure effective performance, including staff induction, training, regular team meetings, performance and development reviews (PDR’s), task allocation, recruitment, and leave approval. Plan and implement work schedules and laboratory timetabling to ensure efficient and flexible use of team resources
• Oversee and support the planning, development, construction, modification, testing, and maintenance of electronic and mechanical build projects, including test rigs, instrumentation, electronic equipment, circuits, and experimental setups used by staff and students for teaching and research purposes
• Provide training and guidance to staff and students in workshop and laboratory techniques relevant to the School’s teaching and research. Promote safe working practices by overseeing the completion and documentation of risk assessments and safe operating procedures, and by promoting a strong safety culture across all facilities 
• Contribute to the development and implementation of projects involving hardware systems, embedded device programming, data acquisition tools, analysis software, and other essential technologies that support effective teaching and research activities
• Manage the maintenance, repair, and calibration of lab equipment and instrumentation within your area. Support future planning for upgrades and replacements, and collaborate with Operations Teams to maintain the School’s equipment asset register for financial and insurance purposes
• Support the School Technical Operations Manager with the planning, organisation and administration of space, infrastructure, estates matters, and wider technical services within their teams area of responsibilty. Ensure effective maintenance and security of the facilities, acting as a key contact for Estates, Security and Health and Safety. Lead on discrete estates related projects, including university wide initiatives
• Undertake any other duties within the scope and general nature of the grade which may be required

The Person 

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Experience of managing a team of Technical Staff in a workshop and/or laboratory environment Up to date and detailed knowledge of Health and Safety policy and procedure in a workshop and laboratory setting
• Ability to implement and manage change with demonstrable recent experience and skills in staff management, and the ability to motivate and develop members of a team
• Proven written and verbal communication skills
• High level planning, organising and technical problem-solving skills, with a proactive and innovative approach to problem solving utilising excellent prioritisation skills, and the ability to delegate tasks
• Evidence of project management and experience of financial budgetary management
• Good numerical skills and the ability to manipulate, analyse and present information for management use.  
• Extensive experience of managing workshops and/or laboratories, instrumentation, equipment and associated budgets and safety
• Stay up to date on training and associated advances in technology and development 

Qualifications 

• Degree in a relevant Engineering subject, or HNC with significant vocational experience, demonstrating

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a silver  Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.  We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 28232