Power Engineering Technician

About the job

About us

In our single biggest development since we were founded, UCL is expanding to East London. Located on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, UCL East will be dedicated to disruptive thinking and discovery across disciplines and beyond academic walls, to find solutions to the biggest challenges for future living. We are located in Newham, East London - one of the most socially diverse parts of the UK - and we would like our staff recruitment to reflect this.

More than just a conventional campus, UCL East represents a future focused mindset. We will deliver new research, technology and innovation, and more than 50 undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes for up to 4,000 students.

The post will sit in the Advanced Propulsion Lab (APL), a cross-faculty hub which brings together researchers from the UCL departments of Mechanical Engineering and Chemical Engineering

 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Sciences 

UCL Mechanical Engineering has been pioneering the development of engineering education, having taught the core discipline for over 170 years. In the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014), over 90% of the Department's research 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. Research in the APL will focus on the critical challenge of decarbonizing the transport sector, including land, sea and air applications, as well as the generation of electrofuels to service these sectors. The APL will have a truly molecules-to-systems reach and this is reflected in the breadth of experience this round of recruitment will target. You will be expected to work collaboratively with colleagues within the department and other departments that form part of the APL. The recruitment of new technical staff to support the development of UCL East, and the APL in particular, represents an exciting opportunity to enhance our critical mass in these areas and to establish new, multidisciplinary research activities in a modern, state-of-the-art environment.

About the role

UCL Mechanical Engineering is seeking to appoint a specialist in the field of power electronics. The main purpose of the job is to provide and manage technical support to researchers, academic staff, students and others within the Advanced Propulsion Lab (APL). The post holder would also be able to lead on the development of research projects, modeling, simulation, developing, analysing and validating power electronic design solutions. You will also be expected to manage other technical staff involved in supporting APL research and teaching, to and to assist in the maintenance and management of equipment, instruments and laboratory facilities.

The post holder will be able to work on power electronics projects indepndently and in a timely manner. It is essential that you are approachable, can work within a team and be open to offer advice and direction when requested to fellow staff members and students in the form of individual and group meetings, email and telephone. The post holder must engage with staff and students in discussion, as presented in sketches and preliminary drawings, and having understood the requirements of the component or rig, advise the student or staff member on modification and further development of an electrical system or an electronic circuit. By way of example, you will also assist the student and staff in development of printed circuit boards (PCBs), assembly of the PCBs, and offering advice on the choice of appropriate electrical components. For more insight into the position's responsibilities, please refer to the attached job description on our Careers site.

About you

We welcome applications from candidates with experience of the following:

* Designing and testing of power electronic convertors (AC: AC, DC: DC, DC: AC) or Motor Drives

* Use of simulation tools such as PSIM, MATLAB/SIMULINK, PLECS, and Imperix

* Power electronics design

* Working with one and three phase systems, electrical machines, and electrical equipment.

* Working without direct supervision and taking responsibility for meeting service standards and agreeing targets and workloads.

* Proven understanding and experience of implementing and adhering to safety protocols within a workshop or laboratory environment While not essential, experience of operational management of workshops or laboratories, purchasing and budget management, and supervision of junior staff or students will be a bonus.

Collaborative working is at the heart of our Ways of Working and as such the ability to work as part of a team is core to the role. Additionally we are keen to hear from applicants with a firm commitment to high quality teaching and fostering a positive learning environment for students.

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

* On-Site nursery

* On-site gym

* Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay

* Discounted medical insurance

Visit the Rewards and Benefits page on our site 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.