Senior Clinical Scientist (Radiation Physics)

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Job overview

About the Role
You will contribute to the delivery of a comprehensive Radiation Physics service across diagnostic radiology, interventional radiology, non-ionising radiation, and radiation protection. The role includes:
• Providing expert scientific and technical support to clinical imaging services
• Contributing to quality assurance, equipment testing and optimisation
• Delivering radiation safety advice across a diverse range of environments
• Supporting equipment commissioning and service development
• Taking an active role in training, supervision and service resilience planning
About the Team
Our department is a large and collaborative group of physicists, technologists and trainees who work closely across multiple hospital sites. We maintain a supportive environment where team members are encouraged to develop broad skills to ensure a resilient and flexible service. Cross-training and professional development are core parts of how we work.
What We Offer
• A well-established role within a stable, experienced team
• Opportunities to expand your scope of practice depending on your interests and experience
• Access to excellent training, CPD, and involvement in trust-wide and regional projects
• Close links with UCL, research partners and national professional networks
• The chance to contribute to service development in a busy and forward-thinking department

Main duties of the job
• Provide high-level scientific and technical support to imaging and interventional and neuro interventional clinical services
• Provide high level scientific support to users of radioactive materials.
• Contribute to laser and ultrasound QA and safety audits where applicable.
• Support a wide range of training courses both in house and to UCLH customers.
• Lead and contribute to radiation protection, quality assurance, and clinical risk assessments
• Support service users across the trust, offering specialist advice and practical solutions
• Engage in the development of new services, equipment commissioning, and service improvements
• Help create a resilient workforce by contributing to training, supervision, and mentoring

Working for our organisation

University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) is one of the most complex NHS trusts in the UK, serving a large and diverse population. We provide academically led acute and specialist services, to people from the local area, from throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. Our vision is to deliver top-quality patient care, excellent education, and world-class research.

We provide first-class acute and specialist services across eight sites:

• University College Hospital (incorporating the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing)

• National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery

• Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals

• University College Hospital Grafton Way Building

• Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine

• University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre

• The Hospital for Tropical Diseases

• University College Hospital at Westmoreland Street

We are dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of many complex illnesses. UCLH specialises in women's health and the treatment of cancer, infection, neurological, gastrointestinal and oral disease. It has world class support services including critical care, imaging, nuclear medicine and pathology.

We are committed to sustainability and have pledged to become a carbon net zero health service, embedding sustainable practice throughout UCLH. We have set an ambitious target of net zero for our direct emissions by 2031 and indirect emissions by 2040.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For the full Person Specification and more information regarding the main responsibilities of this role, please refer to the attached Job Description.

Come and be a part of the best NHS trust in England to work for, according to our staff*

* UCLH top trust to work at in England - In the most recent NHS staff survey UCLH had the highest percentage of staff who said they would recommend us as a place to work, out of all general acute or acute/community NHS trusts in England - for the third year in a row.

UCLH recognises the benefits of flexible working for staff - To find out more, visit: Flexible working.

To discover more about what makes UCLH a great place to work, visit: Why Choose UCLH?

Person specification

Knowledge and Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Bachelor's degree plus Master's degree in Medical Physics.
• Formal Medical Physics training, including substantial content of Imaging with Ionising Radiation and Radiation Protection, delivered through a recognised training scheme e.g. IPEM.
• UK State Registration as a Clinical Scientist through the HCPC.
• Either have obtained MPE certification or very close to submitting portfolio for MPE certification.

Desirable criteria

• Doctoral degree (PhD), or equivalent knowledge and experience.
• Membership of SRP

Experience

Essential criteria

• Significant post-graduate experience specifically in radiation protection and diagnostic radiology
• A thorough knowledge of the principles and practice of radiation safety in a clinical context, to include a full understanding of: • The physics of radiation protection, and the principles of operation of radiation detectors.
• Current diagnostic and therapeutic radiological procedures. The operation of current diagnostic radiology equipment and image processing workstations.
• Equipment calibration, quality assurance and performance assessment.
• The principles and practice of external radiation dosimetry, sufficient to perform estimates of the patient dose arising from non-standard procedures
• Current methodologies for the processing and analysis of radiological and CT imaging data
• Windows operating system and PC applications software
• Highly developed specialist knowledge of radiation protection sufficient to act as an independent source of contact for advice.
• Radiation safety legislation and practice, the safe use of unsealed radioactive materials

Desirable criteria

• An understanding of : • Statistical methods appropriate for analysis of radiological data. • Techniques for image fusion and registration. • Techniques for kinetic modelling. • Monte Carlo modelling. • Windows operating systems. • Website development, databases. • Clinical governance and audit, NHS research strategy etc
• The presentation of scientific findings at conferences and seminars, and their publication in peer-reviewed literature.

Skills and Abilities

Essential criteria

• Scientific and Technical Skills: The ability to analyse and solve complex scientific and technical problems, particularly under pressure.
• A demonstrated commitment to, clinical research and development.
• Managerial Skills: Organisational and analytical skills.
• Ability to plan and prioritise own workload.
• Committed to participating fully in the delivery of a professional, high-quality clinical service
• Personal drive and direction, and the ability to work autonomously.
• The ability to deal with highly complex facts and situations in order to help formulate radiation protection policies within Medical Physics and partner departments.

Personal and People Development

Essential criteria

• Ability to work within a multi-disciplinary team with a demonstrable commitment to participate fully in delivering a professional, high-quality clinical service.
• Ability to communicate tactfully at all times with other staff groups and patients, remaining calm and objective under stressful conditions, and willing to seek advice when necessary.
• Ability to provide expert scientific and technical support and advice on the correct operation, safe use and proper care of the department's imaging equipment.
• Ability to deliver training, education and supervision of staff and students; including CPD and the development of staff competencies; to fulfil UCLH policies and legislative requirements.
• Ability to communicate complex radiation safety processes and protocols to fellow health professionals and other radiation protection specialists.
• To undertake formal teaching and lecturing as required in support of internally and externally organised courses, contributing also to the formal and informal education and training of visitors of all staff groups to the department.

Specific Requirements

Essential criteria

• To deliver support to the work of the INM and Radiology departments
• Physical Skills - keyboard skills, hand-eye co-ordination)
• Able to operate keyboard, mouse and trackball including at clinical image processing and review workstations where the fine control of screen icons is required to manipulate and process image data precisely.
• Able to distinguish subtle changes in the quality and features of physics QC phantom images. Able to manipulate liquid radioactive materials and waste safely and to manage sealed sources accurately and responsibly.
• By agreement, the post holder may need to work flexibly on occasions, outside their core hours, to support the clinical and research activities of the department.

Communication

Essential criteria

• Able to communicate highly complex information effectively with colleagues across all disciplines and levels of responsibility in a professional manner.
• Able to communicate specialist scientist information to staff and patients under often-stressful conditions.
• The ability to generate clear and concise reports, summarising the findings of audit or the critical assessment of processes and procedures.

At UCLH, we have a real 'One Team' ethos, and our values - safety, kindness, teamwork and improving, are central to the way we work. This is supported by our staff, who voted us as the #1 NHS Acute Trust to work for in the whole of England.

At UCLH we take equality of opportunity seriously and are committed to being a diverse and inclusive employer, with a culture that creates a real sense of belonging and trust. It is our fundamental aim, to recruit, retain and promote a diverse mix of people who are representative of our local communities. Applications are encouraged from candidates of all backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives to support our world class research, innovation and creativity.

UCLH recognises the benefits of flexible working for staff and has a dedicated policy which allows staff to apply for flexible working right from the beginning of employment. For more information please go to:

We offer our permanent staff an interest free season ticket loan for travel, all our staff have access to free independent and confidential support, large retail discounts, a staff discount platform, cycle to work scheme and on-site accommodation to name a few.

Additionally, UCLH Arts and Heritage's staff wellbeing programme, Creative Comfort, offers a variety of ways to engage with the arts as a member of UCLH staff. You can try out the weekly choir, weekly art club and join the Culture Club for exclusive access to free and discounted tickets for opera, exhibitions, theatre and more.

We recognise, reward and thank colleagues by nominating them for our annual Celebrating Excellence Awards, which are funded by UCLH Charity.

We are also members of which offers discounts on high street retail stores, offers on travel deals, and also to take advantage of cash back schemes.

This vacancy may close before the current listed closing date. You are advised not to delay submitting your completed application.

Please note that all correspondence regarding your application will be via email. The emails will be sent to you via TRAC.jobs and not via NHS Jobs, we encourage you to check your inbox regularly.

Please note that if you have not heard from us within 3 weeks of the closing date of the advert to assume that you have not been shortlisted on this occasion.

The Trust uses electronic new starter forms on Trac to collect personal details. Information collected is securely stored and used to set up the employee record on the ESR HR system.

For further support on submitting an application please refer to the NLPSS Applicant Toolkit:

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

• Job Description (PDF, 552.3KB)
• Functional Requirements (PDF, 262.3KB)
• UCLH Values (PDF, 860.9KB)