Assistant Technical Officer

Job overview

Assistant Technical Officer

Department: Cellular Pathology

Band 3: £24,625 - £25,674 per annum

Full-time 37.5 hours per week, all MKUH roles will be considered for flexible working

Cellular Pathology is a busy but friendly department processing more than 21,000 histology specimens and 1100 cytology specimens per year & plays a vital role in the Trust’s diagnostics cancer service.

We are looking for competent and versatile individuals with a positive ‘can do’ attitude who are willing to learn new skills to join our team.

The successful candidate will participate in core laboratory duties including receiving and processing patient's samples, date entry, assisting at tissue dissection, equipment operation and maintenance, managing laboratory waste disposal and microtomy among other tasks. Training will be given to achieve competency.

Ideally you will have GCSE in Science, Maths & English, and/or an NVQ level 3 or equivalent level qualification or qualifications with a laboratory relevance/equivalent laboratory experience. In addition to this, you must also have good verbal and written communication skills, have basic IT skills, enjoy working individually and as part of a team and be able to manage some lifting and handling tasks.

For more information, please contact Amanda Brice, Laboratory Manager or Marie Delaney, Operational Manager/Chief Biomedical Scientist on 01908 995820.

*Unfortunately we are unable to provide sponsorship for this role*

Interview date: w/c 26.05.2025

Main duties of the job

• To support the delivery of a high quality, responsive and comprehensive Cellular Pathology service for the trust and its users.
• To be part of a team of Biomedical Support workers delivering technical and administrative support to ensure the provision of an efficient and effective diagnostic service.
• To work with the laboratory management and technical team to ensure compliance with regulatory standards including those of ISO 15189, the Human Tissue Authority (HTA) and screening programmes.
• Help the Cellular Pathology team to meet departmental and trust KPI’s.
• To work safely in accordance with trust health and safety policy and departmental policies to deliver a safe, high-quality service for its users.
• To comply with clinical governance and risk management policies and ensure all mandatory training is completed in accordance with the trust guidelines.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Communication & relationships skills:

• Demonstrate excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Liaise closely with departmental technical, administrative, and clinical staff to ensure that all technical work is performed to required standards.

Core responsibilities:

• To establish effective and collaborative working relationships with key staff.
• To organise and prioritise your daily duties in the provision of a quality service.

Please refer to the job description for further details

We believe success lies in the diversity of our employees and are committed to promoting equality, encouraging diversity and embracing inclusion. We welcome applications from everyone interested in working for us.

MKUH is committed to equal opportunities and improving the working lives of our staff and as such we offer a range of flexible working practices.

We reserve the right to expire vacancies prior to the advertised closing date once a sufficient number of applications have been received.

MKUH uses identification scanning technology to confirm the authenticity of documents; all prospective employees of MKUH will have their original documents verified using this technology.

By applying for this role, you accept if successful, that information from your application will be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Record (ESR) system.  Your personal data may be transferred from the Trust to another NHS organisation where your employment transfers within the NHS.   This is in accordance with the streamlining programme which aims at saving you time and improving efficiencies within the NHS when your employment transfers.

Upon commencing  employment  with  the  Trust,  all  employees  (except Medical & Dental Staff on national terms and conditions) are  subject  to  a probationary period lasting  a  period  of  six  months  with  an  option  to extend  for  a  further  six  months  to  a total of  12 months.