Chemical Analyst
| Posting date: | 16 October 2024 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £36,583 to £38,272 per year |
| Additional salary information: | Specialist Government Science & Engineering allowance - £5150 |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 05 November 2024 |
| Location: | TW11 0JZ |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 373357/1 |
Summary
Do you care about the safety of products and want to protect people and places? Can we use your skills, knowledge and experience to enable UK business to thrive? If the answer is yes, then we would like to hear from you!
We are the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), part of the Department for Business & Trade (Previously the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy). We are here for the purpose of making regulation work to deliver real world impact. Regulation is a powerful Government tool to address market failures, influence behaviour and promote positive action. Crafted and delivered well, regulation can be an enabler of growth, innovation and efficiency.
Since early 2018 we have been building a positive and creative team that enjoys a position of influence and respect within an organisation that continues to grow, most recently with the addition of construction products regulation planned.
Our primary purpose is to protect people and places from product-related harm, ensuring consumers and businesses can buy and sell products with confidence.
Further information can be found on our website here
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. We embrace diversity and promote equality of opportunity. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. There is a guaranteed interview scheme (DCS) for people with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
We are Inclusive
We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible and recognise how important inclusivity is to achieve the best outcomes. We hope to attract applications from all underrepresented groups.
We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation if required to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.
Our Team:
We are a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers delivering testing capability across the whole portfolio of OPSS regulatory requirements. The team works across our testing laboratories which include mechanical, electrical, chemical, flammability, materials and metrology facilities. We seek to implement fit for purpose practices and procedures to deliver robust, scientific outputs. In collaboration with other internal evidence teams including those in science, engineering, research and analysis, our outputs inform the development of policy, and the delivery and enforcement of product regulations across the OPSS remit.
The Role:
We require a Chemical Analyst to manage the day-to-day operation and maintenance of specialist instrumentation, which predominately sits within our chemical and materials test laboratories. You will have a strong focus on analytical method development, sample preparation, delivery of compliance testing, asset management and implementing routine checks, procedures and training to ensure laboratories run efficiently and are maintained to a suitable standard. This is a key post at our newly refurbished Teddington site, working closely with our lab-based teams and reporting directly to the Laboratory Operations Manager.
The role will be based in Teddington and working arrangements will be agreed with the vacancy manager and in line with the requirements of the role. This is a laboratory-based role that requires a minimum of 80% office attendance.
Key Responsibilities:
- Analysis of samples e.g., cosmetics, toys, packing material, plastics, textiles, using HPLC, GC, FTIR and UV spectroscopy, wet chemistry, GC/LC-MS.
- Interpret and manage analytical data to support decision-making and enforcement action.
- Prepare and manage relevant laboratory risk assessments and standard operating procedures
- Carry out routine maintenance, daily performance checks and periodic calibration of equipment.
- Support general lab operations and delivery, ensuring work aligns with ISO/IEC 17025 standards.
- Develop and maintain a scientific and technical profile by attendance and participation in relevant external networks, meetings and training events.