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Facility Leadership - Head of Facility

  • Responsible for the overall strategic direction, academic leadership, and integration of the Facility within the University’s research and innovation strategy.
  • Together with the steering group and the Faculty directors, sets research priorities and ensures alignment with the Faculty’s vision for sustainable engineering and industrial impact.
  • Oversees quality assurance, safety, and compliance with institutional and regulatory standards.
  • Chairs the Facility Steering Group.
     

Business and Partnership Development Manager

  • Acts as the first point of contact for industrial partners, managing external relationships, contracts, and project pipelines.
  • Leads engagement with industry to identify collaborative opportunities, consultancy projects, and service contracts.
  • Coordinates project scoping, quotations, and agreements in collaboration with academic leads and the University’s Research & Innovation Services (RIS).
  • Supports proposal development for externally funded projects (e.g., Innovate UK, EPSRC IAA, KTPs).
  • Oversees marketing, website content, and visibility of the Facility’s capabilities.
     

Technical Operations

Technical Specialist 

  •  Responsible for day-to-day technical management, scheduling, and delivery of tests.
  • Oversees technicians, ensures safe and efficient operation of all testing systems.
  • Maintains calibration, equipment readiness, and method development.
  • Liaises closely with academic users and industrial clients to deliver testing programmes to specification.

Experimenal Officers/Technical Staff

  • Provide expertise in specific testing domains (e.g., high-temperature fatigue, multiaxial loading, fracture testing, digital image correlation).
  • Support method development, test design, and data reporting.
  • Contribute to training of students and researchers in experimental methods.
     

Governance and Advisory Structure

Facility Steering Group (meets every Quarter)

  • Chaired by Head of Facility, including the Business Development Manager, Facility Technical Manager, representatives from relevant academic groups, and industrial members (if relevant).
  • Provides strategic guidance on facility development, investment priorities, and engagement strategy.
  • Reviews performance metrics (utilisation rates, industrial income, research outputs).