Instrument Technician

Job Title: Instrument Technician Position Type: Full time Location: Lewes, East Sussex Salary: £30 - £35k DOE Main Purpose of Job This is an exciting role in a progressive Scientific Instrument manufacturing company. Our business is an commercially driven environment, with emphasis on delivering high quality products to our global customer base. You will be working with a highly skilled and motivated team that is keen on developing best practice assembly and test techniques. Relationships Reports to: Production Manager Responsible for: No direct reports Interacts with: Sales, Service, Operations and Engineering. Role and Responsibilities This job involves working at a bench as part of a small team to assemble high quality vacuum instruments from kits of parts. Responsible for all aspects of the instrument build including final inspection and testing upon completion. The repair of product and occasionally the installation of customer owned instruments both in-house and at customers' sites. The testing and calibration of the finished product. Occasional travel may be requested once relevant product knowledge and experience has been gained. Carry out other reasonable tasks as required by Management. The above is not an exhaustive list of duties and you will be expected to perform different tasks as necessitated by your changing role within the organisation and the overall business objectives of the organisation. Performance Measurement Ability to produce assemblies correct to drawing and of consistent quality to the allocated timescales. Ability to meet customer expectations and to maintain our established reputation for excellence. Ability to ensure that all established administrative routines and records are kept accurately and up to date. Qualifications and Education Requirements A good general level of education evidenced by O-level/ good GCSE passes or equivalent in English, Maths and one Science subject. Either at least significant demonstrable experience in a relevant occupation, or HNC/HND in a mechanical or electrical subject with relevant working experience. Required Experience The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate that they have: A sound electro-mechanical Assembly and Test background in a relevant industry Experience gained within an electro-mechanical system build manufacturing business Good levels of fault-finding ability using circuit diagrams Electrical and electronic test experience Hands-on mechanical assembly of machined precision engineered parts. Preferred Experience While not essential, the following experience would be a distinct advantage: Knowledge and expertise in assembling and testing vacuum based scientific instrumentation A good understanding of the principles of vacuum engineering Experience in safely using pressurised gas bottles during equipment testing (e.g. liquid nitrogen, nitrogen, argon, oxygen & carbon dioxide) Experience gained using Lean manufacturing techniques (e.g. Kaizen, Kan-ban, 5S, etc.) Good understanding of helium leak checking principles Required Skills Manual dexterity combined with ability to use hand and power tools. Ability to read and interpret electrical and mechanical engineering drawings. Ability to fit and shape metal components, including the construction of small-bore piping and the filing, drilling and grinding of metal parts. Ability to follow circuit diagrams to build instrument point-to-point wiring looms from single cables, to form looms and ty-wrap. Ability to prepare cables, fit sleeves and solder and or crimp joints. Ability to achieve set targets and work to production time pressures in support of the company's production requirements. Ability to produce neat and clean assemblies and to self-check work for a high-quality finish. Ability to use electrical test equipment, including multi-meters. Ability to use mechanical test measurement instruments including micrometers and Vernier gauges. Excellent written and oral communication skills in English. Excellent planning and organising skills. Strong time management and prioritisation capabilities. Must have the personality to be able to fit into a small team. Essential that individual is highly motivated, pro-active and able to work unsupervised. Must be flexible and prepared to carry out other reasonable requests. Must be able to work in a modern team-based culture with minimal direction. Additional notes Good colour perception, ability to pass colour perception test. Ability to sit/stand for long periods is required. Assisting with packing/unpacking products will require bending, lifting and carrying heavy equipment. This role is based in a rural location and own transport is essential TPA are a specialist recruitment agency recruiting on behalf of our client