New Process Development Engineer - KTP Associate (fixed term) (ENG188017X1)

Faculty of Engineering – Base Materials Ltd, Leicester

Based at Base Materials Ltd, Leicester.

As part of their ongoing growth plan, Base Materials are seeking to broaden their internal expertise through appointment of a process development engineer, a newly scoped and pivotal role. This is an exciting opportunity for an ambitious PhD/Masters qualified Chemical or Process Engineer to work as a KTP Associate with Base Materials and the Microwave Process Engineering (MPE) Research Group at the University of Nottingham. The person appointed deliver the experimental development, design and installation of a novel curing process to reduce processing time and increase throughput of Base Materials’ primary product, epoxy composite tooling boards. As well as increasing production for application in the Formula 1, automotive and aerospace industries, this process will reduce process environmental impacts and enable a broader product range, allowing access to new markets. This position is a 24 month fixed term contract, with a £4,000 dedicated training budget tailored towards your personal development.

Qualifications we require:

Candidates should ideally hold (or shortly be due to complete) a PhD, EngD (or equivalent) in chemical or process engineering and should have strong background and/or experience in process optimisation and experimental development.  Strong Masters level graduates with industrial experience are also encouraged to apply.

The successful candidate must possess….

• Ability to and also work as part of a team

• Problem solving skills

• Enthusiasm, motivation and drive to embed new knowledge and to take full ownership of the project

• Project Management experience – ability to demonstrate clear, planned approach

• Excellent communication skills to provide clear reporting of results in written or verbal form

• Ability to interact with both industry and academia and to work in an interdisciplinary field to deliver commercial solutions to the company

Essential skills we require as a minimum:

• Theoretical and practical understanding of key chemical engineering concepts, in particular thermodynamics, heat and mass transfer, process design and safety.

• Hands on experience of practical experimental work

• Skills and ability to characterise and optimise commercial manufacturing processes

• Experience in a commercial engineering environment would be an advantage

About Base Materials:

Base Materials are a leading business in their field; manufacturing and distributing advanced lightweight epoxy composite materials and producing high quality precision components from a variety of tooling boards for body tooling, patterns, testing and prototypes, predominantly for the Formula 1, automotive and aerospace industries. Further information about Base is available at: http://www.base-materials.co.uk/

About Microwave Process Engineering:

The Microwave Process Engineering (MPE) Research Group is based within the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nottingham and is internationally renowned for research in Microwave Processing. This multidisciplinary group currently has 8 academics and approximately 45 researchers, along with a research grant portfolio of over £15m. The work of the group is underpinned by unique high power experimental facilities and metrology systems. We value industry engagement in applied research and we understand the strategic challenges that industry is facing and the opportunities for innovation to unlock and deliver value and competitive advantage. Further information about our work is available at: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/research/groups/microwave-process-engineering/index.aspx

About KTP:

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships is Europe’s leading programme helping business to improve their competitiveness by enabling companies to work with higher education or research and technology organisations to obtain knowledge or skills which they consider to be of strategic competitive importance. This position is funded by Innovate UK and is part of a three way partnership between Base Materials, University of Nottingham and a KTP Associate. It is essential you understand how KTP works with business and the University, and the vital role you will play if you successfully secure a KTP Associate position. For further information about the programme, please visit: http://bit.ly/2k2SMOA

Previous applicants need not apply.

If you have questions about this vacancy please contact:

T:  0115 748 6969

E: becca.ferrari@nottingham.ac.uk

Closing Date: 26 Sep 2017
Category: Research and Teaching (R&T)