15th November Jobroll: Non-agency positions

It’s weeks like this that make me appreciate that all is not necessarily bad in the land of #chemjobs.

This year has seen hundreds upon hundreds of lab chemists being made redundant from pharma in the UK. This number must easily get into four figures if you expand “chemists” beyond synthesis to analysts, formulators, EHS, regulatory, patents, etc. Now add to this the ~1700 students that graduated in 2010 that chose not to go into further study, and so are also looking for jobs.

And yet the job boards still appear bountiful. Sure, Monster is still pushing those Lubrizol positions that have been there since the start of the year. And some agencies are still placing half a dozen adverts for the same position on NewScientistJobs, with varying numbers of exclamation marks in the title. And NatureJobs may continue to automatically recycle some agency adverts without checking whether they’ve been filled (very frustrating for both parties on that inevitable phone call). But amongst the slave-labour, maternity covers and vague job descriptions, there are some real gems out there.

Here is a selection of this week’s offerings, which don’t involve applying through an agency:

Research scientist at Johnson Matthey (Herts). 12 month contract working on catalyst synthesis programmes, and providing support for the catalyst manufacturing plant. Degree required; heterogeneous catalysis experience preferred.

Research chemists and engineers (£30-35k) at Queens University Belfast. One position for 2 years; six positions for 1 year with possible extension to two. Joining a new ionic liquids research team, in collaboration with a major oil and gas company. Postdoc.

Assessment manager for UKAS (W London or home-based). Responsible for accreditation of organisations carrying out chemical testing for food/consumer products/bioscience sectors. Requires extensive UK travel and some international travel. Requires degree and good communication skills; preferably experience in lab auditing/assessment.

Industry-based PhD with GSK (Herts), registered with the University of Strathclyde. Up to eight 3.5-year studentships, working on drug discovery and development projects. Very good MSci/MChem required.

Leadership development programme with GSK (Herts). The Esprit R&D scheme is a 3-year accelerated programme of global secondments from discovery to commercialisation and business development. PhD and at least one Postdoc appointment required.

RSC Regional Co-ordinator(£30-39k) at Queens University Belfast. A two-year post co-ordinating and promoting the activities of the RSC Education Department, building a strong network and engaging with teachers, students and employers.

Polymerisation chemist at Thomas Swan (North East). Invent new functional additives for enhancing the properties of synthetic rubbers used in tyre treads. Establish and operate a new anionic polymerisation lab. Postgraduate qualification with polymerisation specialism and 2-3 years lab experience developing processes required; tyre/rubber industry experience preferred.

Lab support officer (£23-28k) at the University of Sunderland. Give advice and support to staff and students in the labs and workshops. Degree and some experience of lab management required (from working in schools and/or initial teacher training)

KTP associate/R&D scientist (£25-26k + £4k training budget) at the University of Huddersfield (Bradford), in collaboration with Yorkshire Water Services. Manage and deliver a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), to model, test and embed methodologies to optimise mineral formation in customer pipes, improve water quality compliance and public health. Applicants must have graduated in the last 5 years with a PhD.