29th March Jobroll

Today, it’s all about the process chemistry!

Trainee process development chemist required at speciality chemical manufacturer Thomas Swan & Co in County Durham (NE). Assist senior chemists in assessing lab scale processes, and develop these for plant. Degree in chemistry required, lab experience preferred.

Process chemist (£30-45k) sought by what sounds like a contract lab or consultancy servicing the oil/gas, process and water treatment industries. Based in Orkney, working onshore and offshore, the post involves consultancy, lab work and developing and marketing the site service work of the company. List of requirements include: degree; significant experience in one of the industries serviced, project management and supervision; and postgrad experience in fluid analysis and process chem.

A company in Haverhill, Suffolk is looking for a R&D chemist (£25-30k) to carry out development work on 0.1g to 5kg scale, and write SOPs for these prior to full plant-scale manufacture. Experience in the synthesis of monomers and polymers, and GLP required. If you like your corporate experience to be regimented, but are happy to provide flexibility by working out of hours, take a look at the advert.

Bakhu Pharma – who specialise in developing enzymatic and flow processes – are recruiting two process development chemists at their Bromborough (NW) site. Responsibilities include development, optimisation, scale-up and tech transfer. Degree (2:1) – PhD preferred – and several years process experience required.

An Oxfordshire-based pharma company are looking for a senior process chemist to work shifts supporting shift chemists on plant. This includes advising project chemists on operational challenges, supporting production and troubleshooting issues. BSc with GMP and production experience required.

A senior process chemist (£30-36k) is also required in Cambridgeshire for a chemicals and materials manufacturer. Involves process development/optimisation, technical support on plant, and working with engineers when new plant equipment is required. Qualification in Chemistry or Chem Eng required, along with experience in a process/production environment.

Twitter Tuesday

An occasional feature covering items of interest from the Twittersphere:

German-speaking jobseekers will certainly want to sign up to the @stellenfuerchem Twitter feed, which includes daily listings of German chemistry jobs. The related website also features weekly English summaries for those in need of a translation.

Spotted via @MonsterCareers and @careersherpa comes an article from @fishdogs on “5 Ways to Change Career”. Tips include looking at suppliers and service-providers of your current company, identifying skills used outside of work and effective networking. It also includes a neat pie chart which highlights the balance between skills, desires and money – where are you?

@dherman76 links to his article “Tips for Being the Young Punk at the Table” published on his website and guest-posted on Business Insider (@businessinsider). While written with the young executive in mind, it is equally relevant to those starting out in their career that may face challenges being taken seriously by some older colleagues. Tips include “dress the part”, “do not talk for the sake of talking”, and my personal favourite: “act as if”. The latter refers to a scene in the movie Boiler Room (which I hadn’t seen before) – but it carries a similar message to the one my driving instructor gave me: “To pass your test, you need to stop thinking like a learner, and start thinking like someone who’s already got their licence.”

For those contemplating a career in copy editing, this article linked by @TheSfEP is well worth a read.

And finally, a link from @AkshatRathi to a collection of classic Dilbert strips, all concerning the corporate infestation that is PowerPoint.

26th March Jobroll

The job boards appear to be positively heaving with adverts this month. Starting off the week: a selection of positions for chemists for whom the fumehood is not the be-all and end-all.

An EHS specialist is sought by a pharma company in Dorset to work across the chemical production, warehouse and office areas. Provide training and guidance; develop risk assessments, SOPs and strategies; and investigate compliance issues and incidents. Degree, NVQ3 or 4 and IOSH qualification required.

A company in Bristol is looking for a chemical sourcing specialist (£25k) to evaluate, source and analyse starting materials and intermediates. PhD or equivalent, and experiencing communicating with customers and clients required.

It’s the time of year when the Royal Society of Chemistry is recruiting placement students and graduates:

Summer placements in scientific publishing (£8/hr) are available for those having A-level Chemistry and who are studying towards or have completed a degree. The 8-12 week placement will involve working with journal teams, academics, authors and customers; correcting articles and publishing online.

An 8-week science writer internship (£1750 bursary) is offered to a student member who wants to work in the editorial office of Chemistry World and Education in Chemistry, gaining experience in the writing/editing process. The right candidate will have an enthusiasm for scientific communication, and be finishing or have recently completed their degree/postgrad course.

The RSC graduate training scheme is also still open, offering opportunities in “publishing, education, conferences, science policy and the promotion of chemistry...”

Finally, with the news that Neil is moving back to the RSC, there’s an assistant editor position available at Nature Chemistry in London. Duties include commissioning/editing journal content, managing peer-review, selecting manuscripts for publication, writing editorials and blog posts, and a fair amount of tweeting. Ideal candidate will have a PhD; postdoc experience an advantage.

Focus on: Catapult – AFRC and MTC

Advanced Forming Research Centre

Location: nr Glasgow

Partners: University of Strathclyde

Jobs advertised on the University of Strathclyde job site

Twitter: @UniStrathclyde

The AFRC is a “world class research facility supporting fundamental and applied research in forming and forging.” Research topics include metal forming processes, primary and supporting technologies (eg, plastic deformation, flow and heat treatment) and lubricants. With a strong emphasis on engineering there may be very limited opportunities for chemists – but this may include, for example, materials and polymer scientists, computational chemists and analysts.

The AFRC has 23 research staff listed on its website.

Manufacturing Technology Centre

Location: Coventry

Partners: Universities of Birmingham, Loughborough and Nottingham, TWI LTd

Jobs advertised on their own job site

The MTC is a “globally competitive manufacturing research hub” focusing on 4 technologies: high intensity fabrication, net shape manufacture, advanced tooling and fixturing, and intelligent automation.

The MTC is actively recruiting a large number of engineering positions across their technology areas. They also have a graduate scheme, and are interested in engineering, materials science, physics, maths and computer science graduates with a 2.1 degree (achieved or expected).

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In summary, there has been significant investment across the seven High Value Manufacturing Catapult partners. Indeed, the HVM Catapult is the first of seven to be operational – which combined will receive over £200m of government investment.

The objective of the Catapults is to revitalise the economy, and with this comes opportunities for STEM employment. While there is a focus on engineering, the industry/academic collaborations do provide openings for chemists and scientists of related disciplines. In particular, the Centre for Process Innovation and the Advanced Materials Research Centre have specific opportunities in “smart chemistry” and composites. Keep an eye on those Twitter feeds and job sites for updates!