Job Description
Job Title:
Hydrodynamics Laboratory Manager
Job Family:
Technical Services, level 4
Department:
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Section:
Fluid Mechanics
Responsible to:
Head of Fluid Mechanics and Technical Services Manager
Responsible for:
The management of the hydrodynamics laboratories, ensuring the successful
outcome of all teaching, research and commercial activities. Taken as a whole
these represent the largest laboratory within the engineering faculty, catering to
the needs of approximately 16 research students, 4 full-time research staff, 5
academics and numerous undergraduate/masters students.
Key working internal relationships:
Leading member of the laboratory management team,
academic, research and technical staff, postgraduate and
undergraduate students and other College technical staff.
Key working external relationships:
External clients and research sponsors, specialist equipment
providers including and external contractors and model
builders.
Purpose of Post
 To manage all aspects of the Hydrodynamics Laboratory including teaching, research and
commercial activities.
 To manage and provide technical support to the many research students and research projects
active within the laboratory.
 To act as a recognised source of technical expertise to academic and research staff; both within the
Fluid Mechanics Section, more widely across the Department, and to staff in other Departments
(notably Aeronautics).
 To manage all key infrastructure within the laboratory, most notably the Department’s directional
wave basin. This is key infrastructure which was established at the cost of £2M and is central to
many of the laboratories research activities.
 To provide cost information, programming and support for all research projects, including ICON
managed industrial projects.
Key responsibilities
1.
Laboratory Management
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Delegation of tasks (both internally and externally) to subordinate staff.
Providing instruction to laboratory users on the operation of specialist equipment and resources.
Scheduling of work to ensure that projects are delivered to time and budget in accordance with the
research demands.
Job specifications for external tenders when required to fulfil specific project objectives.
Quality control of both internally and externally procured work.
Supervision of external contractors when working in the laboratory to construct specialist
equipment.
Liaising with external (College appointed) contractors to ensure both research and teaching
activities within the laboratory can be continued efficiently and safely.
Overseeing the operation of the hydraulic supply network to ensure the continued operation of our
hydrodynamic testing experiments.
All health and safety issues appertaining to the Hydrodynamics laboratory including overseeing the
preparation of risk assessments.
2.
Wave Making Facilities
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3.
Ensuring the on-going availability of these key and costly (>£2.0M) research facilities.
Designing and overseeing all equipment and experimental apparatus modifications and upgrades.
Maintenance of appropriate safety standards for largely exposed moving equipment (paddles) and
exposure to open deep water.
Scheduling essential down time and arranging for maintenance and repairs to be conducted
efficiently.
Specification and scheduling of work to be undertaken by specialist equipment manufacturers to
ensure the wave making equipment consistently operates in an optimal fashion.
Research projects
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4.
To provide cost information, technical expertise, programming and support for all research projects
including:
 Providing researchers with first-line costing of all projects.
 Conducting initial assessment of project feasibility with specific regard to equipment and
technical resources.
 Estimation of relevant time scales to complete work and evaluation of likely conflicts with other
projects.
 Efficient scheduling of work undertaken in the laboratory particularly when multiple projects need
access to the same equipment.
 Concept stage discussion with academic and research staff and students to formulate initial
project objectives and deliverables.
 Identifying and procuring external resources, including knowledge, manpower and specialist
materials and products.
 Liaising with external professionals and clients to establish specific project requirements and
discuss on-going test results.
Student teaching equipment
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5.
Design and modification of all teaching apparatus for undergraduate and postgraduate
experimentation.
Design or design oversight of all final year undergraduate and postgraduate work involving one-toone meetings with students.
Scheduling all work and achieving an appropriate balance between the competing requirements of
student teaching, research project work and externally funded research work.
Responsibility for all health and safety issues; including instructing the students in the preparation of
appropriate risk assessments.
Instructing GTA’s, researchers, staff and students in equipment usage and testing constraints.
Research Assistance
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6.
To provide a full range of high level technical support to postgraduate, post-doctorate and research
and academic staff.
Design and construction of complex test rigs for Hydrodynamics research including specialist
instrumentation provision and the automation of existing facilities.
Higher level problem solving when dealing with a highly unpredictable fluid response.
Design, assembly and maintenance of bespoke (state-of-the-art) instrumentation (load cells and
pressure plates) for specific testing applications. This is an area in which we envisage significant
future developments. As such, a willingness to learn and develop key skills in this area is an
important requirement.
Provision of guidance, more widely across the Department, as to the preferred method of design
and construction for Hydrodynamic testing.
External liaison
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Dealing with specialist providers of equipment, materials and man power.
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7.
Agreeing specifications, including costs and schedules with external suppliers, specialist equipment
manufacturers and clients.
Maintaining (and being responsible for the maintenance of) a safe and efficient working environment
when external contractors are present in the laboratory.
Managing internally and external organised academic and industrial visitors that are essential for
the successful promotion of an important collection of College facilities.
Managing the many media visits (BBC, ABC, National Geographic, Channel 4 and numerous
independent film makers) that help us to promote our facilities.
Laboratory Infrastructure
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Responsible for the extensive infrastructure (hydraulic network) on which the laboratory relies. This
extends throughout the Skempton Building with supply sources consisting of some 15M litres of
water located on three separate floors within the building.
Responsible for ensuring the uninterrupted supply network to avoid project difficulties which could
lead to project cancellation and extensive downtime for very expensive equipment repairs as well as
the potential for serious wide-spread flooding. The consequences of this extending well beyond the
Hydrodynamics laboratory.
Infrastructure maintenance will involve close working relationships with the College maintenance
teams. A key emphasis here is the maintenance of the required water quality in respect of our
stored sump water and the upkeep of all necessary Health and Safety procedures / documents; the
latter being an essential element to all our laboratory based activities.
To comply with relevant College policies, including Financial Regulations, Equal Opportunities
Policy, Promoting Race Equality Policy, Health and Safety Policy, Information Systems Security
Policy and Intellectual Property Rights and Register of Interests Policies.
All research staff may be expected to undertake certain teaching duties without additional payment, subject
to any limitations prescribed by the terms of the grant or contract under with they are employed.
Job descriptions cannot be exhaustive and the post-holder may be required to undertake other
duties, which are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities.
Imperial College is committed to equality of opportunity, equal treatment, and to eliminating discrimination.
All employees are expected to adhere to the principles set out in the Equal Opportunities in Employment
Policy, Promoting Race Equality Policy and Disability Policy and all other relevant guidance/practice
frameworks.
Person Specification
Applicants for this post should demonstrate how their skills and experience meet the following Person
Specification:
Imperial Expectations
These are the 7 principles that all imperial staff are expected to follow:
1) Champion a positive approach to change and opportunity
2) Communicate regularly and effectively within, and across, teams
3) Consider the thoughts and expectations of others
4) Deliver positive outcomes
5) Encourage inclusive participation and eliminate discrimination
6) Support and develop staff to optimise talent
7) Work in a planned and managed way
Qualifications
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HND or a higher qualification in an engineering subject.
Knowledge and experience
Essential
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Significant previous experience in a similar environment with relevant training.
High level of expertise in fabrication, instrumentation and basic electronics and mechanical workshop
skills.
Expertise in instrumentation and gauging and basic electronics.
Experience of managing and working within a laboratory, R & D or relevant workshop environment.
Knowledge of mechanical workshop custom and practice.
Full understanding of Health and Safety requirements.
Practical experience and training in an engineering laboratory environment/workshop including a
working knowledge of control and measurement techniques and equipment.
Training in and/or experience of laboratory management.
Desirable
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Experience of working in a higher education laboratory environment.
Experience of project planning and costing.
Knowledge of electronic, mechanical, hydraulic and pneumatic systems for laboratory testing
applications
Skills and abilities
Essential
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Ability to manage staff, delegate duties and other tasks and specify project aims and requirements to
subordinate staff.
Ability to manage several projects at any one time.
Excellent communication and team leadership skills.
Able to plan and work on a project from inception, through planning and to completion.
Ability to develop ideas and methodology, and to demonstrate creative thinking, for the construction of
highly specialist test equipment for hydrodynamic research.
The ability both to manage/lead and work within a team.
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Be self-motivated and show the ability to motivate others as individuals or as a team.
Willing to communicate freely with academic staff, students and other laboratory colleagues and users.
Able to communicate with external clients and specialist service providers.
Flexible in approach to work and willing and able to undertake a wide range of duties.
Desirable
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Experience of dealing with specialist manufacturing companies.
Experience of leadership skills in a laboratory environment.