Technical Manager (Design Studio and Makerspaces)

TECHNICAL MANAGER (DESIGN STUDIO AND MAKERSPACES)

The Role and Department    

The Department of Engineering is seeking a Technical Manager to lead and develop a hands-on engineering Design Studio and Makerspaces  that that support our expanding autonomous systems, UAVs, robotics, prototyping, teaching, research, and student-led engineering activities. This is a practical technical leadership role. Reporting to the Senior Technical Manager and working with the wider technical team, including workshop staff  you will maintain, manage and operate equipment, train users, support student and research projects, maintain and develop safe systems of work and help expand Durham’s capability in autonomous vehicle-related teaching and prototyping. The Design Studio and Makerspaces include 3D printing, desktop CNC, laser cutting, carbon-fibre prototyping, PCB/soldering facilities, electronics test equipment and autonomous-systems development platforms. We are looking for someone with strong practical skills who can both do the work and help others do it safely: a practical engineer, maker, technician or workshop manager who has strong Health and Safety knowledge and judgement, excellent communication skills and the ability to support ambitious student and research projects from idea to working prototype.  

Key responsibilities include:  

1. Design Studio and Makerspace management and operation: The postholder will manage the daily operation of the Engineering Design studio and Makerspace and associated prototyping facilities (collectively known as DEMO), including access control, booking systems, induction processes, safe operating procedures, consumables, maintenance, equipment readiness and user support. The postholder will lead the development of the DEMO facilities Makerspace over time, including procurement, commissioning, supplier liaison and future capability planning.

2. Support and technical leadership for autonomous systems: The postholder will support and help lead the practical expansion of autonomous-vehicle-related teaching, research, and prototyping. This will include supporting student and staff projects involving UAVs, ground robots, marine vehicles, sensors, communications, flight controllers, embedded systems, mechanical design, payload integration and prototype verification.

3. Health, safety and compliance: Health and safety is central to this role. The postholder will provide competent day-to-day H&S advice for Design Studio and Makerspace users and ensure that safe systems of work are documented, understood and followed. A strong practical safety judgement and the confidence to enforce safe working standards are required.  

4. Teaching, student project and research support: The postholder will support practical teaching across undergraduate and postgraduate activity, including design projects, laboratory sessions, dissertations and interdisciplinary project work. With competent training and introductions to a range of specialist equipment, the successful candidate should help students and academic staff become better practical engineers, not simply manufacture parts for them.  

5. Support for extracurricular engineering activities as part of the Wider Student Experience: The postholder will act as a technical adviser and staff mentor for relevant extracurricular engineering groups, in partnership with academic leads or may take on a leadership role as and if required. This may include groups such as Durham University Solar Car, Durham Heart, Durham University Spaceflight, Durham University Aerial Systems Society and other student-led engineering societies.

Further information about the role and the responsibilities is at the bottom of this job description.    

The University      

At Durham University we are proud of our people.  A globally outstanding centre of educational excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other. We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things professionally and personally.      

Across the University we have a huge variety of roles and career opportunities, which together make us a large and successful community, which is a key hub of activity within our region and nationally.  

We would be thrilled if you would consider joining our thriving University.  Further information about the University can be found here.  

Find out more about the benefits of working at the University and what it is like to live and work in the Durham area on our Why Join Us? - Information Page.

Working at Durham        

A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University:  

•   You’ll receive 30 days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year – a total of 42 days per year. The University closes between Christmas and New Year. 

•    We offer a generous pension scheme, and as a new member of staff you will be automatically enrolled into the University Superannuation Scheme (USS).  

•    No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered.  We have ample parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies. You can also take advantage of our cost-effective and environmentally friendly Tusker Car Benefit Scheme, allowing you to lease a brand-new electric or hybrid vehicle with savings on tax and National Insurance.

•    We have a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally.  There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University.  All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities.  

•    We provide wide-ranging health and wellbeing support including discounted membership for our state-of-the-art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.

•    Our on-site nursery is rated Outstanding by Ofsted, and you can access holiday camps for children aged 5-16.

•    Our family-friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).

•    We offer all staff the opportunity to take part in volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community.

•    You can access exclusive discounts via our benefits portal including money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, eating out and days out at various attractions.  

•  Various salary sacrifice schemes are also available to help you take advantage of tax savings on benefits.  

• If you are moving to Durham, you may be eligible for help with removal costs, and we have a dedicated team who can help you with the practicalities such as house hunting and schools.  If you need a visa, we cover most visa costs and offer an interest-free loan scheme to pay for dependant visas.

Discover more about our total rewards and benefits package here.

Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion

Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work.        

As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do.  We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct, At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive.

We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.  If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application.  If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role .    
 

What you need to demonstrate when you apply/Person Specification   
  
When you apply it is important that you let us know what skills/experience you have from a similar role and/or what skills/experience you have which would make you right for this role.  Further information about the role and responsibilities is at the end of this job description.  Where a criteria has an asterisk* next to it, it may be given additional weighting when your application is considered.     
  
Your application should cover the following criteria:  

Essential Criteria

Qualifications/Experience

1. Educated to degree level (or equivalent experience) in Engineering with practical experience in areas such as manufacturing, electronic/electrical engineering, robotics, mechatronics, mechanical engineering, product design or related fields.  

2. Experience of participating in internal or external networks to share and discuss good practice in solving practical technical problems and develop strong and productive working relationships in a collaborative way.

3. Experience of providing specialist advice and guidance to a range of customers and colleagues, including more senior colleagues. This includes areas relating to the operation, maintenance and troubleshooting of a range of prototyping and fabrication equipment, including 3D printers, CNC machinery, hand tools and electronic test equipment.

4. Experienced practitioner who has led teaching/research projects working within an educational, commercial or industrial environment (e.g. engineering workshops, prototyping, research and/or manufacturing facilities).

5. Experience of implementing policies and procedures.  

Skills/Abilities/Knowledge

6. Excellent spoken and written communication skills including the ability to developing effective working relationships, both internally and externally and to  explain technical processes clearly to non-specialists and early stage students from a wide range of backgrounds.

7. Strong digital competence across a range of digital devices and apps including Microsoft 365 applications and instrument control software and a willingness to learn new equipment, software, manufacturing processes and autonomous systems technologies as the Design Studio and Makerspace develops. 

8. Achievement of recognised industry and professional standards supported by relevant courses or certifications 

9. Committed to continuing professional development to maintain professional recognition.

10. Professional knowledge and experience of compliance and regulations, local and national relating to UK health and safety compliance in a workshop, laboratory or engineering environment including risk assessment, safe operating procedures, PPE, training records and incident reporting..  

11. Ability to solve problems independently and decide on and plan appropriate solutions.

12. Expert knowledge and expertise in practical electronics prototyping including soldering, wiring, crimping, PCB assembly, component selection, testing and fault finding one or more areas of technical specialism, CAD/CAM workflows and the application of skills to create, build, construct and realise new and innovative resources, equipment and research outputs.

13. Knowledge and experience of ensuring compliance with regulatory and organisational policy and guidelines, including health and safety relating to areas such machining, laser cutting, 3D printing, soldering, batteries, composites, resins, dusts, fumes and general workshop hazards..

14. Ability to teach or train others with specific technical skills.

Desirable Criteria  

1. Experience managing or helping to manage a university, school, industrial or community Makerspace.

2. Experience supervising technicians, demonstrators, interns, apprentices, student workers or volunteers.

3. Experience with autonomous systems, drones, robotics, remote-control vehicles, embedded systems or sensor integration.

4. Experience with ArduPilot, PX4, ROS, Raspberry Pi, Arduino, ESP32, MAVLink or similar embedded/autonomous systems platforms.

5. Experience with composite manufacturing, especially carbon fibre or lightweight structural prototyping.

6. Experience with SLA/resin printing, laser cutting, desktop CNC or larger CNC systems, reflow soldering, SMD assembly or electronics rework.

7. Experience supporting student competition teams, such as motorsport, rocketry, robotics, UAV or engineering design societies.

8. Experience developing training materials, standard operating procedures, induction programmes or user-certification schemes.  

9. Experience contributing to externally funded teaching, research or capital-equipment projects.

10. Familiarity with university procurement, finance, asset management or equipment-maintenance systems.

11. Experience engaging with industry partners, conducting outreach activities, working with schools, FE colleges, or public demonstrations.  

How to Apply    

To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification above. It will be at the discretion of the recruiting panel as to whether they will also consider any desirable criteria, but we would urge candidates to provide evidence for all criteria.  Please don’t forget to check if there is any weighted criteria (see above).      

While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.            

Submitting your application        

We prefer to receive applications online.   We will update you about your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to make sure you have not missed any of our updates.        

What you need to submit      

A CV: and      

A supporting statement or covering letter which outlines how you meet all of the criteria within the Person Specification. We strongly encourage you to format this in a table or other way that makes it clear how you meet each of the essential criteria in turn

Contact details            

For a chat about the role or any further information please contact Oliver Vogt, [oliver.vogt@durham.ac.uk] or Steve Robertson (Senior Technical Manager) [steven.robertson@durham.ac.uk]        
 

Typical Role Requirements  

Service Delivery/Development

Contribute to equality, diversity and inclusion and the University’s values.

Provide specialist advice and guidance relating to your professional area of expertise in line with the University’s policies, regulations and values.

Provide the best possible service by continually reviewing what is required from stakeholders including staff, students and others you work with  and contribute to ideas and service improvements.

Provide specialist knowledge and support when interpreting and analysing complex data and information sources.

Look for ways to improve processes and techniques across all areas of your work.

Identify any learning needs that should be met by the Design Studio and Makerspace service  and design activities and arrange any training.

Oversee specialist risk assessments and safety procedures  and resolve incidents that require specialist expertise relating to areas such machining, laser cutting, 3D printing, soldering, batteries, composites, resins, dusts, fumes and general workshop hazards..

Planning and Organisation

Provide specialist advice to resolve technical problems, plan projects and continually develop and improve the service.

Seek feedback from staff, students and other key stakeholders so that the Design Studio and Makerspace service is being adapted to meet customer stakeholder expectations and to plan future requirements.

Manage budgets and expenditure including buying (and returning) goods and services.

Teaching and Learning Support

Design, build and maintain complex, specialist teaching and research apparatus, equipment, instruments, systems and appliances.

Provide advice on digital tools and infrastructure to ensure an appropriate pedagogical approach to developing world-class teaching.

Apply maintenance schedules to ensure the safe and efficient use of technology, facilities and services to teaching, research and learning activities.

Manage the day-to-day delivery of a high-quality technical and/or experimental facility/platform and service to ensure teaching, research and knowledge exchange outputs.

Record, monitor and collate information to analyse patterns and trends as part of teaching and research activities.

Be responsible for the design, set-up, maintenance and integrity of teaching, research and learning facilities, technology and resources within a specialist area.

Supervise student, staff and other users during practical and test teaching and research work activities, projects, and self-directed sessions.

Support the delivery of undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and learning activities, and income generation, where appropriate.

Contribute to the planning, design and delivery of research outputs and prepare innovative teaching/research proposals.

Communication/Liaison

Provide specialist advice and guidance on University health and safety and compliance issues including risk assessment, safe operating procedures, PPE, training records and incident reporting..

Use your operational expertise to lead and participate in business meetings, working groups and sub-committees.

Collaborate with internal and external academics, industry and technical specialists to support the delivery of teaching and research projects and to contribute to the generation of external income.

Liaise with internal and external agencies, local authorities, industries and visitors where appropriate.

Meet the development needs of your stakeholders by providing training when required.

Create positive working relationships, including internal and external networks, using your networks to increase your knowledge and skills and swap information with peers.

Contribute to promotional events and presentations at conferences.

Any other reasonable duties.

Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Job Applicants/Potential Job Applicants - Privacy Notice which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.            

Durham University is a UKVI sponsor. Applicants who require sponsorship to work in the UK should note that not all roles are eligible. Further information on visa requirements and eligibility can be found on the UKVI website.

Version 07-2026