Senior Healthcare Technical Officer (SHTO)

Job summary

NHS Blood and Transplant is an integral part of the NHS. Operating a network of centres across England and North Wales, we collect around 2 million units of blood and tissues a year, converting them into safe and effective blood components, blood and tissue products for use in the treatments of patients. In this role youll undertake detailed laboratory work and provide vital support to qualified scientific staff. Specifically, that means preparing samples for testing or storage, performing analytical tests and carrying out basic maintenance on equipment. Youll also be on hand to deal with queries from other departments, medical staff or visitors and to assist in the training and development of other support staff. Were looking for a BTEC/HNC in a Science or other relevant subject, or the NHSBT foundation degree or equivalent. Youll also, ideally, have a working knowledge of basic IT packages and some experience of working unsupervised in a laboratory environment. A good team player, youll be capable of motivating both yourself and others as you tackle a wide variety of tasks.

Main duties of the job

You will be required to perform a range of scientific and technical activities related to the blood (and where appropriate tissue) donations from our donors, with the support of the team. You will be responsible for the support and training of new and less experienced staff. You will be required to undertake precise repetitive manipulation of equipment and blood samples/donations and carry out routine tasks on a regular basis. You will be required to handle blood bags and a range of equipment. You will be required to manually handle equipment on a daily basis weighing up to 13 kgs, with or without mechanical aids, with appropriate training. The role will require you to work variable hours and days, weekends and bank holidays as per the roster within the department (unless otherwise rostered within the shift agreement) with appropriate notice.

About us

At NHS Blood and Transplant, were incredibly proud of the many talented people who come together every day to make our organisation the very best it can be. We have clearly defined values that are centred around offering exceptional care to our donors and their families. We take care of each other too and we focus on building our expertise so we can change lives, provide quality support and offer fulfilling careers. Its an opportunity to contribute to a unique team as part of a service that saves lives 365 days a year. We offer brilliant benefits including 27 days of holiday (plus bank holidays), a comprehensive induction and training programme, and competitive pension scheme. We are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace and aim to reflect the diverse communities we work with and positively encourage applications from all sectors of the community. Three small words, one big difference - Caring, Expert and Quality. Together we'll save and improve more lives than ever