King's College London

THIS VACANCY IS OPEN TO INTERNAL CANDIDATES ONLY

About Us

The Comprehensive Cancer Centre is within the School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences and brings together world-class clinical services, delivered by our NHS partners, research and education to the benefit of cancer patients in south east London and beyond.

The King’s Health Partners Cancer Biobank is a core component of the Comprehensive Cancer Centre. The Biobank has been supporting translational cancer research at a national level since the 1970’s and provided a significant number of samples during that time, covering different cancer types. These samples have been acquired under documented procedures and linked to verified clinical data. KHP Cancer Biobank samples and data have been cited in more than 350 peer-reviewed publications. The Biobank has a team of more than 15 full time staff, including Advanced Practitioners, Consent Co-Ordinator, Quality Manager and Specialist Technicians.

About The Role

This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic and driven individual to join the KHP Cancer Biobank.

We are seeking a motivated individual to join our team as a specialist technician. The post holder will support biobanking activity by collecting and processing different types of clinical samples. This includes complex processing and specialist sample preparation such as PBMC isolation, microtomy and cryotomy. You will liaise closely with the Advanced Practitioners to support fresh specimen dissection. Training will be given in specialist techniques.

The post holder will also liaise with, prepare and provide samples and data to researchers.

At the Cancer Biobank we have a strong emphasis on professional development and staff are encouraged to become Registered Scientists. The post is primarily based in the Innovation Hub, Guy’s Cancer Centre, Guy’s Hospital, with occasional activities taking place in the Head & Neck Department at Guy’s Hospital and at St Thomas’s Hospital. With extended clinic and operating theatre times, some collection and processing activities may occur outside of core hours. Very occasionally this may include weekends and evenings. 

This is a full time (35 Hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract until 31/07/2026.

About You

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience: 

Essential criteria

1. Minimum level 3 qualification (e.g. A levels, AS levels, International Baccalaureate diploma or other level 3 qualification) plus work experience in a relevant technical/scientific post or considerable knowledge and skills gained through work experience in a relevant technical or scientific post. 
2. A broad range of technical or practical skills and a well-developed working knowledge of technical/ scientific practices and procedures Experience in administrative roles, ideally in higher education or research 
3. Have proven experience in handling biological specimens. 
4. Working knowledge of Health & Safety regulations governing area of work 
5. Strong communication skills, both orally and in writing, and interpersonal skills 
6. Have a proactive and responsive approach to internal and external contacts to build relationships. 

Desirable criteria

1. Experience and knowledge of human sample use in the research environment
2. Evidence of an active commitment to professional development, such as working towards RSciTech / RSci. 
3. Knowledge of quality management systems 
4. Experience of DNA and RNA extraction 

Downloading a copy of our Job Description 

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the next page after you click “Apply Now”. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process. 

Further Information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community. We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's. 

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible. 

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit’ pages.