King's College London

About us

The Nikon Imaging Centre (NIC) at King’s College London is a state-of-the-art light microscopy Core Facility, developed and operated in partnership with Nikon UK (Branch of Nikon Europe BV). The Centre is located on the Guy’s Campus, under the governance of the Research Management and Innovation Directorate (RMID) and plays a pivotal role in supporting cutting-edge biomedical and life sciences research across King’s and beyond.

This unique partnership allows us to offer researchers access to the latest innovations in light microscopy and imaging technology. The Centre also serves as a learning and demonstration platform for Nikon’s regional partners, external collaborators and contributors and is a hub for knowledge exchange and innovation.

Our mission is to promote excellence and innovation across a wide range of biological research disciplines by providing access to world-class microscopy platforms, training and technical expertise, to enable researchers to deliver high quality bioimaging data.

About the role

We are seeking an experienced and visionary Facility Manager to lead the operation, development, and strategic direction of the Nikon Imaging Centre (NIC). This senior position combines technical excellence in advanced microscopy with strong leadership and operational management.

As Facility Manager, you will oversee all aspects of the Centre’s performance, from managing complex instrumentation and training users to supervising staff and ensuring financial and operational efficiency. You will provide expert advice to researchers on imaging workflows and have the opportunity to contribute to research projects and funding applications.

You’ll work closely with the Core Facilities Leadership and Academic Lead to shape the Centre’s future - driving innovation, strengthening partnerships, and promoting the NIC as a leader in the imaging community. This is an exciting opportunity to influence how world-class imaging supports cutting-edge research at King’s.

This is a full-time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered an indefinite contract.

Research staff at King’s are entitled to at least 10 days per year (pro-rata) for professional development. This entitlement, from the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, applies to Postdocs, Research Assistants, Research and Teaching Technicians, Teaching Fellows and AEP equivalent up to and including grade 7. Visit the Centre for Research Staff Development for more information.

About you

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

Essential criteria

1.      PhD qualified in relevant subject area, or equivalent experience gained in a research setting.

2.      Extensive expertise in light microscopy techniques for biological applications using widefield, laser scanning, spinning disk, multiphoton and super-resolution - including experience with image acquisition, data processing, analysis, equipment maintenance and troubleshooting.

3.      Strong operational management skills, including oversight of complex resources, health and safety compliance, people management, budgetary control, and reporting.

4.      Experience working in microscopy facilities or similar environments, including training users across a range of skills levels, and a strong commitment to service delivery, user support, quality assurance and high attention to detail.

5.      Experience/familiarity with general sample preparation and labelling techniques for light microscopy, including live cell imaging applications.

6.      Excellent written and verbal communication skills including the ability to negotiate and influence others.

7.      Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders, including students, academic, clinical, and administrative staff, and industry partners.

8.      Strong organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise and manage tasks effectively within a team and work effectively under pressure in a dynamic environment with shifting priorities.

Desirable criteria

1.      Good research track record in biological microscopy and/or cell biology.

2.      Knowledge of HE institutions and how funding is obtained. Experience of contributing to applications for equipment grants.

3.      Previous experience in a UK HE institution

4.      Experience with intravital imaging and STORM/PALM super-resolution imaging including sample preparation.

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 page. 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.

As part of this commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and through this appointment process, it is our aim to develop candidate pools that include applicants from all backgrounds and communities.

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.