Deputy Head of Brachytherapy Physics
New Yesterday
Main area Division B-Radiotherapy Physics Grade Band 8a Contract Permanent: Full Time or Part Time/ Flexible working hours may be considered Hours
- Full time
- Flexible working
37.5 hours per week Job ref 180-B-254244
Employer Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Addenbrookes Hospital-Division B Town Cambridge Salary £55,690 - £62,682 p.a. pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 21/12/2025 23:59
Job overview
This job provides MPE-level support to the brachytherapy service at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS foundation Trust.
The Radiotherapy Physics provides a comprehensive Physics service to the Addenbrooke’s Oncology Centre ensuring the safe and accurate use of high dose ionising radiation to treat patients with cancer, whilst maintaining a safe environment for other patients, visitors and staff.
Our physicists, technicians and radiographer work closely with Oncology staff to provide a wide range of scientific and technical advice and support for all radiotherapy treatments. Routine clinical work includes radiotherapy treatment planning and related dosimetry the provision of brachytherapy, and the manufacture of immobilisation and shielding equipment for patients. Extensive support is provided to radiotherapy equipment. This incorporates the design of facilities; the management of computer systems, the design and management of software; and the commissioning, servicing and quality control of Linear Accelerators, Orthovoltage units, Brachytherapy units and CT-simulators. All the division’s work and related dosimetry are monitored and assured to nationally and internationally agreed specifications and legal requirements.
We are also responsible for providing radiotherapy physics advice and support to two University Departments (Veterinary Medicine and Pathology).
Main duties of the job
The main duties are:
- HDR treatment planning and checking
- LDR treatment planning and checking
- Supporting regulatory compliance
- Teaching and training different staff groups
- Implementation of new techniques
Working for our organization
Our Trust
Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) NHS Foundation Trust comprises Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the Rosie Hospital in Cambridge. With over 13,000 staff and over 1100 beds the priorities of the Trust focus on a quality service which is all about people – patients, staff and partners. Recognised as providing ‘outstanding’ care to our patients and rated ‘Good’ overall by the Care Quality Commissioner, is testament to the skill and dedication of the people who work here. CUH’s values – Together - Safe, Kind, Excellent – are at the heart of patient care, defining the way all staff work and behave. The Trust provides accessible high-quality healthcare for the local people of Cambridge, together with specialist services, dealing with rare or complex conditions for a regional, national and international population.
CUH is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community - a place where we can all be ourselves. We value our differences and fully advocate and support an inclusive working environment where every individual can fulfil their potential. We want to ensure our people are truly representative of all the communities that we serve. We welcome applications for all positions in the organization irrespective of people’s age, disability, ethnicity, race, nationality, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage and civil partnership status, or pregnancy and maternity status or social economic background.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see the attached Applicant Information Pack (combined Job Description and Person Specification) for key duties and responsibilities.
Due to Home Office immigration rules, a full time permanent vacancy cannot be filled by individuals on a Student visa. Therefore, please be advised that if you are a Student visa holder, we will not be able to offer you a full time permanent contract unless you have:
- applied for a Graduate visa
- or you will have successfully completed your course and have applied for a Graduate visa before the anticipated start date of your employment
- or the Trust has agreed that they will Sponsor you as a Skilled Worker and you will complete your studies within 3 months of the anticipated start date of employment.
For NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough based roles, all applicants from NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough who have identified that they are at risk of redundancy will be prioritised over those not at risk. However, interviews cannot be guaranteed.
This vacancy will close at midnight on 21st December 2025
Interviews are due to be held on 26th January 2025
Why choose Cambridge University Hospitals?
- Our values and reputation for outstanding care
- Opportunities to experience a range of specialities
- Career and development opportunities
- Preceptorship and mentoring programmes delivered by a dedicated clinical education support team
- Research experience and opportunities
- Lovely location and quality of life
- Excellent schools/colleges and transport links (road, rail and air)
Benefits to you
- At Cambridge University Hospitals, we want to do all we can to support good working days. We offer development opportunities and a wide range of benefits, including on-site leisure facilities, shopping concourse and day nurseries. Our good work programme currently includes providing reduced cost Stagecoach bus travel to and from Cambridge University Hospital site. Park and Ride bus journeys between Babraham Road and Trumpington sites are free, as is the route to and from Cambridge train station and our hospitals. We also subsidise the cost of parking on site for eligible staff.
- On CUH campus, hot food is available 24/7 and at a reduced cost for colleagues. Recently we launched the first of our staff pod break spaces. Located in the Deakin Centre, we have a purpose-created colleague-only café, with free tea and coffee, a break space and private outside area for colleagues to rest, refuel and recharge. Just one of the ways we are working hard to support good working days at CUH.
- CUH is committed to assisting employees in achieving a good work-life balance irrespective of role or personal circumstances. Flexible arrangements may include, but are not limited to, part-time working, job-share, term-time working and flexible start and finish times.
- Please note if you would like to discuss the required hours of this role further, you should approach the contact given. In some cases, alternative working hours will be considered.
- We welcome applications from the Armed Forces.
Person specification
Qualifications
- Good (1st or 2nd class) Honours degree in a relevant subject
- MSc in radiation Physics [or equivalent]
- IPEM Certificate of completion of Post-qualification Higher Training or equivalent (e.g. STP)
- HCPC registration as a Clinical Scientist
- PhD
Experience
- Post-registration experience in applying this knowledge to complex situations in radiotherapy.
- Specialist experience in the use of specialist testing equipment employed to measure the safety and performance of very complex, patient-critical radiotherapy equipment.
- Evidence of research and development (e.g. publications)
Knowledge
- Specialist theoretical and practical knowledge of the physics of ionising radiation with specific application to radiotherapy.
- Specialist extensive knowledge of the techniques employed to measure radiation doses, undertake quality control radiation equipment, and produce and check radiotherapy treatment plans.
- High level of understanding of the beneficial and detrimental effects of radiation on patients.
- Advance knowledge of the theory and practical aspects of ionising radiation applied to cancer treatments.
- High level of understanding in interpreting cross sectional images of patients used in treatment planning.
- Broad level of understanding of the roles of the radiotherapy radiographers and clinicians.
- Knowledge and experience at a level required to act as a Medical Physics Expert under the Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposures) Regulations 2017 within the field of Radiotherapy.
- Knowledge of employment procedures and practices.
- Working knowledge of relevant legislation, national standards, professional and other guidelines
- [eg IRR2017, IR(ME)R2017, ISO 9001, IPEM codes of practice, IPEM report 81 etc]
- Understand hazards posed by, and precautions needed to deal with: Ionising radiation, Electrical hazards, COSSH, Manual Handling
- Understanding of inner workings of DICOM and other imaging formats
Skills
- Extensive skills in aspects of computerised radiotherapy (or brachytherapy where relevant) treatment equipment including treatment units, treatment planning software, and radiotherapy management systems.
- Routine, and regularly advanced, knowledge of Excel, Word, Access etc to set up and manipulate documents and spreadsheets and to adapt, extract and present information. Able to set up and manage the acquisition and structure of information.
- Manual dexterity: ability to make precise measurements using sophisticated testing equipment to sub-millimetre accuracy.
- Able to lift medium weight testing instrument cases.
- Able to move objects over 15 kilos for short periods.
- Able to frequently concentrate for prolonged periods
- Able to deal with occasional distressing circumstances
- Able to communicate complex information [eg postgraduate level physics material to other professional groups]
- Able to present scientific papers at national and international conferences
- Able to train groups of other professional staff. Able to deliver teaching and training on complex subjects
- Able to prioritise and manage own work
- Able to exercise own initiative when dealing with issues within own specialist area of competence.
- Able to supervise the work of others, and act as mentor.
- Able to deal with complex and unpredictable situations
- Able to make judgements, which will have a direct impact upon patients’ radiotherapy treatments and the operation of treatment machines, based upon occasionally highly complex and conflicting sets of facts
Additional Requirements
- The ability to understand and behave at all times, towards patients, visitors and colleagues according to the Trust values of safe, kind, excellent.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
- Location:
- Cambridge
- Salary:
- £80,000 - £100,000
- Job Type:
- FullTime
- Category:
- Other