Principal Radiotherapy Physicist (Scientific Computing) 8b

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Principal Radiotherapy Physicist (Scientific Computing) The closing date is 06 January 2026

We are looking for a motivated and experienced Medical physicist to join a team of physicists, dosimetrists, engineers and technologists in the provision of Radiotherapy Physics services. You will have specific responsibility for the oversight of Scientific computing within the photon physics team acting as the Medical Physics Expert in that area.

You will have achieved state registration and must be a registered MPE or eligible to apply for MPE status. You will have a proven track record in software development as applied to Radiotherapy, project management experience and a good working knowledge of Quality Management Systems.

You will have a solid background all aspects of Radiotherapy Physics; External beam treatment planning techniques; Radiotherapy machine quality assurance. Knowledge of Brachytherapy would be an advantage but not essential.

Experience in leading and motivating a team is essential as well as a track record in staff training and teaching.

Main duties of the job The main purpose of this post is to provide senior oversight of the work of the Photon Physics team within the Radiotherapy Physics group. The main area of responsibility will be in the management of software development and oversight of integration of software into the clinic.Close liaison with the radiotherapy radiographers, clinical oncologists and the Clinical Scientific Computing group is expected for the ongoing delivery of the Radiotherapy service.

The post holder will act as a Medical Physics Expert, as defined in IR(ME)R 2017. The postholder will also be expected to support the 8B Lead Physicists for dosimetry and quality assurance, brachytherapy, IGRT and Treatment Planning.

The successful candidate will support the Group Lead for Radiotherapy Physics in management of the photon physics team and deputise in their absence. The individual will act as a mentor for the team and take a lead role in service developments appropriate to their area of responsibility. Supporting the ongoing research strategy of the trust will be key with close liaison with UCL and other academic and industry partners.

About us University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) is one of the most complex NHS trusts in the UK, serving a large and diverse population. We provide academically led acute and specialist services, to people from the local area, from throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. Our vision is to deliver top-quality patient care, excellent education, and world-class research.

We provide first-class acute and specialist services across eight sites:

• University College Hospital (incorporating the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing)
• National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery
• Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals
• University College Hospital Grafton Way Building
• Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine
• University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre
• The Hospital for Tropical Diseases
• University College Hospital at Westmoreland Street

We are dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of many complex illnesses. UCLH specialises in women's health and the treatment of cancer, infection, neurological, gastrointestinal and oral disease. It has world class support services including critical care, imaging, nuclear medicine and pathology.

We are committed to sustainability and have pledged to become a carbon net zero health service, embedding sustainable practice throughout UCLH. We have set an ambitious target of net zero for our direct emissions by 2031 and indirect emissions by 2040.

Job responsibilities For the full Person Specification and more information regarding the main responsibilities of this role, please refer to the attached Job Description.

The main role of this post is to provide scientific and managerial support within a particular aspect of the work of the Radiotherapy Physics group.

To act as a Medical Physics Expert, as defined in IR(ME)R 2017, to ensure that Trust complies with all safety legislation in the remit of the radiotherapy physics department.

The postholder will work over a range of areas in Radiotherapy Physics and will undergo continual professional development in Radiotherapy and associated techniques.

The post-holder will lead and take responsibility for major developments in the radiotherapy physics service, including equipment specification, acceptance testing and commissioning, managing teams to complete and implement developments to agreed timescales.

The postholder will be responsible for and supervise on a day-to-day basis the development and management of in-house software applications.

The post-holder will deputise for the Leads in the major sub-sections of Treatment Planning and Dosimetry and QA, including day-to-day management of teams to ensure services are delivered as intended.

The post requires handling of highly complex dosimetry equipment to perform and supervise routine calibration and monitoring of highly complex radiation producing equipment.

The post requires the provision of highly specialised advice and guidance, where necessary, to the Radiotherapy Department in matters relating to treatment plans, dosimetry, and radioactive isotope treatments.

The post requires the presentation of clinical data to medical staff and the upholding of legal requirements.

Radiotherapy Physics Services consists of a team of over 80 staff consisting of clinical scientists, dosimetrists and engineers.

The Radiotherapy Physics Section is part of a multi-disciplinary team in the Department of Clinical Oncology, which sees about 2000 new patients per year. The Radiotherapy Department is equipped with four Varian TrueBEAM linear accelerators and one Halcyon machine. The department equipment also includes one orthovoltage unit and an Elekta High Dose Rate Brachytherapy unit. Planning equipment includes a Siemens CT simulator with full 4D imaging capabilities for Respiratory Gated studies. The department offers a variety of specialised treatment services and is continually developing advanced treatment techniques. Treatments offered include: IMRT; Volumetric Arc Therapy; SABR; CT-based TBI; Ultrasoundguided and CT-planned HDR prostate brachytherapy.

UCLH provides one of two national Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) centres for the UK. The proton department is equipped with four Varian ProBEAM gantries with dedicated CT and MR planning. ARIA and Eclipse is in use across both radiotherapy and proton therapy. The proton service is sited within the Trusts campus in the heart of the capital where it enjoys a close collaboration with UCL on ground breaking research projects. The site has direct access to the Trusts existing radiotherapy department and will be a closely located to the University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre.

Come and be a part of the best NHS trust in England to work for, according to our staff

UCLH top trust to work at in England - In the most recent NHS staff survey UCLH had the highest percentage of staff who said they would recommend us as a place to work, out of all general acute or acute/community NHS trusts in England for the third year in a row.

UCLH recognises the benefits of flexible working for staff To find out more, visit: Flexible working.

To discover more about what makes UCLH a great place to work, visit: Why Choose UCLH?

Person Specification Knowledge and Qualifications

• Good First Degree in a Physical Science or equivalent
• Relevant Masters or higher degree
• State Registered Clinical Scientist or eligible
• In depth knowledge of radiotherapy physics
• RPA2000 Certification as a Medical Physics Expert Or Sufficient experience
• Knowledge of appropriate legislation professional and regulatory body reports and guidelines
• Knowledge of 2 or more software development platforms
• Corporate Membership of Professional Institute or eligible

Experience

• Extensive relevant post-graduate experience in Radiotherapy Physics
• Experience with software development , database administration and querying
• In depth experience in Treatment Planning
• Experience of Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy Planning and treatments
• In depth experience in Radiotherapy Dosimetry and Quality Assurance
• Broad experience in the clinical environment
• Experience of Image-Guided Radiotherapy Techniques
• Experience of brachytherapy treatments and Molecular radiotherapy
• Proven record of Research and Development
• Experience of Varian Equipment including ARIA
• Experience with Python, ESAPI, MS applications

Skills and Abilities

• Experience and Knowledge of Quality Management systems
• Experience of various software packages including MS OFFICE
• Ability to organise own workload
• Experience of project management
• Experience of developing ACCESS databases

Personal and People Development

• To Participate in Continuing Professional Development and maintain state registration

Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
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