Company Profile
Diamond Light Source is the UK's national synchrotron. It works like a giant microscope, harnessing the power of electrons to produce bright light that scientists can use to study anything from fossils to jet engines to viruses and vaccines.
The machine accelerates electrons to near light speeds so that they give off light 10 billion times brighter than the sun. These bright beams are then directed off into laboratories known as "beamlines". Here, scientists use the light to study a vast range of subject matter, from new medicines and treatments for disease to innovative engineering and cutting-edge technology.
Whether it's fragments of ancient paintings or unknown virus structures, at the synchrotron, scientists can study their samples using a machine that is 10,000 times more powerful than a traditional microscope.
Diamond is one of the most advanced scientific facilities in the world, and its pioneering capabilities are helping to keep the UK at the forefront of scientific research. To support ground breaking science Diamond needs world class equipment and much of this is designed and built by Engineers working at Diamond.
The process of designing and building equipment for use at Diamond is very similar to the process followed by any engineer designing special purpose machinery but with perhaps the requirements being rather more extreme than is typical. For example the equipment may have to operate at cryogenic temperatures, operate in vacuum levels similar to that for satellites, and move with nanometre precision.
We are looking for Mechanical and Electrical Engineers from fresh Engineering graduates to more experienced engineers. Although Diamond is the only synchrotron in the UK, there are many synchrotrons throughout the world. The skills and experience engineers develop at Diamond are applicable to not only other Synchrotrons but other large scientific facilities and indeed to other companies that design special purpose machinery.
Achieving a good work/life balance is helped by our rural location, just 20 minutes from Oxford and 15 minutes from Didcot. London and Heathrow are less than an hour away.
At Diamond we offer our employees a generous annual leave scheme and the opportunity to work flexibly, whether part-time, job-share or utilising flexi-time. We provide an index linked career average public sector pension, which includes life cover; and enable our employees to utilise the government approved cycle-to-work scheme.
We are committed to the ongoing professional development of our employees through the support of appropriate courses and other forms of learning, as well as providing financial support of professional subscriptions.
We are an equal opportunities employer and value the diversity of our employees. We are committed to providing equality of opportunity, and have attained the Athena Swan Charter Bronze Award for our commitment to gender equality.