Job summary
- Main area
- Radiotherapy Physicists
- Grade
- Band 8a
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 384-SB-EMF19808
- Employer
- Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Royal Surrey County Hospital
- Town
- Guildford
- Salary
- £57,888 - £64,880 Per annum (pro rata) inc HCAS
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 06/02/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Senior Clinical Scientist (Radiotherapy)
Band 8a
Job overview
Senior Clinical Scientist (Radiotherapy) – Band 8A (or Band 7 Development Role)
Location: Royal Surrey County Hospital – St Luke’s Cancer Centre
Department: Oncology & Medical Physics
Are you ready to take your expertise in radiotherapy physics to the next level? Join our nationally recognised cancer centre and play a pivotal role in shaping advanced radiotherapy services that make a real difference to patient care.
Why This Role?
- Impactful Work: You’ll provide senior scientific support across two specialist areas—Treatment Planning, Brachytherapy, and Dosimetry—helping deliver safe, cutting-edge treatments.
- Innovation & Research: Be at the forefront of clinical development, lead research projects, and publish your findings internationally.
- Leadership & Growth: Mentor junior colleagues, influence service development, and contribute to national audits and trials.
- Flexibility: Work across Guildford and Redhill sites with a dynamic schedule that supports clinical needs.
Main duties of the job
What You’ll Do
- Act as a Medical Physics Expert (MPE) under IRMER 2017 within your scope of practice.
- Deliver and develop services in brachytherapy (I-125 seeds, HDR), external beam treatment planning, and/or radiation dosimetry & QA.
- Commission new technologies, optimise complex treatment plans, and ensure compliance with national standards.
- Collaborate with oncologists, radiographers, and technical teams to solve complex clinical challenges.
- Drive innovation through research, development, and teaching.
What We’re Looking For
- HCPC-registered Clinical Scientist
- Registered as an MPE with RPA2000 (or working towards it for the development role).
- Advanced knowledge and experience in radiotherapy physics, with specialism in at least two areas (planning, dosimetry, brachytherapy).
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
- Passion for continuous improvement, development and teaching.
Working for our organisation
Royal Surrey is a compassionate and collaborative acute and community Trust. Recognising that our 5000 colleagues are our greatest strength, we offer a comprehensive health and wellbeing program along with a commitment to developing and advancing your career. Our diverse and welcoming Royal Surrey family will ensure you that you feel valued from your initial interview through your entire tenure.
We are clinically led and provide joined up care by bridging the gap between hospital and community services alongside regional specialist cancer care. Our main acute hospital site is in Guildford with community hospital sites at Milford, Haslemere and Cranleigh. We provide adult community health services in homes across Guildford and Waverley.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) have given us an overall rating of Outstanding.
Royal Surrey has a strong reputation and history to build on. We are proud of our achievements and we are investing in our colleagues through our commitment to supporting professional development as well as investing more than £45 million in our physical environment and new equipment in the next few years. There has never been a better time to join us.
Although it isn't the Trusts normal practice, adverts may close early, so you are encouraged to submit an application as soon as possible.
A video about the Royal Surrey - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R96pMboIYdo
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The postholder is responsible for:
· Specialising in two of the following areas:
o Contributing to the provision and development of the Brachytherapy I-125 seeds and HDR services, and the contact radiotherapy service (see 3.1).
o Contributing to the provision and development of the Radiotherapy Treatment Planning service (see 3.2).
o Contributing to the provision and development of the Radiation Dosimetry and Quality Assurance service (see 3.3).
· Providing senior scientific support within the radiotherapy physics service, when required, acting as a Medical Physics Expert under the Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations 2017 (IRMER2017) within their scope of practice.
· Participating in the research and development activities of the department
· Participating in teaching, training and staff development
Based at Guildford, working on two sites (Guildford and Redhill) is required. Secondment to the satellite unit will normally be less than 25% of working time. The postholder will work flexibly to accommodate clinical need within the hours of 07:00 to 20:00, including bank holiday and weekend working as required.
What We can offer
· We value work life balance and offer a 9 day fortnight for all senior staff
· Hybrid on and off site working (service dependent)
· A Golden Hello of up to £3000 for candidates joining the Radiotherapy Physics Team with HCPC and MPE registration (Terms and conditions apply)
Potential Applicants are encouraged to call or visit the department to discuss the position.
Please refer to the attached JD for further information.
Please contact Melanie Cunningham, Acting Head of Radiotherapy Physics ([email protected]. 01483 406650)
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Good B.Sc.(Hons) degree in Ohysics or relevant subject
- MSc in Medical Physics (or related subject)
- HCPC registered Clinical Scientist
- Registered Medical Physics Expert under IR(ME)R in the field of Radiotherapy/Brachytherapy
Desirable criteria
- PhD in Radiotherapy Physics, or equivalent scientific experience
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Experience and advanced specialist knowledge of a wide area of radiotherapy physics (typically that accrued over no less than 5 years of varied experience).
- Advanced theoretical and practical knowledge of the field of ionising radiation.
- Specialist knowledge of 3D computerised systems and complex mathematical calculation algorithms.
- Good knowledge of external beam and/or brachytherapy treatment planning systems and algorithms, including necessary quality assurance procedures.
- Good knowledge and experience in the area of Brachytherapy
- Good knowledge and experience in the use of specialist testing and measurement equipment to monitor the performance and safety of modern radiotherapy treatment machines
- Up-to-date experience and expert knowledge in at least one of the areas of treatment planning, dosimetry or brachytherapy (typically that accrued over no less than 2 years specialist experience).
- Advanced theoretical and practical knowledge of clinical issues/procedures and their implications for radiotherapy physics practices
- Advanced knowledge of clinical procedures in radiotherapy
- High level of knowledge of patient and staff risks arising from exposure to ionising radiation.
- In depth knowledge of anatomy and disease states relevant to Oncology practice
- Broad expert knowledge of other areas of medical physics e.g. Radiology, Nuclear Medicine, MRI and Ultrasound.
- Knowledge of patient and staff risks arising from equipment failure or operator error.
- In-depth knowledge and understanding of relevant legislation, regulations, national standards, professional codes of practice and other guidelines.
- Understanding of hazards posed by and precautions needed with ionising and non-ionising radiation and electrical, material, biological and mechanical hazards
- Advanced theoretical and practical knowledge to act as a Medical Physics Expert (MPE) under IR(ME)R in the field of radiotherapy/brachytherapy.
- Corporate Member of the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (or equivalent)
- Registered for Continuing Professional Development
Desirable criteria
- Good understanding of a range of medical imaging techniques relevant to treatment planning
- Knowledge of correctional strategies for intra/interfraction variations and role of IGRT
- Experience of various Radiotherapy Clinical Trials
- Experience of leading and managing projects
- Experience of working in or supporting research in the clinical environment
- Experience in teaching and training.
- Experience of SABR planning and delivery
- Aria/Eclipse experience
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Melanie Cunningham
- Job title
- Acting Head of Radiotherapy Physics
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01483 406650
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