Strood Academy is seeking to appoint a passionate and motivated Science Technician to provide technical support and assistance to our busy department. Our technicians play a key role in the smooth day to day running of our departments so it is essential that our successful candidate is confident in providing technical assistance and student support in a classroom environment within this subject area. We are open to receiving applications from those who are at the beginning of their career, perhaps a university graduate who has just completed a Science degree and looking for school experience. Strood Academy are proud of their large and highly successful Science department and are keen to offer the successful candidate the training and development needed to thrive in this role. What we are looking for in our successful Technician: An academic qualification, at least to A Level but preferably to degree level, within the science remit If not an academic qualification, then experience working within a science-related role would certainly be sufficient Practical experience within a school environment would be advantageous, but not essential Good organisation and communication skills The ability to work well as part of a team as well as independently What we can offer in return: An excellent opportunity for those strongly considering a career in teaching as training routes may be made available in the future The opportunity to work within a faculty where our teaching staff are incredibly passionate about their subject area The opportunity for training and development Duties will include setting up equipment in a laboratory environment for practical lessons, the safe disposal of chemicals, responsibility for ionisation and radioactive materials, stock taking, retrieving and putting away equipment along with any other duties deemed necessary by the faculty. Ideally, candidates should possess a good working knowledge of COSHH & CLEAPSS in order to maintain compliance with Health and Safety Regulations at the academy. The basis of this role is permanent, Term Time + 1 week inset, 37 hours per week with an actual salary £19,882 - £25,613 per annum (£23,114 - £29,777 full time equivalent), commensurate with experience. However, we can be receptive to those seeking more flexibility and part-time hours can be discussed as a part of our interview process. Working for Strood Academy: Since opening in 2009, our academy has transformed the educational opportunities and outcomes for girls and boys in Strood. The improvement in academic performance has been driven by a talented and committed workforce, the hard work of our students, and support from parents and our community. Our new buildings in Carnation Road were designed in partnership with Nicholas Hare and built by BAM as our main contractor at a cost of £26m. They opened in September 2012 and have outstanding learning environments and outside play areas as well as fantastic sports facilities. The buildings reflect our education vision of creating a mature and purposeful educational environment where children of all abilities can learn and thrive. Our vision is to be an inclusive community where we are all kind, respectful and resilient in our journey towards excellence. Our students thrive through an enriching and diverse curriculum that offers a global perspective, empowering all to become inquisitive lifelong learners. Being part of Leigh Academies Trust: As of 1st September 2022, our Trust comprises 30 geographically organised academies (14 secondaries, 14 primaries and 2 special) educating 20,000 students, and employing 3,000 talented staff. The Trust is establishing four ‘clusters’ of academies: North Kent; Central Kent; South East London; Medway. In addition, the Trust is responsible for one of the region’s biggest initial teaching training organisations, a large teaching school hub and is an accredited apprenticeship provider. Our future plans are found in our Vision 2030 document available on our website. As part of Leigh Academies Trust, you will have ample opportunity to collaborate with your peers both within the academy and across the whole Trust. This is an important part of our vision as we know through experience that we perform better when we work together. You are supported to undertake regular self-development to continue your professional development and hopefully progress further within the organisation. Our commitment to safeguarding: Leigh Academies Trust and all of our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our pupils, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We adopt a fair, robust and consistent recruitment process across all academies and business units which is inline with Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance. This includes online checks for shortlisted candidates - you can read more about this in our Recruitment Guidance. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, references, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check. Our commitment to equality and diversity: As a Trust, we are passionate about diversity and recognise that as individuals, we all bring something unique to the role regardless of any protected characteristics which is why we treat all of our people equally, without compromise. We are committed to providing equality and fairness throughout our recruitment and employment practices and not discriminating on any grounds.