Materials Technician - Ceramics Job in Lancashire

Lancashire

Salary £27k+ negotiable salary 

Our client is a leading manufacturer of high-end sanitaryware sold in the UK, US and globally. Established over 125 years, they focus on high quality products using their unique process where each piece is hand-crafted. 

Due to high demand, they are seeking a highly organised and detail-oriented Materials Laboratory Technician to join their team. 

The role primarily focuses on overseeing quality control regimes, specifically for raw materials (clay), pre-mix for production (slip) and a variety of glazes; also monitoring material trends in the laboratory and on the shopfloor, and supporting continuous improvement initiatives through production trials, data gathering, data analysis and process improvement actions. 

You will also be responsible for ensuring that plant wastewater / effluent is kept to the relevant environmental standards. 

Key responsibilities:

Inspection of raw materials as per specification and feedback to Quality Supervisor.

Specification and quality of mixed materials prior to use in production.

Specification and quality of daily materials used across the factory.

Maintain and monitor quality control results, including the identification of unusual data.

Develop testing as material understanding and business needs change.

Support within the manufacturing process, ensuring lab SOPs are kept up to date.

Assist with any special projects required by the Quality Supervisor and Operations Manager.

Total management of Calibration System.

Plant effluent (environmental) control. Wastewater treatment monitoring and sharing of test results with Quality and EHSS.

Carry out material continuous improvement projects. 

Candidate:

Materials Science or Chemistry based background and related qualifications.

Previous relevant laboratory experience in a manufacturing environment.

Strong knowledge and understanding of ceramic materials.

Experience of a range of laboratory testing techniques for materials, such as heat, pressure and viscosity, as well as basic analytical chemistry.

Must be confident to fix issues on the factory floor, use of initiative.

Able to report results, data and problems with raw materials to the management team on a daily basis.

Well-rounded IT skills with a good understanding of the MS Office suite, particularly MS Excel for data analytics and MS PowerPoint for reporting.

Autonomous, pro-active, and not afraid to get your hands dirty!

Awareness of BS EN ISO 9001:2015 an advantage.

Driving Licence / own transport required due to remote location.