NHS

Principal Physicist for Radiotherapy IT


Pay61,631.00 - 68,623.00 / year
LocationSutton/England
Employment typePart-Time

This job is now closed

  • Job Description

      Req#: C9282-25-0701?language=en&page=140&sort=publicationDateDesc

      Job summary

      We are looking for an enthusiastic IT specialist to join the Radiotherapy Physics group at band 8a at the Sutton branch of the Royal Marsden Hospital, working 0.5 FTE. This post is intended to help clinical physicists in the department to support radiotherapy-specialist IT and would suit someone with strong IT skills and some knowledge of radiotherapy. HCPC registration as a clinical scientist would be an advantage but is not required. An appointment may be made at a lower band for a less qualified candidate.

      The Radiotherapy Department in Sutton has 5 Elekta linacs, an Elekta Unity MR-Linac, two Accuray Radixact units and a Cyberknife S7. Treatment planning on conventional linacs and Radixact is performed using the RayStation treatment planning system, with most treatment sites planned using a VMAT technique in a highly developed scripting environment. We have established workflows for robust optimisation, 4DCT, plan-of-the-day adaptive and breathhold techniques. Multimodality imaging (CT, PET-CT, MR) is used for planning of several treatment sites. Recent clinical development work has included developing planning and quality control techniques for helical delivery on our new Radixact units. As would be expected, the IT setup is complex, with management shared between radiotherapy physics and the hospital IT department with which we have an excellent relationship.

      Main duties of the job

      1.1. The post holder will be expected to participate actively and creatively in all IT matters within the clinical Radiotherapy Physics Group in Sutton. The postholder will help to ensure the provision of the best possible IT service to radiotherapy and radiotherapy physics, responding to immediate concerns and developing longer-term improvements.1.2. The post holder will support increasing IT skills throughout the radiotherapy physics department, taking every opportunity to support colleagues to learn the skills for the project in which they are involved.

      1.3. The post holder will conduct maintenance and QC activities on IT equipment, and supervise of any repair work.1.4. The postholder will ensure the highest level of communication between physicists, oncologists, technicians and radiographer staff.1.5. Key working relationships are with the Head of Translational Radiotherapy Physics, who is the Trust lead for radiotherapy physics IT, radiotherapy physicists, pre-treatment and treatment radiographers, radiotherapy engineers, RM Digital and suppliers.1.6. The post holder will also be expected to keep abreast of the latest IT developments and to propose changes to IT infrastructure as appropriate.1.7. The post holder will participate in the evaluation, selection and commissioning of new IT equipment or systems and work closely with the Head of Radiotherapy Physics and other leaders as relevant.

      About us

      The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is a world-leading cancer centre. Our role is to offer our patients the best cancer care available anywhere in the world, and to continue to make a global contribution to finding better ways of diagnosing and treating cancer. We employ over 4,500 staff in a diverse range of careers including nursing, medical, science, radiography, pharmacy, occupational therapy, finance and administrative services. We have two hospitals - one in Chelsea, London, and one in Sutton, Surrey - as well as a Medical Daycare Unit in Kingston Hospital.

      At The Royal Marsden, we deal with cancer every day, so we understand how valuable life is. When people entrust their lives to us, they have the right to demand the very best. That's why the pursuit of excellence lies at the heart of everything we do.

      At the heart of the hospital is our dedicated team. We offer a stimulating and dynamic working environment, a wide range of staff benefits, learning and development opportunities and clear career pathways. There are opportunities to work flexibly across a range of areas and specialities and we welcome flexible working requests from point of hire to support employees work life balance. We are looking for employees who aspire to excellence, share our values and can play a crucial role in our on-going achievements.

      Details

      Date posted

      31 July 2025

      Pay scheme

      Agenda for change

      Band

      Band 8a

      Salary

      £61,631 to £68,623 a year PER ANNUM PRO RATA

      Contract

      Permanent

      Working pattern

      Part-time

      Reference number

      282-SB718

      Job locations

      The Royal Marsden Sutton

      Sutton

      SM2 5PT


      Job description

      Job responsibilities

      For further information please refer to the job description and personal specification

      • Lead IT staff in the Radiotherapy Physics Group to provide timely and appropriate responses to IT problems, under guidance of senior leaders.
      • Under the strategic direction of the Head of Translational Radiotherapy Physics, develop the IT service for staff in radiotherapy and radiotherapy physics.
      • Be responsible for the maintenance and development of all treatment planning scripts.
      • Participate in the daily monitoring of all IT systems and supporting users in addressing those issues and other day-to-day IT matters.
      • Set and maintain high standards in the safe and effective use of IT in the radiotherapy environment.
      • Ensure Radiotherapy Physics IT facilities and practices are of a high standard, and comply with national regulations, codes of practice, professional guidelines, Trust and other requirements.
      • Ensure that IT equipment is properly maintained through updates, backup and archiving.
      • Support developments in every area of radiotherapy physics by assisting with IT elements
      Job description

      Job responsibilities

      For further information please refer to the job description and personal specification

      • Lead IT staff in the Radiotherapy Physics Group to provide timely and appropriate responses to IT problems, under guidance of senior leaders.
      • Under the strategic direction of the Head of Translational Radiotherapy Physics, develop the IT service for staff in radiotherapy and radiotherapy physics.
      • Be responsible for the maintenance and development of all treatment planning scripts.
      • Participate in the daily monitoring of all IT systems and supporting users in addressing those issues and other day-to-day IT matters.
      • Set and maintain high standards in the safe and effective use of IT in the radiotherapy environment.
      • Ensure Radiotherapy Physics IT facilities and practices are of a high standard, and comply with national regulations, codes of practice, professional guidelines, Trust and other requirements.
      • Ensure that IT equipment is properly maintained through updates, backup and archiving.
      • Support developments in every area of radiotherapy physics by assisting with IT elements

      Person Specification

      Qualifications

      Essential

      • Good (1st or 2nd class) Honours degree in a relevant subject
      • MSc in relevant subject (or equivalent)

      Desirable

      • PhD in relevant subject (or equivalent)

      Registration

      Desirable

      • HCPC registration as a Clinical Scientist

      Scientific Technical Skills

      Essential

      • Significant experience and knowledge of radiotherapy with particular reference to IT
      • Extensive knowledge of scripting in a Radiotherapy Planning system
      • Extensive knowledge of working on large scale software projects
      • Experience of IT project management
      • Significant experience of programming, ideally including python

      Desirable

      • Extensive knowledge of operating systems, networks, and database and storage management
      • Experience of the management of radiotherapyspecific IT systems such as treatment planning systems and oncology information systems.

      Clinical

      Essential

      • Knowledge of clinical issues and their implications for radiotherapy physics practices relating to IT

      Managerial

      Essential

      • Experience of managing scientific projects
      • Able to prioritise and manage own work
      • Able to exercise own initiative when dealing with issues within own specialist area of competence

      Mental

      Essential

      • Able to concentrate frequently when subject to unpredictable working patterns.
      • Able to concentrate for prolonged periods (e.g. performing lengthy upgrade operations)
      • Able to deal with complex and unpredictable situations while maintaining a calm manner and professional standard.
      • Able to deal with occasional distressing circumstances (e.g. working with patients having advanced cancer in Radiotherapy)

      Communication

      Essential

      • Able to present scientific abstracts at national and international conferences and publish papers in relevant, peer reviewed journals.
      • Able to train groups of other multi-disciplinary professional staff
      • Able to deal with complex and unpredictable situations

      Environmental

      Desirable

      • Understanding of hazards and precautions needed with: 1. Ionising radiation 2. Lasers 3. Electrical hazards, including high voltage
      Person Specification

      Qualifications

      Essential

      • Good (1st or 2nd class) Honours degree in a relevant subject
      • MSc in relevant subject (or equivalent)

      Desirable

      • PhD in relevant subject (or equivalent)

      Registration

      Desirable

      • HCPC registration as a Clinical Scientist

      Scientific Technical Skills

      Essential

      • Significant experience and knowledge of radiotherapy with particular reference to IT
      • Extensive knowledge of scripting in a Radiotherapy Planning system
      • Extensive knowledge of working on large scale software projects
      • Experience of IT project management
      • Significant experience of programming, ideally including python

      Desirable

      • Extensive knowledge of operating systems, networks, and database and storage management
      • Experience of the management of radiotherapyspecific IT systems such as treatment planning systems and oncology information systems.

      Clinical

      Essential

      • Knowledge of clinical issues and their implications for radiotherapy physics practices relating to IT

      Managerial

      Essential

      • Experience of managing scientific projects
      • Able to prioritise and manage own work
      • Able to exercise own initiative when dealing with issues within own specialist area of competence

      Mental

      Essential

      • Able to concentrate frequently when subject to unpredictable working patterns.
      • Able to concentrate for prolonged periods (e.g. performing lengthy upgrade operations)
      • Able to deal with complex and unpredictable situations while maintaining a calm manner and professional standard.
      • Able to deal with occasional distressing circumstances (e.g. working with patients having advanced cancer in Radiotherapy)

      Communication

      Essential

      • Able to present scientific abstracts at national and international conferences and publish papers in relevant, peer reviewed journals.
      • Able to train groups of other multi-disciplinary professional staff
      • Able to deal with complex and unpredictable situations

      Environmental

      Desirable

      • Understanding of hazards and precautions needed with: 1. Ionising radiation 2. Lasers 3. Electrical hazards, including high voltage

      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.

      UK Registration

      Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

      Additional information

      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.

      UK Registration

      Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

      Employer details

      Employer name

      The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust

      Address

      The Royal Marsden Sutton

      Sutton

      SM2 5PT


      Employer's website

      https://www.royalmarsden.nhs.uk/working-royal-marsden (Opens in a new tab)

      Employer details

      Employer name

      The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust

      Address

      The Royal Marsden Sutton

      Sutton

      SM2 5PT


      Employer's website

      https://www.royalmarsden.nhs.uk/working-royal-marsden (Opens in a new tab)

  • About the company

      National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly-funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). The founding principles were that services should be comprehensive, universal and free at the point of delivery—a health service based on clinical need, not ability to pay. Each service provides a comprehensive range of health services, free at the point of use for people ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom apart from dental treatment and optical care.

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