Applications are invited for an experienced and motivated clinical scientist to act as the lead for scientific computing within radiotherapy physics at The Christie. The applicant is required to have HCPC registration, to have sufficient experience to work as a Medical Physics Expert (MPE) and have experience working in scientific computing as applied to radiotherapy.
The successful applicant will lead a new team to provide a scientific computing service supporting the delivery and development of radiotherapy at The Christie. There will be a significant opportunity to shape the team and the service it provides. Opportunities will be available for development and training in leadership and management skills appropriate to the role.
The successful applicant will work with a wide range of radiotherapy IT systems including treatment planning systems (RayStation, Eclipse, Monaco, Oncentra etc.), oncology management systems (Mosaiq, Aria), and auto-contouring packages including those based on deep-learning models (Limbus, RayStation, ProKnow).
The role will involve some proportion of the individual’s time being spent providing MPE advice to one or more sections within radiotherapy physics including photon radiotherapy, proton radiotherapy, brachytherapy, MR Linac, and radiotherapy imaging. Interaction with all of the teams above is essential in this role to support the scientific computing needs and future development in each area.
Scientific computing support
The successful candidate and their team will deliver scientific computing solutions for a range of radiotherapy physics projects. This will involve coding projects and supporting other members of the physics team in their computing work.
Management of radiotherapy systems
The successful candidate must provide advice and assurance regarding compliance with relevant legislation including that involving software medical devices.
The successful candidate will also be involved in the development of scientific computing infrastructure ensuring it is effective and efficient across the radiotherapy physics group.
Clinical work in RT physics
The successful candidate will provide MPE support as part of the routine clinical rota in at least one specialist area of radiotherapy physics.
Management
The role will involve line management responsibility for other staff and supervision of trainees.
The successful candidate will manage a diverse range of scientific computing projects with varying complexity and priorities.
Research & Development
The successful candidate will be expected to represent The Christie at relevant external meetings and conferences including the presentation and publication of their own work.
Teaching & training
The role will involve specialist teaching on MSc and DClinSci courses in collaboration with the University of Manchester along with the supervision of projects for STP and HSST trainees from The Christie and other institutions.
The Christie is one of Europe’s leading cancer centres, treating over 60,000 patients a year. We are based in Manchester and serve a population of 3.2 million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, but as a national specialist around 15% patients are referred to us from other parts of the country.
We provide radiotherapy through one of the largest radiotherapy departments in the world; chemotherapy on site and through 14 other hospitals; highly specialist surgery for complex and rare cancer; and a wide range of support and diagnostic services. We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years.
We run one of the largest early clinical trial units in Europe with over 300 trials every year. Cancer research in Manchester, most of which is undertaken on the Christie site, has been officially ranked the best in the UK.
1. General
1.1. Ensure all work they carry out complies with current UK legislation for work with ionizing radiation (IRR 2017, IRMER 2017) and the Trust’s ISO 9001-2015 compliant quality system for provision of radiotherapy.
1.2. The post holder must be and must remain registered as a clinical scientist and complete an agreed scheme of continuing professional development (CPD).
1.3. Provide specialist technical advice within the trust for the procurement of high capital value complex clinical equipment.
1.4. The place of work is normally The Christie in Withington, but the post holder may be required to carry out work at other local hospitals with a radiotherapy service.
1.5. Hours are worked flexibly, in agreement with the line manager, to provide round the clock services where necessary to cover the normal range of clinical duties.
2. Scientific Computing Support
2.1. Be responsible for the maintenance and management of a Clinical Software Quality Management System to support the safe and effective delivery of radiotherapy across the Trust.
2.2. Be responsible for the implementation of in-house software (including medical devices), ensuring patient safety and compliance with relevant regulations, standards, and guidance.
2.3. To provide solutions to the day-to-day clinical scientific computing problems encountered by users, offering initial judgements and decisions on the urgency and the support required to deal with the situations and providing a remedy or arranging for appropriate remedial action.
2.4. Develop systems, including software, to increase the efficiency of processes/procedures to reduce delays in treatment and make best use of staff resources.
2.5. Lead on Medical Physics input to AI activities across the Trust, working closely with clinical, technical, academic and industry colleagues as required.
2.6. Ensure effective and efficient adoption of AI and other digital health technologies, in a way that is compliant with relevant regulations, standards and guidance.
2.7. When required, develop bespoke software and hardware solutions for specific clinical settings in a way that is safe, legally compliant, and effective, for example using open-source software within an appropriate framework.
2.8. Provide support and expert advice for the procurement of relevant hardware and software and associated site requirements. Support strategic planning for new technologies based on understanding of clinical need, technology and standards.
2.9. Organise and provide quality assurance of radiotherapy datasets and data sources.
3. Management of Radiotherapy Systems
3.1. Contribute to the provision of relevant strategies, policies, procedures, quality standards and risk assessments relating to the development, evaluation, deployment and management of clinical software and systems in the light of complex legislation, guidelines, standards, and practices, taking account of clinical experience and highly specialist scientific knowledge.
3.2. Participate in the management, development, and optimisation of advanced clinical computing systems in radiotherapy, e.g. Treatment Planning Systems, Oncology Management Systems, Auto-contouring tools etc.
3.3. To provide specialist clinical technical services required to support clinical computing systems and their integration, maintaining and developing experience in that area.
3.4. Perform troubleshooting for faults on highly complex information systems and make decisions on whether faults require immediate remedial action. Work and liaise with manufacturer’s engineering and technical staff to identify and rectify faults to minimise system down time. Train other staff in aspects of fault-finding and rectification and ensure that written procedures are available for dealing with common fault situations.
3.5. Work and liaise with trust IT and digital services to support clinical and scientific computing services.
4. Clinical work in Radiotherapy Physics
4.1. Act as required in the role of Medical Physics Expert (MPE) under IR(ME)R in one or more areas of Radiotherapy Physics. Provide expert advice to other professional groups on both patient specific issues and on matters of clinical service provision and development.
4.2. To interpret national and international guidelines concerning the work of the Radiotherapy Physics section and implement protocols to keep the section’s work in line with recommended practice.
4.3. To contribute to the radiotherapy physics clinical service in at least one of the areas specified in sections 4.a, 4.b, and 4.c.
4.a. Dosimetry
4.4. Maintain, develop and participate in the clinical quality control programme for highly complex radiotherapy equipment, including linear accelerators and simulators to ensure all such equipment is fit for clinical use.
4.5. Manage the on-going quality assurance of individual linear accelerators assigned by the Team Leader for Dosimetry through regular audit and be responsible for ensuring that appropriate actions are performed effectively, liaising with and delegating tasks to radiotherapy engineers and physicists as required.
4.6. Investigate and resolve highly complex problems highlighted through ongoing quality control measurements and reported equipment faults.
4.7. To carry the physics bleep on a rotational basis, responding to issues relating to the performance of radiotherapy equipment and clinical treatment plans, raised by radiographers and engineering staff, and providing scientific advice or performing measurements as appropriate.
4.8. To manage and plan linear accelerator commissioning through supervision of physicists, collecting the data required to provide accurate models of radiation treatment beams necessary to ensure efficient and safe clinical implementation of the clinical service.
4.9. To liaise with the Radiotherapy Technical Services Manager to ensure efficient and accurate transfer of information and appropriate allocation of tasks and responsibilities between engineering and physics staff.
4.b. Treatment Planning
4.10. To scientifically develop and maintain the clinical treatment planning system for new applications particularly with respect to patients.
4.11. To ensure that the data and calculation methods are accurate and the limitations understood and documented.
4.12. To be the physics lead for one or more specified clinical site, working closely in a multidisciplinary team to develop and maintain clinical protocols, techniques and the patient pathways.
4.13. To develop and maintain the clinical pre-treatment simulation hardware and software systems and commission them for new applications particularly with respect to patients treated across the Christie Network.
4.14. To optimise clinical protocols for the safe and effective clinical use of pre-treatment simulation equipment in conjunction with clinical oncologists, physicists and radiographers across the Christie Network,
4.15. To operate, maintain and develop quality assurance procedures for computerised treatment planning systems within the ISO 9001-2015 Quality System to ensure equipment and procedures are fit for clinical use.
4.16. To maintain the provision of an external beam simulation and planning service to the Radiotherapy Department across the Christie Network to ensure the accuracy of treatment plans and compliance with clinical requirements.
4.17. To ensure effective multidisciplinary team working in pre-treatment simulation and planning by working closely with clinical oncologists and therapy radiographers.
4.18. Operate on a rota with other physicists to deal with problems arising with pre-treatment simulation and clinical treatment plans.
4.19. To implement new and improved treatment planning techniques so that patients gain maximum benefit from the available equipment throughout the Christie Network.
4.20. Produce or independently check highly complex radiotherapy treatment plans, based on the evaluation of anatomical and clinical information using a highly complex treatment planning system.
4.21. Develop systems, including software development, to increase the efficiency of clinical pre-treatment simulation and planning in order to reduce delays in treatment and make best use of staff resources.
4.22. To liaise with the group leader and head of radiation protection service in the investigation and reporting of any case of suspected or actual mistreatment of any patient due to a failure within treatment planning
4.23. To identify areas where radiotherapy treatment improvements can be made and work as part of multidisciplinary teams.
4.c. Brachytherapy
4.24. To manage scientifically brachytherapy clinical treatment planning systems so that treatments can be effectively planned.
4.25. To maintain a brachytherapy data set to allow accurate dose calculation in brachytherapy.
4.26. To maintain the system of dosimetry for brachytherapy treatments to ensure brachytherapy dosimetry is linked to national primary standards.
4.27. To maintain and develop systems for quality assurance for brachytherapy within the ISO 9001 -2015 Quality System.
4.28. To ensure that the data and calculation methods are accurate and the limitations understood and documented.
4.29. Manage the safe storage of sealed radiotherapy sources at the Christie Hospital NHS Trust.
4.30. Be responsible for radiation safety in brachytherapy and liaise with the relevant radiation protection supervisors and radiation protection advisors to maintain the radiation protection quality system.
More details on the full job description.
This advert closes on Tuesday 4 Mar 2025
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