Scientific Officer

Role Responsibility

Kent Scientific Services is recruiting an analytical chemist to work in its Public Analyst laboratory at Kings Hill, West Malling in Kent.  This is a rare opportunity to work for an Official Feed and Food Control Laboratory. Official control laboratories are a vital aspect of the food and consumer goods supply chain in the U.K., helping to ensure that food and consumer goods are safe and are what they say they are.

The post involves analysing a wide variety of foods, agricultural products and other consumer goods on behalf of enforcement agencies such as Trading Standards Departments and Port Health Authorities based across England.

The successful candidate will be a chemistry graduate or qualified to level 5 (HND) in chemistry and be familiar with a range of classical and instrumental techniques including Gas Chromatography and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with mass selective detectors. Alternative degree subjects may be considered if they demonstrably contain a substantial element of chemistry.

Everything you have learned, and will continue to learn, will be put to use daily, applied to our wide range of methods, to problem solving and to the development of new methods.

Starting salary within our career grade will be dependent on qualifications and experience. 

This post is considered by KCC to be a customer-facing position. The Council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English/Welsh sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description/Person Specification.

Encouragement and support are given to staff who wish to further their career and study for further qualifications including the Mastership in Chemical Analysis (MChemA), the statutory qualification for a Public Analyst, or those who may wish to become Chartered Chemists.

Contact Details

Telephone 03000 415100
Email kss@kent.gov.uk 

About the Company

KCC is committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the county's working residents, encouraging applications from people of all ages, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds and faiths, and aspires to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves at work.

Please note – if you are interested, please apply as soon as possible as the closing date for this advert may be earlier than stated should a number of suitably qualified candidates apply.