Technician Primary Processing & Heat-treatment of Materials

The environmental footprint of the steel industry and the shortages of crucial raw materials required to keep our modern world running are pressing societal challenges. CO2 emissions could be substantially reduced by finding new routes to primary iron- and steelmaking. Novel heat treatments improve the microstructure of metals and thereby the properties of metals. Stronger metals can reduce the weight of electric cars, so that they have increased range, but also have advantages for wind turbines, and construction in general. TU Delft’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) has a long track record researching the primary production and heat treatment of steels. It continues to look for ways to improve the mechanical and physical properties, corrosion resistance, and environmental footprint of metals, alloys, (self-healing) ceramic materials, polymers and composite materials.

As a Technician in the Primary Processing and Heat Treatment of Materials at TU Delft, you will work in our state-of-the-art primary processing and heat treatment laboratories, which are used for general steel and metals research and education. Our Heat Treatment Lab has medium to high-temperature salt and oil baths and box furnaces. And our Pyrometallurgy Lab for primary processing and recycling has high-temperature furnaces with advanced controls for gas and temperature profiles that are used for fundamental studies on smelting and refining of metals (including ironmaking and steelmaking).

Joining a team of technicians, under the guidance of two senior colleagues, you will be in charge of the primary processing and heat treatment laboratories. Here, you will be responsible for the daily operational, maintenance, safety and upkeep of the relevant equipment and facilities. You will also commission and help design new facilities when required. In this role, you will support researchers and students in the setup and execution of experiments, and instruct laboratory classes. To guarantee the efficient use of equipment, you will coordinate the workflow in the labs, including scheduling, budgeting and ordering resources. Short-term research projects for third parties, including various Dutch and European science-funding institutions and industrial partners, also fall under your remit.

You have an intimate understanding of how labs work and are familiar with complex equipment. Proactive, service-oriented and always safety-minded, you are open to finding creative technical solutions to make new ideas possible. You enjoy working in a multicultural environment. Taking a leading role within the team of technicians, your collaborative attitude and team spirit will also help you to work well with researchers and students. You also have:

• A Bachelor’s degree in a relevant engineering discipline.
• Experience operating primary processing and heat treatment equipment: medium to high-temperature furnaces and salt and oil baths.
• Expertise in handling gas, including CO, N2, O2, Ar, CO2 and H2, in combination with furnaces.
• Experience working with molten metals, slag and chemical reacting systems.
• Expertise in operating and maintaining two dilatometers.
• You have a good command of English as you will be working in an international community. If you don’t speak Dutch, you are willing to learn the language.

Are you interested in this position, but unsure as per the experience and responsibilities that it encompasses? We are also looking for a Junior laboratoriumtechnicus vergroening staalproductie.

• A salary based on scale 10 of the collective agreement (cao) for Dutch Universities between € 3226,- and € 5090,- gross per month, plus an 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
• In case of an exceptionally experienced applicant, we can explore the possibility to fulfil tasks at the level of a senior technician, i.e. scale 11 (UFO O-profile 1), or we can explore possibilities to grow to a senior technician role in the future.
• An excellent pension scheme via the ABP.
• The possibility to compile an individual employment package every year.
• Discount with health insurers.
• Flexible working week.
• Every year, 232 leave hours (at 38 hours). You can also sell or buy additional leave hours via the individual choice budget.
• Plenty of opportunities for education, training and courses.
• Partially paid parental leave
• Access to our Health Coach Programme, which stimulates healthy working practices and vitality.

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

From chip to ship. From machine to human being. From idea to solution. Driven by a deep-rooted desire to understand our environment and discover its underlying mechanisms, research and education at the 3mE faculty focusses on fundamental understanding, design, production including application and product improvement, materials, processes and (mechanical) systems.

3mE is a dynamic and innovative faculty with high-tech lab facilities and international reach. It’s a large faculty but also versatile, so we can often make unique connections by combining different disciplines. This is reflected in 3mE’s outstanding, state-of-the-art education, which trains students to become responsible and socially engaged engineers and scientists. We translate our knowledge and insights into solutions to societal issues, contributing to a sustainable society and to the development of prosperity and well-being. That is what unites us in pioneering research, inspiring education and (inter)national cooperation.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering. Do you want to experience working at our faculty? These videos will introduce you to some of our researchers and their work.