COLLABORATE | CREATE | INNOVATE
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BECOME A SERVICE ENGINEER?
There are plenty of routes into our engineering team – read on!
There is no set career route to our engineering team
Interested in joining the Sercon Engineering team? Find out more about what it takes here.
What does it take to be a Sercon engineer?
Engineering offers a very broad spectrum of career options, allowing individuals to specialise in any number of technical fields – including high performance scientific instruments like ours.
There is no single route into an engineering role with Sercon. We’re more interested in individuals who are interested in science and display a detail oriented approach and a can-do attitude, able to both work on their own initiative as well as part of a team than in a specific qualification.
Our engineering roles combine time in our manufacturing and test facilities at Crewe with installation, service and repair tasks that can take them quite literally anywhere in the world [link to /global]. The team also take responsibility for client training.
Members of our team come from a wide range of backgrounds, featuring degrees in General Biology, Aeronautical Engineering, Masters in Chemistry and Forensic Science, together with a couple of Masters, in Chemistry as well as Analytical and Forensic Chemistry.
Beyond qualifications, our team have undertaken a range of jobs, including Analytical Lab Technician, Process Chemist, Toxicology Analyst and Environmental Analyst.
One of the team told us about when they first started thinking about moving into engineering:
“As a lab tech I used various instruments (Mass Spec, HPLC, UV-Vis spectrophotometers, etc) which would require inhouse maintenance, so I picked up a lot of the principles there as it was much more interesting than the lab work. When the fault was too large, or servicing/installation was required, an engineer would visit for a week or so. Everybody was happy to see them, and grateful when the instrument was fixed. And then they would leave while I was still stuck in the same place.
I left my laboratory tech role and retrained as a system. It meant stepping back from my original career and starting again with a bunch of university leavers (I was thirty at the time). But it was probably the best career decision I ever made. When a role at Sercon became available I was able to become a field service engineer.
Now I have a role which engages me fully with a mixture of technical work and customer facing interactions which also allows me to travel the world – one of my passions alongside music (still waiting for that big break) and writing.”
What drives our team? A mix of the engineering, the science behind the applications – and the travel!:
“The science is the interesting part to me, from two different angles. I find the physics very interesting regarding how IRMS works, and what we can do to improve the performance of each instrument. I also find it very interesting to learn about the research our customers carry out, and enjoy being able to help them with method development.”
“I am most interested in the science behind their applications, as mass spectrometry serves as a valuable tool for addressing a wide variety of complex scientific questions.”
“Mostly the engineering, I have shifted in interests since my time in university and realised I like understanding why things work, I still have some interest in the applications though.”
“Whilst working in a forensic laboratory and using systems such as LC-MS/MS (Sciex 5500 Q Trap LC-MSMS and Waters TQS-micro-LCMS-MS) and HS-GC-FID (Trace 1300 GC and TriPlus 500 Headspace) I was responsible for the routine operation of the systems. I got interested in the engineering aspect of the systems whilst troubleshooting any issues and following advice from engineers.”
Some of the team to tell us what they enjoy most about their roles:
“Being allowed to think for myself.”
“I appreciate the freedom to make decisions, the opportunity to travel, the responsibility of managing diverse tasks, and the privilege of representing the company.”
“Being able to see the world, going to places I otherwise wouldn’t have had the chance to go to. Also, the feeling of satisfaction you get from problem solving and helping people.”
“I like the constant learning as products and equipment develop, I like the troubleshooting when there’s issues either with a customer or when setting up a system to test, there’s a sense of satisfaction when you solve that.”
“While being alone abroad in a time sensitive assignment means we don’t always have the chance to see the place you are at, travelling and seeing new places, meeting new people/cultures and leaving a system in optimal performance condition is definitely one of the positives of the job. Furthermore, I enjoy the challenge that no job is alike whether that is a routine service or an installation, it is a non-stop learning field and fast developing.”
Still Interested?
If there aren’t any current roles advertised on our careers page, that doesn’t mean we’re not interested in you – we are a growing business and often have opportunities. We also occasionally offer work experience opportunities. If you’re interested in us, drop us an email at service@sercongroup.com.
Our Engineering Team
Simon Moseley
Operations Manager
Henry Cooke
Systems Engineer
Dave Harris
Senior Field Service & Installation Engineer
Aoife Davies Livingston
Systems Engineer
Rob Kameny
Service Engineer
Tom Iordanidis
Systems Engineer
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Training
All of our users receive training as part of an installation programme. We can also provide further training on specific applications or tailoring your course to your analytical needs.
We do take the opportunity to welcome you to come to our training facility or we can work with you on site.
Service
At Sercon we pride ourselves on providing excellent customer service and support. We genuinely care about our customers and want to help you get the best performance from your instruments.
Visit our service area to find out how we can support you with service contracts, emergency visits, upgrades, system refurbishments and training.
You can log service and support calls online to help our engineers to provide solutions.