Role Title: Emergency Responder

Location: Didcot, Oxfordshire, UK 

Job ID: 2025-2920

Our vision is to create a safe and sustainable world

At Ricardo, we are seeking Chemistry graduates to be part of our Emergency Response (ER) team. Our vision is to create a safer planet, and as a Chemical Emergency Responder, you will play a crucial role in delivering real-time advice and support for incidents involving hazardous chemicals, contributing to the well-being of communities.

The Role
This shift-based, onsite position offers the opportunity to provide critical chemical advice in emergency situations, supporting clients across the chemical sector. As part of Ricardo’s Emergency Response (ER) team, you’ll work autonomously to assess incidents, offer expert guidance, and ensure 24/7 service continuity. You’ll also contribute to ongoing projects aimed at enhancing ER services, with strong career development and training opportunities available.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide expert chemical advice to callers managing incidents such as fires, reactions, spillages, and exposures

• Maintain Ricardo’s 24/7 ER service during assigned shifts

• Communicate effectively with clients via phone and written reports

• Support technical consultancy and service development projects

• Build technical expertise in Level 1 chemical emergency response and product safety

Key Competencies and Experience

• Degree in Chemistry and A-Level Chemistry (or equivalent)

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills (logical and lateral thinking)

• Self-motivated with the ability to work independently and take ownership of challenges

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills to relay scientific information clearly

• Flexibility to work a rotating shift pattern, including weekends

• UK driving license (required)

• Prior experience in a customer-facing or technical chemistry role is desirable, but graduates are encouraged to apply

Working here

You will be warmly welcomed into our workplace where every voice matters. We are diverse thinkers and doers, coming together to create a culture of inclusion. We will support you to find your place.

We will encourage you to use your passion and expertise to make a positive impact through the projects you work on.  Your knowledge and desire to bring about change will be invaluable in helping deliver innovative solutions that support communities across the globe in becoming safer and more sustainable.

Work life balance 

We offer flexible approaches to work, whether that is working from home, being in the office, or as a hybrid worker. We're happy to discuss flexible working arrangements. Wellbeing is at the core to our culture, allowing employees to flourish and to achieve their full potential.

Benefits

We want you to know how much you are valued. Your remuneration and benefits package will reflect that. You will receive a range of benefits which include support for your physical and mental health. 

Our core benefits include 25 days' annual leave, plus 8 flexible bank holidays, a competitive company pension scheme, life assurance and professional subscriptions reimbursement. We also offer a wide range of flexible benefits to suit your lifestyle.

Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion statement

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in each person's potential, and we'll help you reach yours. We have an ambitious diversity, equality, and inclusion approach as explained here. We value diversity; recognising that a more diverse workforce creates a richer and more varied working environment. Diversity also drives innovation, by allowing us to offer our clients the best consultancy service that we can. As part of our commitment to engage positively and pro-actively with all our employees and to ensure an inclusive culture, we are a recognised as a 'disability confident' employer.

Next steps

Once you have submitted your application a member of our Recruitment Team will be in touch. Please be aware that the timing can vary dependent on the volume of applications that we receive for each role and in some cases, we may start to review applications prior to the closing date.

Ricardo is a Disability confident employer please advise the recruitment team via recruit@ricardo.com if you require any adjustments to support you throughout the recruitment process.

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