Career Center
Port Orchard, Washington
Port Orchard, Washington
Canton, Mississippi
Sheridan, Wyoming
Seattle, Washington
Big Spring, Texas
Augusta, Georgia
Posted: 11-Dec-22
Location: Wellesley, Massachusetts
Type: Full-time
Salary: Unpaid
Internal Number: R0002897_1670617701
The Science Center Laboratory Manager/Instrument Technician will hold primary responsibility for managing shared teaching laboratory spaces across our new science facility. Some of these lab spaces include a new food science laboratory, a new field studies laboratory, a new physical sciences laboratory, and a new shared "wet" laboratory. The Lab Manager will also have responsibility for maintaining supplies, stock and equipment used in these spaces; maintaining equipment in good working condition; maintaining equipment inventory; ensuring cleanliness and coordinating cleaning schedules with custodial services; and coordinating scheduling among multiple departmental users. The SC Lab Manager will assume responsibility for managing the operation of the (~40) filtered fume hoods in use throughout the facility, and will coordinate regular hood and biosafety cabinet certification and repair/maintenance with Facilities and EHS. The SC Lab Manager will work closely with the Advanced Instrumentation Specialists to keep scientific equipment in good working condition, including making modifications to existing equipment and/or custom-designed equipment to meet the unique needs of the academic and research requirements. S/he works closely with faculty, staff and students to help diagnose issues, and to provide training on the mechanical operation of these complex instruments, as appropriate. S/he will assist with management and delivery of cryogens and compressed gases. As this position provides service to all users with diverse skill sets, the Lab Manager/Instrument Technician must be able to communicate effectively to every level of operator. The SC Lab Manager will serve on a number of Science Center safety committees and may supervise student workers as appropriate.
Position Responsibility
Coordinate scheduling, maintenance and use of shared teaching labs; maintain lab equipment and supplies. Requires working closely with faculty and staff around class scheduling to optimize use of shared spaces among multiple departments throughout the semester. Develop nuanced understanding of needs for each lab and work to ensure users have scheduled appropriate space for their needs and that the work proposed is appropriate for the requested space. Work with departmental laboratory specialists to coordinate lab prep for each department needs. Maintain up-to-date equipment inventory across the facility.
Manage operations for filtered fume hoods, biosafety cabinets, and laminar flow hoods throughout facility; coordinate annual certification of all hoods (ducted, filtered and biosafety); coordinate repair/maintenance with facilities. Create and manage maintenance logs and perform basic maintenance on all hoods installed in teaching and research laboratories. Respond to calls for assistance during laboratories and provide basic training for students and new researchers on proper use of hoods, including appropriate response to alarm situations. Coordinate repairs with Facilities Maintenance staff and/or with service contractors as appropriate
Cryogens & Compressed gases: maintain logs and inventory of all material to ensure compliance within safe working limits for the facility; coordinate needs between users to reduce overall quantities on site; order and deliver cyliners and tanks; maintain regulators; provide training as needed
Working closely with the Advanced Instrumentation Specialists, gain knowledge of, and assume increasing responsibility for, maintenance and repair of a subset of complex instruments as appropriate to incumbent's skill set and Science Center needs. Cross-train on other advanced instrumentation to provide back-up support as needed. Advise staff and users on potential purchases as new instrumentation needs are identified.
Provide instructional support on technical equipment for faculty, staff and students as needed; may include writing standard operating procedures for various instrumentation. Provides instruction on DOT shipping regulations and packing requirements to faculty and staff as needed (students are not permitted to package these regulated materials for shipping).
Interface with Facilities Maintenance team to place work orders for technical issues in teaching and research laboratories (including but not limited to: chemical fume hoods, biological clean benches and biosafety cabinets, etc.) to ensure reliable maintenance and operation. Place work orders, meet with Skilled Trades workers to diagnose and resolve problems, provide follow up on all aspects of work-order system.
Supervisory Responsibilities
May supervise student workers if appropriate
Basic Qualifications
A college degree or demonstration of equivalent experience is required (Associate of Science, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts with significant coursework in a science discipline; military service with demonstrated experience in equipment maintenance; or similar). Preferred candidates will have strong science backgrounds and/or prior experience that translates to work with scientific instrumentation. Candidates with advanced degrees or advanced experience in fields that include scientific coursework are preferred.
Skills and Abilities
The successful candidate will have demonstrated prior experience in effective oral, written and electronic forms of communication, as a significant part of this role requires negotiating among faculty/staff who each have strong rationale to support their needs.
Technical training or demonstrated prior experience in computing (PC, Mac, and/or Linux platforms) and the ability to work effectively in a Google Apps environment and share information via databases, spreadsheets and MS Office products is required.
Knowledge of hazardous materials handling, DOT shipping regulations, and working with compressed gases and cryogens is needed, and can be learned on the job as required.
Other
The most important requirements for this position are the willingness to work as a member of a high-functioning team and a willingness to learn and contribute to ensuring success in a fast-paced work environment. Successful candidates will be able to work with a wide-ranging constituency, ranging from students who are just starting their undergraduate careers to Ph.D. scientists who are dedicated teachers and passionate and active researchers. Candidates who listen well, who can ask clarifying questions, and who can engage in collaborative and creative problem solving will rise to the top of our pool.
This position requires the ability to track and perform regular routine maintenance with little supervision, as well as the ability to diagnose and repair problems as they arise with a wide variety of equipment and instrumentation. Key to success will be a strong scientific background and a strong electromechanical background. The ability, confidence, skill, experience and intellegence to "tinker" successfully is critical to the position. Similarly, good working technical skills are critical, as is a strong working knowledge of hardware and software to be able to deal with computer-instrument interface issues. Prior experience working with compressed gases and cryogens is a plus. The ability to communicate effectively orally, electronically and in writing within a diverse community is essential, as is the ability to work effectively with colleagues as a member of a troubleshooting, service-oriented team.
The successful Science Center Laboratory Manager/Instrument Technician must be able to regularly and safely lift bulky and irregularly shaped items that weigh in excess of 50 pounds, must be able to safely push, pull and otherwise transport large objects and compressed gas cylinders and tanks, and must be able to be on her/his feet for a good portion of the work day.
All employees hired after August 2, 2021 are required to upload proof of vaccination and booster against COVID‐19, subject to approved medical or religious exemptions or disability accommodations.
