Position Details
College of Engineering and Physical Sciences
Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK
Full time starting salary is normally in the range £31,396 to £33,966 with potential progression once in post to £38,205
Grade: 6
Full Time, Permanent
Closing date: 20th October 2024
Background
The Characterisation Facility in the School of Metallurgy and Materials plays a vital role in the delivery of cutting-edge practical research and high quality undergraduate and postgraduate teaching by providing staff and students with access and training on a range of equipment from materialographic preparation to advanced physical and thermal characterisation techniques.
The Assistant Technical Specialist (Characterisation) will support these activities; being responsible for managing the day-to-day running and maintenance of equipment within the Characterisation Facility, as well as line managing and setting work for other technical staff in the facility.
You will provide technical expertise, support, and guidance in research and teaching activities within the Characterisation Facility laboratories in the School of Metallurgy and Materials. You will lead on the installation, operation, maintenance, and management of characterisation equipment including materialography, and physical and thermal characterisation equipment.
As the main point of contact within the Characterisation Facility, you will need to demonstrate excellent customer service skills, maintaining a positive and proactive attitude when communicating with facility users.
The primary focus of the Assistant Technical Specialist (Characterisation) is to train and support the facility users, run samples for external and internal customers, repair and care for the equipment, prepare equipment for use through routine maintenance and calibration, replenish and restock consumables, and ensure adherence to health and safety policies.
Role summary
You will provide technical expertise, support, and guidance in research and teaching activities within the Characterisation Facility laboratories in the School of Metallurgy and Materials. You will lead on the installation, operation, maintenance, and management of characterisation equipment including materialography, physical characterisation, and thermal characterisation.
As the main point of contact within the Characterisation Facility, you will need to demonstrate excellent customer service skills, maintaining a positive and proactive attitude when communicating with facility users.
You will need a detailed understanding of characterisation techniques and experimental protocols. You will be able to use your strong technical knowledge to advise on procedures, diagnose and resolve problems, and proactively suggest solutions to issues which arise.
The role will require a commitment to maintaining high health and safety standards in shared, communal laboratories alongside colleagues and students from a range of research groups.
You will form part of a large, diverse team of technical staff who collectively support the research and teaching activities in the School of Metallurgy and Materials. You will provide support to colleagues and students at all levels in the school, and will be expected to act as a role model and coach others as appropriate.
In order to flexibly use resources, you may be offered the opportunity to work in different areas of the department or wider university.
Main Duties
* Manage the day-to-day operation of all Characterisation Facility laboratories.
* Line manage technical staff in the facility, including conducting one-to-one meetings, annual PDR reviews, and supporting the training and development of your team.
* Maintain high standards of Health & Safety in the facility laboratories.
* Advise on techniques and experimental procedures being used by researchers and students, providing training for colleagues and students at various experience levels.
* Diagnose and resolve problems with equipment, liaising with service engineers as appropriate.
* Provide specific support and advice, often challenging and reinterpreting requests, and suggest solutions regarding techniques and experiments.
* Carry out specialist technical and experimental procedures, assessing the correct technique to use and proposing improvements as necessary.
* Maintain accurate records of all techniques and experimental procedures, including results.
* Ensure compliance with legislation relevant to the area of work.
* Create, comply with, and promote risk assessments and operating procedures for the area.
* Contribute to internal and external audit procedures and regulatory inspections.
* Assist with teaching and outreach activities in the facility laboratories.
Health and Safety duties
* Provide proactive support for health and safety within the laboratory, ensuring all required assessments are in place, approved, and in-date.
* Understand the safety aspects of equipment operation and demonstrate/train staff and students on correct usage.
* Ensure regular maintenance processes are carried out and appropriate records are maintained.
* Report breaches or non-compliance with H&S procedures to relevant staff members.
* Uphold correct waste disposal streams as governed by College and local policy.
* Postholders may be asked to undergo training as a First Aider and Fire Warden.
General Administration and Organisation
* Ensure all records are accurate and kept up to date.
* Proactively maintain stocks of consumables and generate purchase order requisitions using University systems as needed.
* Receive and correctly store consumables/equipment and chemical reagents.
* Maintain the facilities in a clean, functional, and safe condition; report any problems through appropriate channels.
* Inform users of the Characterisation Facility of any equipment issues or scheduled downtime.
* Arrange and undertake regular testing, calibration, and servicing of laboratory equipment.
* Maintain relevant research lab databases/records.
Other Duties
* Take an active role in the training and mentoring process for junior or newly appointed staff.
* Support equality and value diversity, moderating own behaviour to avoid unfair discriminatory impact or bias on others.
* Perform any other duties commensurate with the role, as reasonably required.
Person Specification
* Extensive experience of similar laboratory-based work, with familiarity with a wide range of laboratory equipment or a degree in a relevant STEM field.
* Proven specialist knowledge of characterisation techniques, methods, and procedures.
* Ability to diagnose/resolve problems and suggest solutions, with extensive proven practical and technical experience.
* Ability to test and implement new approaches, services, or systems.
* Positive service attitude and courtesy in dealing with others.
* Experience of working in a customer-facing role with a demonstrable understanding of customer service principles.
* Ability to analyse problems and summarise key points to others, including non-specialist staff.
* Experience of training individuals to use specialist equipment.
* Strong organisational skills with the ability to plan ahead and work to deadlines.
* Experience in laboratory management and mentoring junior staff.
* Ability to develop and implement improvement programmes within the local area.
* Ability to work under minimal supervision while functioning as part of a team.
* Knowledge of current legislation and H&S policies relevant to the role.
* Proficiency in commonly used software packages.
* Understanding of the importance of equality and diversity in the workplace.
Dimensions
You will provide specialist expertise and support to a range of customers. You may supervise staff and be involved in budget monitoring.
Planning and organising
You will be required to work independently on daily, weekly, and monthly tasks, as well as projects with medium-longer-term horizons without daily supervision.
Problem solving and decision making
You will research, modify, and adapt protocols after consulting relevant managers, and prepare for research experiments. You will uphold Health and Safety procedures and confidently identify problems and implement solutions.
Internal and external relationships
This role will involve advising and supporting research staff and/or students, and with external contacts such as company representatives.
Informal enquiries can be made to Tom Hutchinson (t.hutchinson@bham.ac.uk)
View our staff values and behaviours here.
We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter, and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy.
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