School Technical Manager

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Overview

As School Technical Manager, you will coordinate the technical support activities across the School of Mathematical & Physical Sciences within the Faculty of Science. Working in collaboration with the School Manager, you will be responsible for optimising technical staffing, equipment and facilities across a diverse range of laboratories and workshops across multiple locations.

You will have the ability to successfully lead the technical staff within the School and deliver a complete technical support service to ensure that all research and teaching laboratory, research facility and workshop infrastructure and equipment is managed efficiently and effectively to meet the needs of users, employing resources in an efficient and effective manner.

You will be required to provide leadership, direction, support and guidance to technical colleagues to include setting team and individual goals through the university’s Staff Review and Development Scheme (SRDS), management team meetings and staff welfare.

You will possess excellent leadership, organisational and communication skills and have experience of delivering effective safety management approaches and methods within a technical workplace to ensure compliance with the Health & Safety at Work Act and other statutory and regulatory requirements.

Main Duties And Responsibilities

• Work in partnership with the Head of School, and School Manager, to lead, manage and deliver an efficient technical service across the School, ensuring an appropriate level of skill and knowledge to ensure staff have the skills and motivation to carry out their activities to a high standard and to ensure continual improvement of service delivery quality.
• Develop strategy and implement and lead change, working collaboratively across the School and work collaboratively with Technical Managers across the Faculty to review and improve processes and develop a culture of service excellence.
• Proactively manage technical resources (core & grant funded), infrastructure, equipment, materials, consumables and running costs in the short-term and to plan resources for the future (5-10 year plans).
• Through and with the School Safety Officer, manage health, welfare and safety in the school’s laboratories, workshops, workrooms and office spaces, ensuring a safe working environment for staff, students, and visitors and ensuring changes to Health and Safety (H&S) regulations and national legislation are reflected and incorporated into School policies and procedures.
• Responsible for the planning and maintenance of the School’s physical infrastructure, including the buildings, fittings, furniture, equipment to underpin the School’s operations and strategy, liaising with Estates and Facilities Management, as appropriate.
• Manage equipment service contracts and ensure compliance with equipment and chemical disposal policy and regulations.
• Oversee specific budgets related to the technical workforce, or technical work areas as delegated by the Head of School.
• Liaise with key contacts across all the University’s professional services (such as Estates and Facilities, Management, IT Services, Health and Safety, Campus Services, Finance and HR) as appropriate to deliver a full technical support service and infrastructure.
• Responsible for the school business continuity planning, working with the School Manager and members of the school executive. Act as local incident manager for incidents in the School.
• Liaise with University and Faculty committees and working groups as required.
• Provide detailed input into the annual Planning Round to ensure that technical resources continue to meet the needs of the School in terms of structure, skills and quality of service. This includes understanding and anticipating the needs of the School through workforce planning, maintaining and developing existing skills and level of service provision; ensuring skills remain fit for purpose regarding compliance with current and future objectives, internal and external regulations or codes of practice, and preparing and presenting robust business cases for staffing, resourcing and other forms of investment through reports and presentations.
• Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post