Health and Safety duties

• Proactive support for health and safety within the laboratory. This may include being required to look after a communal area as part of your duties. Comply with all current rules and ensure all required assessments are in place, approved, and up to date.
• Fully understand the safety aspects of equipment operation and be able to demonstrate/train staff (at all levels) on the correct usage of the equipment.
• Ensuring that regular maintenance processes are carried out and that appropriate records are maintained.
• Reporting any breaches or non-compliance with H&S procedures to the relevant manager(s).
• Upholding the correct waste disposal stream as governed by College and local policy for the laboratory.
• Postholders may be asked to undergo training as a First Aider.

General Administration and Organisation

• Ensuring all records are accurate and kept up to date.
• Proactively maintain stocks of consumables, and when required generate purchase order requisitions using University systems.
• Receipt and correct storage of consumables/equipment and chemical reagents.
• Ensuring that the facilities are maintained in a clean, functional, and safe condition, reporting any problems through the appropriate channels.
• Ensuring that PAT testing, calibration of equipment, and locally and centrally held equipment inventories are up to date and maintained.
• Adopt a proactive attitude to assisting with and implementing carbon reduction and energy-saving measures.
• Maintain a technical support-based teaching laboratory website (how-to guides for the preparation of materials, practical setup guides), and keeping these up to date as and when session requirements or protocols change or maintaining relevant research lab databases/records.

Other Duties

• In collaboration with the relevant manager, the postholder will take an active role in the training and mentoring process for junior or newly appointed staff.
• Supports equality and values diversity, moderates own behaviour to avoid unfair discriminatory impact or bias on others.
• Any other duties as may reasonably be required.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Extensive relevant workplace experience, equivalent professional qualification, or degree in an appropriate subject.
• Extensive experience of similar laboratory-based work, together with familiarity with a wide range of laboratory equipment.
• In-depth practical knowledge of relevant technical and scientific methods. General skills in (basic) mechanical and electrical construction, electrical assembly, electronics design and construction, use of test equipment, and provision of design and test documentation.
• Ability to foresee technical problems in finely specified equipment and to suggest solutions.
• Experience in meeting precise specifications to high standards.
• Willingness to travel within the UK and abroad to attend meetings and provide support at experimental testing facilities.
• HNC or higher qualification in a technical subject, involving mechanical, electrical, or electronic techniques.
• GCSE level 2 (A*- C/4-9) or equivalent level 2 qualification in mathematics and English.
• Positive service attitude and courtesy shown when dealing with others.
• Ability to organise and manage own workload and demonstrate flexibility in terms of work practices/requirements.
• Ability to work under minimal supervision but function as part of a team.
• Knowledge of current legislation relevant to the role.
• Knowledge of current H&S policies and ability to uphold same.
• Proficiency in commonly used software packages.
• Understanding of the importance of equality and diversity in the workplace.
• Ability to identify and respond to equality and diversity issues in line with relevant policies and procedures.

Dimensions

You will provide specialist expertise in your area and provide advice and support to a range of customers. You may supervise staff; even where you do not have supervisory responsibilities, you will be expected to act as a role model for other staff. You may be involved in budget monitoring.

Planning and organising

You will be required to work independently on daily, weekly, and monthly tasks but also on projects with medium-longer-term horizons without daily supervision. You will ensure that you have the resources required, which will require planning ahead and procurement of goods.

Problem solving and decision making

You will be able to research, modify and adapt protocols after consulting relevant manager, and prepare for research experiments. You will be able to uphold Health and Safety procedures. You will need to be confident in identifying problems, breaking them down, and implementing solutions. Although you will work under the direction of more senior staff, you will be able to carry out your work with a large amount of autonomy.

Internal and external relationships

This role will be advising and supporting research staff and/or students, and with external contacts such as company representatives.

Informal enquiries

• Karol Krizka, email: k.krizka@bham.ac.uk
• David Charlton, email: d.g.charlton@bham.ac.uk

Use of AI in applications

We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.

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. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.