Laboratory Technician (Wet Lab Specialist - Bio/Medical) Dubai - Dubai Professional Services

Job Description

Position DetailsDubai Professional ServicesUniversity of Birmingham, Dubai campusSalary: CompetitiveGrade 500/6Full timeLocation: Dubai, UAEClosing date: 31 July 2022University of Birmingham DubaiHaving established ourselves in Dubai International Academic City in 2018 we have now taken up residence of our state of the art new campus and are excited to build on our brand and reputation as a global institution. This post represents an excellent opportunity to join an ambitious World Top 100 University as we continue to grow our long-term strategic mission in Dubai, the UAE and the wider region. Our campus reflects the very best of Birmingham through our presence in Dubai.Professional Services EthosOur ethos as a Professional Services team has been developed in line with the principles of being a Birmingham Professional . In particular, here in Dubai, this means that all Professional Services colleagues seek to collaborate effectively to ensure the needs of the whole campus community and our stakeholders are met. It also means that we work constructively together to provide a flexible range of service and support that adapt to the changing needs of the Campus as we grow. There are specific focal points in the academic cycle when all Professional Services team members will be expected to contribute regardless of their primary role, for example Welcome or Graduation. In addition, the duties listed below are illustrative of the general nature and level of responsibility of this post which is likely to change over time in response to the needs of the Campus and as you develop your experience and skills. You will have the opportunity to develop and may also need to specialise your duties further, over time, in agreement with your manager.In order to contribute to the success of the team and the Universitys vision for the Dubai Campus the Professional Services team will be seeking to continue to recruit and develop colleagues who display:

• a high level of intellectual aptitude;
• strong agility and a portfolio of skills that can adapt to meet changing circumstances;
• an innovative and creative mindset; and
• both an enterprising and entrepreneurial nature to support our growth and pursuit of excellence.

Department OverviewOperating & Developing Campus Services are a key part of the Professional Services support for the Universitys Dubai campus. This area of professional Services support delivers and maintains the campus environment in which students, staff and visitors can be taught, study, work and connect. The service provides the infrastructure and services that enable the campus to support the breadth of activity that makes a University community and supports an excellent student, staff and visitor experience. This includes a whole range of campus services from IT, AV, Lab support, health & safety and building management to managing contracts for the provision of IT service support, facilities management, security, catering and transport. The team will work closely together in a flexible way to support the needs of the campus and to address day to day issues in a timely manner.Job summaryThe Laboratory Technician (Wet Lab) role requires close working with academic and research staff to design, develop and build experimental equipment and systems to support teaching and research in the laboratories. This includes set up, demonstration and take down of materials and equipment.The post holder will be expected to plan lab activities with the support Professional Services and academic colleagues to provide appropriate coverage over the operating hours of the laboratories on campus.The post holder must also have a good understanding of local and national health and safety guidelines, and to lead the writing and maintenance of experimental risk assessments. The post holder would be expected to continuously enhance the safety and security of the Laboratories by reviewing and improving policy and procedures with new teaching requirements and research projects being commissioned. The role also includes training staff and students to use lab equipment and materials in a safe manner.The ideal candidate will be a problem-solver who thrives in a fast-paced environment, working with many different people from a variety of backgrounds. They will be experienced in designing and developing lab experiments. They will also be able to use appropriate software to run and monitor demonstrations and experiments.The post holder will also ensure the smooth running of the lab by maintaining stocks of routine consumables, and maintaining a safe and organised workplace and compliance with materials handling and disposal requirements.Main dutiesGeneral

1. Promotes equality and values diversity acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.
2. Actively manages equality, diversity and inclusion through monitoring and evaluation and actively challenging unacceptable behaviour.
3. Undertake continuous personal and professional development.

Job Specific Duties

1. Ensuring all records are accurate and kept up to date.
2. Ensuring that the facilities are maintained in a clean, functional and safe condition, reporting any problems through the appropriate channels.
3. Ensure laboratory waste (including biological material, plastics, cardboard, excess reagents, confidential paperwork, etc.) are disposed of in line with University and H&S/waste/confidentiality protocols. Pack soiled lab coats for laundry and replenish once returned.
4. Adhering to COSHH regulations and Clinical Immunology Service Standard Operating Procedures (CIS SOP) ensuring adequate stock levels are maintained and chemicals are correctly labelled and stored in line with current regulations. Receipt and correct storage of consumables/equipment and chemical reagents.
5. Make up fresh disinfectant, needed in all labs, at the cleaning frequency required, swab benches regularly throughout and ensure laboratory equipment (centrifuges, water baths, fridges, freezers, analysers, etc) is regularly decontaminated in accordance with CIS SOPs ensuring details are recorded on the relevant maintenance/cleaning log.
6. Ensuring that PAT testing, calibration of equipment and locally and centrally held equipment inventories are up to date and maintained.
7. Using your specialist knowledge and skills, you will be responsible for working with staff, students and technical colleagues to design, develop and build experimental equipment. This will require you to anticipate and understand needs and provide expert advice and guidance. Leading the training of staff and students in the safe operation of equipment including the upkeep and maintenance of appropriate training records and providing laboratory inductions. Providing advice and guidance on the safe use of hazardous substances etc.
8. Responsible for the quality of the service to be offered, regularly reviewing and ensuring it is maintained at a high level. You will assist staff in carrying out experiments, which will require you to identify any issues with planned experiments and proactively provide solutions.
9. Responsible for health, safety and security in the Laboratories. This will require you to review policies and procedures when new teaching requirements and research projects are commissioned but also to monitor all activities regularly. You will need an up to date and in-depth knowledge of several regulations which determine access control requirements for the different laboratories in the Campus (e.g. COSHH governing access to the Category III laboratory facility, DEFRA regulations dictating the control of GM plants etc.); breaches of regulation could lead to external enforcement action.
10. Leading the production and updating of a variety of risk assessments and standard operating procedures, monitoring the control measures and identifying where there are issues, reporting breaches to the relevant manager(s).
11. Maintaining and trouble-shooting lab equipment and experimental set-ups, ensuring laboratory equipment is routinely maintained and fully-functional.
12. Ensure that the laboratories are suitably prepared for practicals and the setup/takedown of equipment/materials used during sessions. Preparation of a diverse range of materials used during practical sessions.
13. Prepare and support open day, AVD events, VIP events, CPD and other external requirements within the laboratories or other areas as and when required.
14. Contributing to internal and external audit procedures, and to any regulatory inspections.
15. Identify and track laboratory items held on the University asset register.
16. You will work with programme staff, based on the available timetabling information, to determine the most efficient/effective means to turnaround the daily classes.
17. You will research, design, trial & modify practical protocols for class teaching.
18. Instruct and provide high level technical support for students in the correct and safe handling of laboratory and fieldwork equipment including preparation of samples, analysis methods and preparation techniques.
19. Preparation of a diverse range of materials used during practical sessions, to be able to calculate and prepare a wide range of laboratory reagents (stocks and working solutions), be able to accurately and reproducibly dispense reagents (using aseptic techniques where necessary) and provide a consistent results delivery service
20. Any other duties as may reasonably be required.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Educated to degree level in a relevant subjects.
• GCSE level 2 (A*- C) or equivalent level 2 qualification in mathematics and English.
• Proven specialist knowledge of electronics, electrical and mechanical fabrication.
• Experience in utilising software to run and monitor experiments and wet lab test equipment.
• Proficiency in commonly used office software packages.
• In-depth practical knowledge and experience of technical methods surrounding research experimentation and set-up, together with the ability to test and implement new approaches.
• Excellent knowledge of health & safety requirements, writing risk assessments and working safely with mechanical and electrical/electronic equipment.
• Positive attitude and an enthusiasm for working with a variety of people to design, develop and deliver experiments, with the ability to diagnose problems and suggest solutions.
• Able to organise and manage own workload and to demonstrate flexibility in terms of work practices/requirements, including working both independently and as part of a team.
• The post holder should have a well-developed working knowledge of health and safety management (COSHH, fire safety, statutory testing etc. The postholder will be able to lead the development of health and safety processes in the laboratories, and the confidence to take corrective action where problems arise.
• The ability to communicate with a wide range of people including internal staff, external contractors and other businesses.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• A willingness to attend relevant training to develop knowledge, awareness and skills relevant to the role; such activities would form part of continued professional development. Working towards professional recognition/accreditation would be strongly encouraged.
• Knowledge of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy matters, and how to actively ensure in day to day activity in own area that people are treated equally and fairly.

Dimensions

• You will have no direct staff management responsibility, but you will be expected to plan and priortiise activities with the support of the Laboratory Technician and Supporting Estates Asset Management & Building Services Officer and act as a role model to staff and students. The role is focused on the delivery of a quality Laboratory service to customers, working collaboratively with colleagues. You will provide specialist expertise in your area and provide advice and support to colleagues and a range of customers.

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. Working closely with the Laboratory Technician and Supporting Estates Asset Management and Building Services Officer, you will plan joint workloads to deliver appropriate solutions across the working hours of the campus.

Problem solving and decision making

• You will use your knowledge and expertise to proactively anticipate and identify issues and problems and develop and deploy appropriate solutions. You have responsibility for ensuring teaching and research experiments in the laboratories are properly prepared. You will have responsibility for the development of Health and Safety procedures for the laboratories. You will need to be confident in identifying problems, breaking them down and implement 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

• You will lead the delivery of Lab support and you will need to work closely with the Laboratory Technician and Supporting Estates Asset Management and Building Services Officer, who will provide some additional support for the laboratories. You will liaise with a wide range of staff and students, and colleagues in the wider team in order to understand customer requirements and ensure solutions are developed to provide a quality service. You may need to liaise with external contacts such as company representatives.

Valuing excellence, sustaining investmentWe value diversity and inclusion at the University of Birmingham and welcome applications from all sections of the community and are open to discussions around all forms of flexible working.

Keyskills :