Position Details

School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £28,397 to £30,210, with potential progression once in post to £33,938

Grade 5

Full Time, Permanent

Closing date: 10th December 2023

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do.

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham

Background

The School of Sport, Exercise, and Rehabilitation at the University of Birmingham is a world-leading department, renowned for our innovative and translational research. We are at the forefront of advancing knowledge in all aspects of our field. Ranked 6th in the world in the latest QS Subject rankings and top 5 in the UK's Research Excellence Framework, our commitment to excellence is unwavering. Our overall mission is to find new ways to understand and support the physical activity/sport needs of individuals and communities ranging from children to older people, elite athletes to sedentary adults, and healthy participants to those recovering from injury or living with chronic diseases. Through our groundbreaking research, we tackle societal challenges from multidisciplinary perspectives, ensuring that our degree programs are enriched with the latest insights and discoveries.

To support us on our journey, we are seeking to appoint a Laboratory Technician to provide essential technical support for our research and educational programs. The successful candidate will join a dedicated team of academic support professionals that have collective responsibility for the safe, effective, and efficient running of a suite of well-equipped multi-functional laboratories used for undergraduate and postgraduate education as well as academic research.

Role Summary

Main Duties

Support/Management of Laboratory facilities (40%)

• To facilitate the smooth running of the School’s laboratories. This includes preparation and setting out of equipment, testing equipment for functionality and calibration.
• To write risk assessments (including COSHH, Biological COSHH, Codes of Practice etc.) for communal laboratory equipment and chemicals.
• In conjunction with the Research Laboratory Manager, to manage the laboratory timetabling system to ensure co-ordination of bookings for research and educational use.
• To track and monitor the allocated research laboratories’ budget, including purchase of consumables, replacement of items and new equipment as required for the laboratories.
• To carry out routine maintenance of laboratory equipment.
• To carry out routine laundry services for the laboratories and physiotherapy rooms.

General Laboratory Organisation, Research Support and Administration (50%)

The post holder will assist with the daily administration and organisation of the work area, and will be expected to:

• To assist academic staff, post graduate and undergraduate students with laboratory equipment for use in research projects, including allocation of appropriate equipment and consumables, and supervision/instruction of use.
• To set up and maintain a system for safe collection and disposal of clinical waste from the laboratories in line with University approved regulations.
• To carry out routine checks of fume cupboards, eyewash baths (where applicable), gas regulators and capacity, water flushing etc, and to maintain a robust record in line with current School systems.
• Management of equipment for fieldwork and lab work (e.g. tablets, accelerometers etc.)
• To carry out the refilling of liquid nitrogen dewars.
• Monitoring of refrigerators and freezer including auditing samples, defrosting, and cleaning when appropriate.
• To ensure good housekeeping in laboratories including the disposal/recycling of packing materials and empty cartons, cleaning down of surfaces including lab benching and ensuring chemical are stored correctly,
• Monitoring and restocking of consumables.

Research Laboratory Health and Safety Support (10%)

• Understand and comply with laboratory health and safety and compliance with legal, regulatory, ethical requirements.
• The post holder will be required to ensure the safe handling and disposal of all materials used in laboratory projects including hazardous chemicals where applicable.
• To assist in the checking safety documentation and provide advice on the preparation of said documentation to academic staff and postgraduate students.
• To maintain, update, and develop the central repository for safety documentation on the schools Microsoft Teams page.
• To assist in the development and administration of safety training records of academic staff and postgraduates within the school.
• To consult with the University Safety Unit over current and future safety provision and record keeping.
• Understand and comply with site and local emergency procedures.
• Understand and comply with the University’s safety policies and procedures.
• Understand and comply with GCP and HTA.
• Understand the management and control of laboratory waste.
• Understand the handling and disposal of chemical substances.
• Understand environmental risk assessments (impact assessment).
• Understand and apply the concepts of resource efficiency to energy, water and waste.
• To ensure PPE cabinet is monitored and restocked.
• To provide advice and training on safety hazards within the school.
• To ensure first aid boxes, eye wash stations and AED are regularly checked and compliant.

Person Specification

• Degree or equivalent experience with relevance to Sport Science.
• Health and Safety qualification or relevant experience would be desirable.
• Good working knowledge of laboratory safety and safety legislation.
• Experience as Sport Science Laboratory Technician would be desirable.
• 2-3 years laboratory experience in a similar role would be desirable.
• Good practical ability in a lab and teaching environment.
• Good health and safety knowledge in the use of safe handling of field equipment, biologically hazardous materials and hazardous chemicals and substances.
• A qualification in First Aid is desirable (although training will be provided).
• The postholder must be able to engage in continual exchange of information with colleagues in order to mount large practical classes.
• Working knowledge of relevant computer software packages (e.g. Word, Excel).

Informal enquiries to Lorna Moxon, email: l.c.moxon@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. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website .