Job Description and Person Specification (HR5) /
Job Description
School/Academic Unit: / CMEES
Post Title: / Experimental Officer - Environmental Engineering
Please enter Level under appropriate Career Pathway / ERE / TAE / MSA / CAO / R.Nurse / Clinical
Level 4
ERE & Clinical Posts: Please indicate the category / Academic Posts / Non-Academic Posts
Teaching & Research / Research
only / Teaching
only / Enterprise / Education Development
Posts Responsible to (and Level): / Mr A Giles (Faculty Technician Manager - Mechanical and Research) Level 5
Posts Responsible for (and Level): / N/A
Job Purpose:
To provide experimental, technical and training support for research and teaching activities, give day-to-day guidance to other technicians working on research contracts within the Environmental Laboratories, and ensure safe operation of the Environmental Laboratories, in accordance with the Faculty's organisational structure diagram for technical support staff.
Key Accountabilities/Primary Responsibilities: / % Time
Advise laboratory users on the design, construction and safe operation of experimental apparatus. Provide instruction and training in the use of complex instruments for specialised and non-routine measurements. Give advice and practical assistance on the design of experiments, the development and application of specialist methods, and the interpretation of results. Where necessary develop novel techniques and procedures to a level where these can be reliably carried out to give appropriate results in a specialised research environment. / 30
Maintain complex instrumentation and equipment in good working order, by diagnosing and rectifying faults and carrying out corrective and preventative maintenance, where necessary liaising with equipment manufacturers and suppliers for specific advice or to arrange repairs or maintenance visits.
Provide training to other technical staff and researchers on carrying out routine maintenance, fault-finding and repairs. Advise the Faculty Technician Manager, Heads of Research Groups and Head of Academic Unit or their deputies on physical resource requirements including equipment replacement schedules, specifications and pricing, and space needs. / 25
In conjunction with the Analytical Technician:
- Ensure that standard laboratory and field equipment (such as pH and other meters, pipettors, automatic burettes, pressure meters, centrifuges, balances, water de-ionizers, incubators, ovens and furnaces) is maintained in good working order.
- Monitor and make up standard solutions and chemical reagents as required, and carry out standardisation procedures.
- Organise and maintain equipment manuals and standard laboratory methods.
- Ensure that the tasks necessary to provide a safe, tidy and unobstructed working environment for all laboratory users are carried out in accordance with safety regulations, standard procedures, good laboratory practice and the University Safety Policy.
- Carry out induction of new laboratory users and provide continued support enabling staff and students to comply with standard practices and safety procedures.
- Liaise with the University Safety Office for advice on laboratory safety and on the storage, shipping and safe disposal of materials and the testing of equipment, including electrical safety testing.
- Ensure maintenance of adequate stocks of laboratory consumables (including bottled gases and minor equipment spares) to meet the requirements of teaching and research.
- Ensure that requisitions and orders generated in connection with laboratory activities are fully compliant with the University's Safety Policy, budgetary resources, ordering procedures and financial reporting requirements.
- Organise the management of industrial and special gases for safe and cost effective use ensuring that equipment and storage comply with the relevant codes of practice and recording requirements. / 25
Carry out routine and advanced testing for the purposes of assisting with research and development work, including data interpretation and preparation of results for scientific publication. / 10
Attend internal and external project meetings or working groups when requested, to give specialist technical advice and guidance and provide coordination of support services across the Faculty. / 5
Other duties as required by line managers. / 5
Internal & External Relationships:
·  Close and proactive liaison with other technical staff within the laboratories, to ensure that joint research and teaching activities are performed with maximum efficiency where shared resources are used.
·  Work with postgraduate research students, Research Assistants and Fellows and Academic Staff within the Faculty and other institutions as appropriate.
·  Liaise with Faculty and University Safety Office for safety information, disposal of hazardous substances and loan of equipment.
·  Liaise with suppliers of laboratory equipment, consumables and gases for technical advice regarding set up, servicing and maintenance of equipment and ordering of specialist items to maintain activities within the laboratories.
Special Requirements:
To have or obtain up-to-date inoculation status for tetanus
Person Specification
Criteria / Essential / Desirable / How to be assessed
Qualifications, Knowledge and Experience: / Degree, HND, NVQ4 or equivalent in Natural Sciences, Engineering, or related field plus extensive experience with experimental equipment, instrumentation and research methods.
Demonstration of a full understanding of complex technical and scientific issues in the field of science or engineering. / Experience of working within a research or higher educational environment.
Recognised safety qualification.
Contribution to scientific publications. / Application Form with evidence of achievement
Planning and Organising: / Ability to i) plan, organise and manage own workload and that of others, including prioritising to meet deadlines, in order to provide effective technical specialist support services to the Faculty's research activity. ii) contribute proactively to planning and development of the Faculty's experimental facilities. iii) adapt schedules and work programmes to meet the changing demands of the research environment in accordance with the strategic plans of the Faculty and the University. / Interview / References
Problem Solving and Initiative: / Ability to i) advise on and assist in the experimental design, experimental facilities and quantitative and qualitative interpretation of results. ii) identify technical problems and generate innovative solutions including novel methods and experimental procedures. iii) diagnose faults in complex equipment and procedures and take appropriate action to overcome problems. / Proven ability to design and develop analytical equipment and/or experimental apparatus. / Application Form / Interview
Management and Teamwork: / Ability to i) manage day-to-day technical services in the Environmental laboratories ensuring that different aspects of the work are carried out to the required standards, by delegation and liaison where appropriate. ii) provide technical supervision to undergraduate and postgraduate students during project work, and to staff involved in research or industrial development. iii) ensure compliance with health and safety standards and systems. iv) monitor and maintain records to meet the Faculty's requirements. v) contribute towards formulation of staff development plans to provide required skills. / Interview
Communicating and Influencing: / Well-developed written and verbal communication skills. Ability to i) provide clear specialist advice and guidance on complex technical and scientific issues. ii) promote understanding and cooperation between user groups including in liaison with external bodies. ii) provide instruction on experimental techniques, equipment and safety procedures; where appropriate this may include group training sessions (e.g. postgraduate and staff training). iii) present data and results in a form suitable for scientific publication. / Interview
Other Skills and Behaviours: / Knowledge and experience of Health & Safety within an environmental engineering laboratory environment. / Interview
Special Requirements: / Full clean UK Driving Licence


Job Hazard Analysis Form - Appendix to Job and Person Specification

Please tick one of the following statements:

This post is an office-based job with routine office hazards e.g. use of VDU (if ticked, no further information needs to be supplied)
This post has some hazards other than routine office e.g. more than use of VDU / Yes

Please tick all those that apply, and put N/A if not applicable

Environmental Exposures / O* / F / C
Outside work
Extremes of temperature (eg fridge/ furnace)
Potential for exposure to body fluids ##
Noise (greater than 80 dba - 8 hrs twa) ##
Exposure to hazardous substances (eg solvents, liquids, dust, fumes, biohazards). Specify …………………………………………………………. ## / O
Frequent hand washing
Ionising radiation.
Equipment/Tools/Machines used
Food Handling ##
Driving university vehicles(e.g. car/van/LGV/PCV) ##
Use of latex gloves (note: prohibited unless specific clinical necessity) ##
Vibrating tools ( e.g. strimmers, hammer drill, lawnmowers) ##
Physical Abilities
Load manual handling.
Repetitive Crouching/Kneeling/Stooping
Repetitive Pulling/Pushing
Repetitive Lifting
Standing for prolonged periods
Repetitive Climbing i.e. steps, stools, ladders
Fine motor grips (e.g. pipetting)
Gross motor grips
Repetitive reaching below shoulder height
Repetitive reaching at shoulder height
Repetitive reaching above shoulder height
Psychosocial Issues
Face to face contact with public
Lone working
Shift work/night work/on call duties ##

O – Occasionally (up to 1/3 of time); F – Frequently (up to 2/3 of time); C – Constantly (more than 2/3 of time) ## denotes to HR the need for a full PEHQ to be sent to all applicants for this position.

FOR SCHOOL/SERVICE USE ONLY / ResourceLink Post Number
Which post does this job report to / Andy Giles
Is this post a Line Manager? / Yes / No / No
If yes, which posts directly report into it? / ResourceLink Post Number
Post 1
Post 2
Post 3
Post 4
Post 5
Post 6
Post 7
Post 8
Please add additional rows as required

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