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Intermediate Technician

Employer
DURHAM UNIVERSITY
Location
Durham, United Kingdom
Salary
£19,612 - £21,814 per annum
Closing date
7 Aug 2021

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Department of Biosciences

Grade 4: - £19,612 - £21,814 per annum
Fixed Term - Full Time
Contract Duration: 12 months
Contracted Hours per Week: 35
Closing Date: 07-Aug-2021, 6:59:00 AM 

Job Family: Technical, Research and Teaching Services

OUR CHARACTERISTICS: We are a globally outstanding centre of teaching and research excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, in a unique and historic setting.    

OUR VALUES: We are inspiring, challenging, innovative, responsible and enabling.

Durham University

Durham University is one of the world's top universities with strengths across the Arts and Humanities, Business, Sciences and Social Sciences. We are home to some of the most talented scholars and researchers from around the world who are tackling global issues and making a difference in people's lives. 

The University sits in a beautiful historic city where it shares ownership of a UNESCO World Heritage Site with Durham Cathedral, the greatest Romanesque building in Western Europe. A collegiate University, Durham recruits outstanding students from across the world and offers an unmatched wider student experience.

Durham University seeks to promote and maintain an inclusive and supportive environment for work and study that assists all members of our University community to reach their full potential. Diversity brings strength and we welcome applications from across the international, national and regional communities that we work with and serve.

It is expected that all staff within the University:

  • Contribute to our learning culture by engaging in mentoring, training and coaching.
  • Positively contribute to fostering a collegial environment; as well as demonstrating a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
  • Have due regard to Health and Safety requirements appropriate to grade and role.

Family key attributes

Roles in this family provide creative and analytical input to facilitate the delivery of world-class teaching, learning and research activities.

Overall family purpose

  • Support stakeholders to ensure the delivery of research, teaching and scholarly activities.
  • Align and tailor services to meet strategic and operational research, teaching and learning objectives.
  • Prepare and set up equipment, apparatus and resources to ensure the successful delivery of scheduled academic activities.
  • Monitor, manage and maintain teaching, learning or research facilities, workshops, laboratories and experimental environments to ensure compliance with internal and external regulations.
  • Contribute guidance, advice and/or professional expertise to increase intellectual and creative capacity for world-class teaching and research outputs.
  • Actively participate with peers and specialists internally and externally to expand knowledge and practice.
  • Design and construct equipment, environments, tools, techniques and methodologies to meet research and learning objectives.
  • Adapt and develop equipment, techniques and methodologies to meet research and learning outputs and timescales.
  • Engage and network with internal and external specialists and experts to facilitate knowledge exchange and enhance research, teaching and learning activities.
  • Work collaboratively and network across the University with staff in other families to ensure a smooth, timely and high-quality delivery of service.

Link to key strategic plan

  • An economically sustainable approach to delivering technical and experimental support services across the University;
  • Support and facilitate world-leading research across all academic departments;
  • Support and facilitate research that has a positive impact on global, national and regional challenges and which benefits culture, society, health, the economy and the physical environment;
  • Support and facilitate a rewarding research environment and an exceptional research-led learning experience;
  • Support and facilitate programmes that offer intellectual challenge, cohesiveness and a strong sense of progression;
  • A stakeholder-focused orientation, offering satisfying careers to all staff;
  • Ensure that an increasingly diverse workforce is treated equally, fairly and with respect and that all staff are demonstrably valued and actively engaged.

The Department and role purpose   

The Department of Biosciences is composed of academic staff and research fellows with research and teaching interests that span the broad spectrum of Biosciences. The Department studies biology from the smallest to the largest scales; from the structures and functions of biological molecules, through to cells, tissues and organisms and to the entire global ecosystem. The interests of the academic staff include all types of living organisms, from bacteria, through the plant and animal kingdoms, to human health and disease.

A laboratory technician (full time) is required to support research activities within the lab of Dr Elaine Fitches in the Department of Biosciences. E. Fitches’s group works on developing novel protein-based biopesticides for the control of crop pests. You will support the day-to-day operation of the laboratory which will include assisting with the maintenance of insect cultures and contributing to ongoing experimental work. You will also be expected to assist with the day-to-day running of the laboratory and participate in group meetings. 

The role requires good time management and communication skills, ability to work independently and as a part of a group. We are looking for enthusiastic people who are willing to learn new things. Previous experience of laboratory-based work and in particular biochemistry (eg. protein purification, SDS-PAGE gels and Western blotting) is a plus. However, the role will include multiple opportunities to acquire new knowledge and technical expertise. This role will suit anyone interested in pursuing a career in laboratory-based work, either with a technical focus or with a view to progress to a research career

Core responsibilities:

  • Provide a responsive and proactive support service for stakeholders such as assisting in basic invertebrate husbandry techniques and the operation of the bench-top fermenter under the guidance of experienced team members. 
  • Focus on checking stakeholder requirements to ensure the delivery of excellence with the frontline stakeholder experience.
  • Respond to service users answering and recording standard queries and bookings for activities and/or events.
  • Contribute to the planning of team activities, work and deadlines to ensure the smooth running and timeliness of service.
  • Solve day-to-day routine problems and source background information within the role, including proactively monitoring and recording levels of reagents and media, liaising with team members to identify future needs.
  • Record data and information accurately and provide reports as required to team members and more experienced staff including maintaining accurate and comprehensive records in the form of a laboratory notebook as well as in shared documents (e.g., stock inventories etc).
  • Operate a booking and enquiry service and process requests finding solutions or escalating queries where necessary.
  • Flexible in approach to accommodate the needs of team members and/or service users.
  • Assist team members to organise, plan and prepare for events, meetings and activities.
  • Liaise with internal and external suppliers, contractors and professional specialists to pass on information.
  • Apply professional and regulatory procedures and processes and use of systems.
  • Liaise and collaborate with staff in other areas of the organisation to ensure a seamless, smooth and efficient service.
  • Resolve queries and requests for information and advice and escalate more specialist and complex queries or issues to more experienced team members.

Role responsibilities:

  • Work with team members to ensure the safe, secure and appropriate research, teaching and learning resources and facilities including carrying out affinity purification and biochemical analysis (SDS-PAGE, Western blotting) of recombinant proteins produced by bench-top fermentation.
  • Set up and prepare equipment and resources within a defined area to carry out teaching, research and learning activities.
  • Respond to and resolve queries, escalating complex and specialist queries to team members.
  • Provide instruction and demonstration to others within the area of working and oversee the safe use of a wide range of physical and digital equipment and tools.
  • Assist team members to carry out risk assessments and respond to potential harmful situations according to procedures, escalating issues where required.
  • Carry out first-line visual inspection and safety checks regularly and on an annual basis with or without team members.
  • Liaise with academic staff and students to identify practical resources and equipment necessary to meet project or work outputs.
  • Liaise with internal and external suppliers and specialists with the organisation, planning and delivery of teaching and research resources and activities.
  • Draft, produce and distribute subject-related technical information as required.
  • Provide guidance on health, safety and technical equipment within the context of the role.
  • Contribute to the construction and/or repair of mechanical, electrical, electronic and digital equipment and tools under the supervision of more experienced staff, including maintaining and cleaning plasticware, incubators, lab and other ancillary or associated areas and provision of clean laundry items.
  • Any other reasonable duties.

Specific role requirements:

Recruiting to this post 

In order to be considered for an interview, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification above (including those listed in the section ‘Realising Your Potential Approach’).  

The Realising Your Potential Approach clarifies the behaviours expected to be demonstrated by all staff across Professional Services in the University regardless of their role. Along with the core responsibilities, role responsibilities and the person specification, the Realising Your Potential Approach behavioural indicators are used to inform the recruitment and selection process. Further information on the Realising Your Potential Approach is available here.

In some cases, the recruiting panel may also consider the desirable criteria, so we recommend you evidence all criteria in your application.  

Please note that some criteria will only be considered at the interview stage.

How to apply 

We prefer to receive applications online.

Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement https://www.dur.ac.uk/ig/dp/privacy/pnjobapplicants/ which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.

What you are required to submit

  1. A CV; 
  2. A covering letter which details your experience, strengths and potential in the requirements set out below;

Please ensure that you submit all documentation listed above or your application cannot proceed to the next stage.

Contact details 

For further information please contact; Dr Elaine Fitches; E.C.Fitches@durham.ac.uk

At Durham University, our aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work. We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

We will notify you of the status of your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails.

Person specification - skills, knowledge, qualifications and experience required

Essential Criteria:

  • Good oral and written communication skills.
  • Proven IT skills, including use of Microsoft Office.
  • Five GCSE’s at least Grade C or level four (or equivalent) including English Language and Mathematics (or equivalent experience).
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
  • Experience of working in a biology laboratory.
  • Health and safety compliance knowledge.
  • Ability to solve problems as part of a team and resolve straightforward issues. 

Desirable Criteria:

  • Experience of following safe working practices, i.e., health and safety compliance
  • Experience of protein purification techniques
  • Experience of working with insects in a laboratory environment 
  • Experience of microscopy 

DBS Requirement: Not Applicable.

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