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Senior Technician

Employer
KINGS COLLEGE LONDON
Location
London (Greater)
Salary
£33,114 - £37,804 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance
Closing date
21 Nov 2021

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Academic Discipline
Biological Sciences, Life sciences
Job Type
Professional Services, Administrative
Contract Type
Fixed Term
Hours
Full Time

Job Details

Job description
 
The Centre for Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine is located in Guy’s Hospital and is a nucleus for the cutting-edge stem cell research currently taking place across the College and its partner NHS trusts, as part of King’s Health Partners. Through the Centre, King’s aims to drive collaboration between scientists and clinicians to translate the potential of stem cells into clinical reality for patients.     
 
A major focus of Professor Watt’s current research is regulation of cell fate decisions in adult mammalian epidermis using both in vitro and mouse models. The post-holder will work closely with Professor Watt, and will be responsible for key budgetary, administrative and research tasks within her laboratory. Approximately half of the post-holder’s time will be office-based and half will be laboratory based. Expertise in cell culture and/or mouse models is essential. 
 
The successful candidate will be highly motivated, flexible and pro-active, with the ability to work both independently and within a closely collaborative team. A keen interest in stem cell research and a ‘can do’ attitude are essential. The candidate will have exceptional skills in organisation and communication and will have experience of grants management, Health and Safety and Home Office legislation or the Human Tissue Act. The post holder will also have experience of overseeing and training junior workers. 
 
This post will be offered on an a fixed-term contract until 30/11/2022 in first instance 
This is a full-time post - 100% full time equivalent

Key responsibilities

 

  • The post holder is a member of the School’s professional services team, providing high quality technical support to the School and specific support to its education/ research activities. Working closely with their line manager(s) and lead academic, the post holder will:  
  • Provide in-depth knowledge of technical or scientific practices, methods and procedures gained through experience and/or formal qualification  
  • Be responsible for the delivery and day-to-day management of a range of technical facilities and activities, using knowledge derived from various sources of diverse complexity, ensuring an efficient use of resources 
  • Manage/ supervise the installation, monitoring and maintenance of equipment, systems and software, with control over small budgets, stocks/stores equipment and supplies    
  • Be responsible for the compliance with Health & Safety and other relevant regulations, guidance and legislation governing area of work and responsibility, monitoring safe working practice, completing risk assessments and adapting the working environment to reduce the level of hazard  
  • Communicate, both orally and in writing, complex information in a clear and precise fashion, synthesising and presenting complex information in a clear and precise manner  
  • Use well-developed analytical skills to identify trends and patterns, using appropriate techniques and procedures to do this, to inform timely and considered decisions  
  • Problem solve using a systematic and timely approach, making decisions independently, using agreed guidelines, that have an impact of up to a year and occasionally being required to resolve predictable, longer term problems 
  • Manage own workload, pattern of work and resources, and manage/supervise a small team, advising and providing feedback and identifying training and development needs 
  • Be responsive to changing priorities and an evolving environment/context, maximising the efficiency of the technical support being provided and resolving problems as they arise 
  • Forge relationships with colleagues in the university and external to the university, in order to build relationships, disseminate information, coordinate and deliver the required support  
  • Provide advice/ guidance and, where appropriate, training to colleagues on techniques, university policies, processes and, where required, source information and support for colleagues to facilitate their work 
  • Facilitate an inclusive culture and ethos across the School teams, ensuring that Professional Services staff work in partnership with academic staff in departments/ centres/ institutes and Professional Services colleagues in the Faculty team and functional networks 
  • Create an ethos of collaboration and collegiality, establishing effective communications and relationships, and encouraging staff to work in partnership with colleagues across the university, to eliminate potential barriers, enhance collegiality and develop best practice through actively contributing to King’s initiatives, including professional networks and working   
  • Participate in cross-School/ Faculty/ university projects and initiatives for up to 10% FTE 
  • Engage actively in Continuing Professional Development and training initiatives, in line with the Technician Commitment and Research Concordat for a minimum of 10 days pro rata per year 
  • The post holder will report to Prof. Fiona Watt and Mr. Matteo Battilocchi

 
The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.  
 
Skills, knowledge, and experience 


Essential criteria 
 
1.       Minimum level 4 qualification, e.g. higher apprenticeship, HNC or other Level 4 award, plus work experience in a relevant technical/scientific post OR Considerable knowledge and skills gained through work experience in a relevant technical or scientific post 
2.       Evidence of an active commitment to career development including professional registration, such as RSci, or working towards CSci and clear progression in increasingly demanding jobs. 
3.       Extensive technical experience and knowledge of a range of scientific procedures and the underpinning scientific theory applicable to the work area and their environmental impact. 
4.       Clear spoken and written communication skills, with proficient computer use and strong interpersonal and influencing/behavioural skills. Ideally experience using rodent colony management software.   
5.       Proactive and responsive to contacts in immediate area, across the wider organisation and externally (e.g., suppliers) to build relationships and network. 
6.       Solutions-focused self-starter, with excellent planning and organisational skills, an ability to manage competing priorities and who can work with minimal supervision. 
7.       Good working knowledge of regulations and best practice governing area of work, including Health & Safety and environmental sustainability. 
8.       Knowledge of environmental impacts of laboratory work and an interest in reducing the negative impacts. 
9.       Extensive knowledge of, and experience in adhering to, Home Office guidance and ASPA on the use of animals in scientific research  
10.   Current holder of, or recently revoked, Home Office Personal Licence. 
 
Desirable  criteria
 
 
1.        Experience of supervising/advising junior team members, giving feedback on performance levels and training/coaching where necessary.
2.        Able and willing to provide support beyond core hours, as required.
3.        Experience of using procurement systems such as Unit 4 Business World.
4.        Experience of cell culture
5.        Ability to work independently, take the initiative, planning and managing multiple and varied tasks and prioritise workload.  
 
Further information
 
Selection process to include a Panel Interview 

Company

King's College London is one of the top 20 universities in the world and among the oldest in England. King's has more than 27,600 students (of whom nearly 10,500 are graduate students) from some 150 countries worldwide, and some 6,800 staff.

King's has an outstanding reputation for world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) King’s was ranked 6th nationally in the ‘power’ ranking, which takes into account both the quality and quantity of research activity, and 7th for quality according to Times Higher Education rankings. Eighty-four per cent of research at King’s was deemed ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ (3* and 4*). The university is in the top seven UK universities for research earnings and has an overall annual income of more than £684 million.

King's has a particularly distinguished reputation in the humanities, law, the sciences (including a wide range of health areas such as psychiatry, medicine, nursing and dentistry) and social sciences including international affairs. It has played a major role in many of the advances that have shaped modern life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA and research that led to the development of radio, television, mobile phones and radar.

King's College London and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts are part of King's Health Partners. King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC) is a pioneering global collaboration between one of the world's leading research-led universities and three of London's most successful NHS Foundation Trusts, including leading teaching hospitals and comprehensive mental health services. For more information, visit: www.kingshealthpartners.org.

King’s £600 million campaign, World questions|KING’s answers, has delivered huge global impact in areas where King’s has particular expertise. Philanthropic support has funded new research to save young lives at Evelina London Children’s Hospital; established the King’s Dickson Poon School of Law as a worldwide leader in transnational law; built a new Cancer Centre at Guy’s Hospital; allowed unique collaboration between leading neuroscientists to fast-track new treatments for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, motor neurone disease, depression and schizophrenia at the new Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute; created the Cicely Saunders Institute: the first academic institution in the world dedicated to palliative care, and supported the King’s Sierra Leone Partnership in the Ebola crisis. Donations provide over 300 of the most promising students with scholarships and bursaries each year. More information about the campaign is available at www.kcl.ac.uk/kingsanswers.

Company info
Mini-site
KINGS COLLEGE LONDON
Telephone
+(44)02078365454
Location
STRAND
LONDON
WC2R 2LS
United Kingdom

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