Biology Teaching Laboratory Support Technician

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INITIAL REVIEW DATE (IRD)

UC Santa Cruz jobs are posted until filled. All application materials submitted by 11:59 pm on the IRD will be routed to the hiring team for consideration. NOTE: Applicants who miss the IRD are still encouraged to apply; their materials will still be forwarded for consideration if requested by the hiring team. Application materials cannot be accepted outside of the jobs portal. Applications cannot be edited on an applicant’s behalf. For more information about the IRD and the applicant review process, view this link.

The IRD for this job is: 01-23-2025

ABOUT UC SANTA CRUZ

UC Santa Cruz is a public university like no other in California, combining the experience of a small, liberal arts college with the depth and rigor of a major research university. It’s known as an unconventional place where innovation and experimentation is part of the campus’s DNA. That playful, bold spirit still thrives today, all on a campus renowned as among the most beautiful in the world.

DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW

The Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology (MCD) is comprised of thirty-five faculty members and four lecturers, whose work focuses on questions of how information in DNA is packaged, read, and interpreted in living cells, how those cells are built and regenerated, and how cells work together to comprise a whole organism.

The Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology (EEB), is devoted to the study of ecological and evolutionary processes in marine and terrestrial and freshwater environments. The past 30 years have seen several revolutions in our understanding of how the biological world works. Advances in both analytical and genetic methods have given us a far more sophisticated understanding of the complexities of ecological and evolutionary processes in the natural world. Biologists at UCSC have played and will continue to play an important part in these advances, and the campus programs offer unique educational opportunities in biology that feature small class sizes and extensive faculty-student interactions.

The Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology (METX) focuses on the human and environmental health impacts of chemicals and pathogens. This interdisciplinary focus has led to new insights into how microbes cause disease and affect the bioavailability of toxicants in the environment, as well as how organisms respond to these injurious agents. While our research is driven by biological questions, it has a significant translational component and has led to the identification of novel therapeutic targets, approaches for bioremediation, and markers of toxicant exposure. In addition, our department provides an exciting and effective training environment for graduate and undergraduate research and teaching. The METX faculty have been very successful in developing independent and interdisciplinary research programs, publishing in top-rated peer-reviewed journals, and advancing through the professoriate ranks. Moreover our graduate training prepares students to become leaders in various fields, following career paths in academia, teaching, industry, and government.

JOB SUMMARY

Reporting to the UC Santa Cruz Biological Sciences Teaching Laboratories Manager and under general supervision of the PBSci Facilities Manager, this position is a hybrid role designed to support the laboratory and field based teaching needs of the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department (EEB) and serve as the divisional facilities representative on the CSC. The incumbent will serve as primary support staff for EEB laboratory and field courses, in addition to acting as the resident manager of operations for ongoing facility needs at CBB and the broader CSC campus, including teaching and common use laboratories and teaching facilities. This position requires a combination of journey level knowledge and skill in multiple, distinct scientific disciplines, including biochemistry, microbiology, molecular biology, genetics, ecology and evolutionary biology. Additionally, this position requires technical proficiency and understanding of facilities requirements and operations. Facilities related duties include basic support for audiovisual equipment, basic IT support for teaching lab computers, and administrative support and maintenance of gear lockers containing field equipment and teaching lab materials (e.g., biological specimens, models, microscopes). Duties also include maintaining inventories, ordering course materials and equipment, providing teaching staff course support, and occasional mentorship of undergraduate or graduate students. This position also serves as shipping and logistics contact for the Coastal Biology Building, takes the lead in onboarding new faculty to the facility, coordinates faculty retirement or move-out logistics, lab and office clean-outs, and EH&S check-outs. This position manages classroom space and resources for the Seymour Marine Discovery Center classroom and serves as the CSC Safety Committee Administrator. This position serves as the primary point of contact for PBSci Divisional Facilities needs at the CSC.

APPOINTMENT INFORMATION

Budgeted Salary: $66,741.24/year. 

Under California law, the University of California, Santa Cruz is required to post a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role. The salary shown above is the budgeted amount the University reasonably expects to pay and the salary extended should not exceed this posted amount.

Benefits Level Eligibility: Full benefits

Schedule Information:

• Full-time, Fixed
• Percentage of Time: 100%, 40 Hours per Week
• Days of the Week: Mon-Fri
• Shift Includes: Day

Employee Classification: Career appointment 

Job End Date: None

Work Location: UC Santa Cruz Main Campus

Union Representation: RX Union

Job Code Classification: 009611 (SRA 3)

Travel: Never or Rarely

JOB DUTIES

60% – EEB Teaching Laboratory and Field Course Support

• Under general supervision, and as part of an instructional support team, the incumbent will provide logistic and technical support to biology laboratory teaching by preparing and organizing materials and equipment, analyzing and testing experimental protocols, and maintaining order and cleanliness in support of EEB laboratory and field classes.
• Cross training with main campus course support staff and the potential for up to two days per week of support work on Science Hill may be required, as needed, throughout the academic year.
• Serve as primary CSC lab staff contact for faculty teaching lab and field courses throughout the academic year.
• Prepare all materials needed for each class and be available to help troubleshoot issues during classes as they arise.
• Collaborate with faculty on designing lab exercises.
• Educate and instruct students, staff and faculty on the proper use of equipment, resources, laboratory equipment and experimental or logistical methodologies, as needed, keeping safety and best practices in mind.
• Serve as EEB instructional lab safety contact and ensure proper safety training for all faculty, staff and students.

25% – Coastal Campus Facilities Liaison

• Serve as the primary point of contact for PBSci Divisional Facilities needs at CSC, including the Coastal Biology
• Building and the Seymour Marine Discovery Center. Act as the liaison to Physical Plant departments, including grounds, custodial, HVAC, electrical and plumbing departments, and to campus EH&S to insure compliance and resolve regulatory issues.
• Responsible for overall maintenance and care of divisional facilities at CSC (excluding IMS managed properties) through coordination with the Physical Plant or external contractors.
• Analyze problems and make corrections or establish contact with Physical Plant or outside services to arrange repairs, communicate the nature of problems, and provide provisional diagnosis.
• Coordinate maintenance, custodial, grounds, and other service requests for assigned facilities, interacting with
• Physical Plant Services, other units and outside vendors.
• Communicate with the CSC community regarding maintenance, repair and construction activities that might affect
• research or teaching programs and daily operations on the campus.
• Serve as equipment shipping and logistics contact for the Coastal Biology Building.
• Serve as the CSC Safety Committee Administrator.
• Serve as the main point of contact to ensure IACUC policy compliance inside CBB.
• Work closely with EEB and IACUC to develop, implement, and maintain best-practices usage agreements for researchers in EEB facilities.
• Serve as facilities representative to 2300 Delaware on an as needed basis.
• Provide feedback to the divisional facilities group and advise on facilities related issues as they arise.
• Assist management in development and procurement of multiple facilities budgets.
• Assist management in coordination of capital improvement projects and actively participate on committees and attend meetings to this end.
• Provide space-use analysis to departmental and/or divisional stakeholders, and make recommendations to ensure campus and divisional space policy guidelines are adhered to.

15% – Operational Support

• Act as a departmental equipment custodian; manage equipment tracking system(s), conduct inventory controls, process and maintain records of equipment warranties, make repairs, and issue insurance requests.
• Serve as the initial contact for instructional and shared equipment support in CBB.
• Coordinate repairs with divisional facilities staff, instructional lab staff or physical plant staff.
• Manage scheduling of departmental field vehicles, ensure vehicle safety compliance, and coordinate the maintenance and repair of fleet vehicles and equipment.
• Serve as the point of contact for onboarding new faculty to CBB, coordinates faculty retirement or move-out logistics, lab and office clean-outs, and EH&S check-outs.
• Manage classroom space and resources for the Seymour Marine Discovery Center classroom, serving EE Biology courses and departmental research.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Demonstrated proficiency in laboratory skills including weighing and mixing of chemicals and media, pH adjustment, sterilization, dispensing, sterile transfer, dilutions and molarity calculations.
• Experience with total genomic isolation methods, gene amplification, PCR primer design, gel electrophoresis, next generation DNA sequencing, molecular probes, quantitative PCR, gene expression, population genetics and metagenomics.
• Experience maintaining, troubleshooting, and performing routine repairs of laboratory equipment such as balances, pH meters, centrifuges, microscopes, pipettors, spectrophotometers and electrophoresis units.
• Theoretical and practical knowledge of modern laboratory instrumentation and basic building infrastructure and technical knowledge required to maintain operations.
• Experience with marine, freshwater or terrestrial ecological or evolutionary studies.
• Experience with logistical support for ongoing field operations, including ecological data collection requirements, equipment maintenance, inventory management, scheduling resources and purchasing supplies and consumables.
• Strong organizational skills; experience setting up tools and databases to manage inventories and track usage.
• Experience and analytical skills sufficient to plan, organize, and prioritize tasks to meet strict deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to critically read and comprehend technical literature.
• Demonstrated ability to interact effectively with a diverse group of faculty, staff, and students, and engage them in productive dialog regarding technical issues.
• Experience working cooperatively as part of a team.
• Experience training, supervising or evaluating the work of students or laboratory assistants.
• Experience safely handling toxic chemicals and biohazardous materials.
• Familiarity with laboratory safety, standard operating procedures, safety protocols, materials safety data and chemical inventories, EH&S reporting and quarterly safety assessments. Experience applying safety protocols both as part of standard facilities procedures and during field operations.
• Experience procuring and purchasing materials and equipment based on cost and serviceability and the analytical skills to determine whether an alternate product choice is adequate for a given application.
• Experience handling and maintaining living organisms such as bacteria, yeast, plants, and invertebrates.
• Experience dissecting, handling and disposing of preserved specimens.
• Demonstrated ability to work quickly, accurately, and independently in a fast paced environment and to focus on tasks despite frequent interruptions.
• Knowledge and experience with A/V equipment, standard office suite applications, analytical software installation and basic IT support.
• Ability to install software updates.
• Ability to work independently and take initiative.
• Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills.
• Ability to use discretion and good judgment.
• Working knowledge of utility systems, including electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and security.
• Knowledge of facilities maintenance.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience as a laboratory technician where duties included direct responsibility for preparing laboratory experiments for college level courses in molecular biology or biochemistry.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

• Selected candidate will be required to pass a pre-employment criminal history background check.
• Selected candidate must pass the employment misconduct disclosure process.
• Must possess a valid license to drive in the state of California.
• The selected candidate will be required to work all scheduled hours on-site.
• Ability to work a variable schedule including evenings and weekends.
• Selected candidate will be required to complete training within established time frames as directed including UC compliance training.
• Ability to work safely in areas where hazardous materials are present or stored.
• Ability to wear proper safety attire (long pants, closed-toe shoes, etc.) and personal protective equipment common in a laboratory setting.
• Ability to read signs and follow directions on labels that are written in English as well as ability to read and understand Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) and the proper use of chemical compounds.
• Ability to travel to multiple work locations on and off campus.
• The University of California has implemented a Vaccination Policy covering all employees. Employees, including new hires, are required to comply with any applicable policies relating to the University of California vaccine program.
• Per the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (CANRA), this position has been identified as a Mandated Reporter. The selected candidate will be required to report known or suspected child abuse or neglect as defined by CANRA and will be required to sign a Statement Acknowledging Requirement to Report Child Abuse prior to commencing employment. CANRA Penal Codes, and related definitions, requirements, and responsibilities may be obtained here.

MISCONDUCT DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENT

As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.

a. “Misconduct” means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant’s previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC’s policies addressing some forms of misconduct:

UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy

UC Anti-Discrimination Policy

Abusive Conduct in the Workplace

SAFETY STATEMENT

All UCSC employees must understand and follow job safety procedures, attend required health and safety training, proactively promote safety at work, and promptly report actual and potential accidents and injuries.

NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY

In compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (the Clery Act), the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report (ASFSR) is available at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hUBiz3WS3zErEGOhSOu7KZZPzGkTwr_2/view?usp=sharing. 

This report is published by October 1st of each year and includes current institutional policies and procedures concerning campus safety and security; fire safety and evacuation policies; sexual misconduct and relationship violence reporting and response protocols; and crime and fire statistics for the three previous calendar years. A paper copy of the ASFSR is available upon request by contacting the UCSC Police Department at 114 Carriage House Rd., Santa Cruz, CA 95064, or by calling 831-459-2231 Ext. 1.

EEO/AA

The University of California is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status. UC Santa Cruz is committed to excellence through diversity and strives to establish a climate that welcomes, celebrates, and promotes respect for the contributions of all students and employees.

For the University of California’s Affirmative Action Policy please visit: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4010393/PPSM-20

For the University of California’s Anti-Discrimination Policy, please visit: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/1001004/Anti-Discrimination

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