Scientific Assistant - (989821.1)

University of Victoria; Victoria; On-site; CAD 77,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Victoria seeks a Scientific Assistant to support teaching and research laboratories within the Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering programs. You will coordinate with lab staff to maintain equipment, train students and TAs, and ensure safety compliance across teaching labs.

Responsibilities include developing instructional lab resources, updating lab manuals, and assisting with day-to-day operations of labs and projects within the department.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in Engineering (mechanical, biomedical) plus 3 years of relevant experience; equivalent combinations may be considered.
• Commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive environment.

Responsibilities

• Support faculty and staff in developing, maintaining, and upgrading all teaching labs.
• Provide oversight to ensure safety policies and procedures are followed in the department.
• Assist teaching assistants by providing training and supervision for running teaching labs.
• Support leadership in meeting long-term academic goals.

Skills

Mechanical systems

Lab equipment handling

Electro-mechanical design

Microcontroller programming

DAQ systems

Engineering software

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

MATLAB

SolidWorks

AutoCAD

LabVIEW

ANSYS

Job description

Organizational Unit

University of Victoria -> Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science -> Mechanical Engineering

Location

University of Victoria - Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2 CA (Primary)

Posting Close Date

8 November 2026

Please note that positions will close at 4 p.m. on the closing date.

FTE

1.0

Salary Grade

$76,643.00 - $99,674.00

Additional Posting Information

N/A

Salary posted will be pro-rated based on FTE and achieved as per the collective agreement, if applicable.

Classification

SG10

Employee Group:

PEA - Regular

# of Hires Needed

1

Category

About this Opportunity

The University of Victoria is one of Victoria's largest employers and one of Canada’s best diversity employers. Together we are more than 5,000 dedicated faculty, librarians and staff supporting the University of Victoria’s diverse academic programs, world-class research and commitment to civic engagement.

The salary range for this position is:

• Recruitment range: $76,643 to $84,502. Starting salary is determined in accordance with the PEA Collective Agreement.

Performance range:Up to $99,674. Progression beyond the recruitment range is available through annual performance increases, in accordance with the PEA Collective Agreement

Job Summary

Mandate:
A Scientific Assistant (SA) plays an important role in ensuring the department functions efficiently and effectively by supporting students and faculty members and by coordinating with other technical staff, such as the Manager of Laboratories (ML), Senior Scientific Assistants (SSAs), and Scientific Assistants (SAs), as needed for the day-to-day operation of the unit. This position also provides specialist-level advice and training to students, faculty, and teaching assistants in the use of equipment and software in undergraduate and graduate teaching and research laboratories supporting the Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering programs, as well as the Department's research-based and professional graduate programs, including but not limited to the professional MEng programs in Biomedical Systems and Aerospace Systems Engineering.
Objectives:

• Support faculty and staff in developing, maintaining, and upgrading all teaching labs.
• Support development of instructional lab manuals and the updating of lab equipment.
• Provide oversight, ensuring that policy procedures and the safety of labs and student teams are followed in the department.
• Support teaching assistants by providing training and oversight for running teaching labs.
• Provide additional support to improve current processes and optimize procedures to ensure the department operates smoothly and effectively.
• Support department leadership in meeting long-term planning and academic goals.

This role may require working outside of normal working hours on an emergency or pre-scheduled basis.

Job Requirements

This position requires a level of education, training, and experience equivalent to an undergraduate degree in Engineering (mechanical, biomedical), Engineering Physics/Applied Physics, or a closely related technical discipline plus 3 years of relevant experience. An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience may be considered.

Knowledge, skills, and abilities

• Commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive and respectful working and learning environment.
• Strong hands‑on skills with mechanical systems are essential, as the role involves direct interaction with lab equipment, troubleshooting, and guiding users in practical applications.
• Ability to design and construct electro‑mechanical apparatus and interfacing with computers.
• Demonstrated experience using electronic equipment such as power supplies, digital oscilloscopes, LCR meters, signal generators, DAQ, etc. Demonstrated administrative and organizational skills.
• Working experience with engineering software packages such as MATLAB, SolidWorks, AutoCAD, LabVIEW, ANSYS, or similar.
• Working familiarity with manual and computer‑controlled machining equipment such as milling machines, lathes, laser cutting machine.
• Familiarity with 3D printers, 3D scanners, bioprinters, etc.
• Experience with microcontroller programming.
• Experience with the use of electronic sensors, such as strain gages, thermocouples, pressure gages, encoders, etc. and subsequent data acquisition systems.
• Demonstrated experience with the management of information systems and technology in accordance with industry best practice and internal UVic policies and standards including relevant professional development to keep knowledge and skills current.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Ability to apply project management best practices to achieve multiple project goals/tasks on time.
• Ability to build and maintain positive working relationships.
• Ability to maintain required safety certifications up to date (such as WHMIS, Laser Safety, Compressed gas, etc.)
• Ability to grasp and articulate different engineering concepts.<|start|>assistant<|channel|>analysis<|message|>We need to determine the final answer in JSON. The assistant has partially provided the final JSON. The JSON looks truncated? Let's check: The JSON seems incomplete after