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Position Details

College of Medicine and Health

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £32,546 to £35,116 with potential progression once in post to £39,355

Grade: 6

Full Time, Permanent

Closing date: 8th June 2025

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do.

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, andweare equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university.We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here todevelopthrough our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programmewhichprovides allprofessionalservices staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential.With almost 5,000professionalservices jobs in a wide-range of functionsin Edgbaston andin our campus inDubai, there are plenty of opportunities foryou to be able to develop yourcareer at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate.We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are,and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees andtothe success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer avarietyof flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working.In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 dayspaid holidaya year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site.On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops,places to eat and drink,our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about thebenefits of working for the Universityof Birmingham

Background

The Microscopy Facility is part of the Technology Hub, a series of research facilities available to users across colleges (https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/university/colleges/mds/facilities). The facility offers state of the art equipment for widefield and confocal microscopy, including high throughput systems. The facility constantly is doing horizon scanning to incorporate new innovative technologies to our offering. The facility has most of the equipment located at the Imagining Suite a recently refurbished area of the IBR, equipment is also hosted in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The facility has strong collaborative links with local facilities such as the Centre of Membrane Proteins and Receptors and the Intravital Facility, which synergise efforts to benefit our users. The success of this facility is due to the large number of users having easy access to powerful and relevant research instruments and the technical specialists who provide training and support for users.

Role Summary

TheMicroscopy Specialist Technician will be responsible for providing a full support to customers on multiple technologies. This will include giving specialist advice about the offering and match that to the user requirement. The specialist will use advanced skills to support maintenance and in-depth training of the equipment offering at the facility for users.

They will need to develop constructive working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders (both internal and external) and use project management skills to coordinate projects from initial plans to delivery, including quotation provision, communicating during the assay process as needed, and seeing the workflow through to data delivery and analysis advice, plus reporting.

The successful candidate will also supervise and mentor support staff and ensure compliance with local standard operating procedures, and all Health and Safety policies.

Main Duties

Provide a Complete Microscopy Support

• Provide a professional support service for the facility users across the equipment offering. It will also include ensuring the facility always operates in an effective and efficient manner and the equipment is run to optimal parameters.
• The role holder will be the first point of contact for University research staff or external stakeholders wishing to use the facility and will provide expert advice and guidance in establishing the exact requirements of the customer needs.
• The role holder will train staff in use of equipment and sign competency training records to enable end users to use equipment unsupervised.
• When required assist, supervise and guide users on the use of the equipment.
• Provide professional feedback on run results to end users advising, where appropriate, enhancements to procedures/protocols may elicit improved results.
• Ensure the equipment is maintained, serviced and calibrated as required and all necessary documentation pertaining to these activities is stored appropriately for review by the Research Facilities Manager.
• The role holder will be responsible for monitoring the use of this facility by end users and ensure all users have sufficient capacity for their current requirements.
• The role holder will be required to perform basic systems administration operations including file transfer, scheduled back-ups and long-term archiving of data.
• The role holder will be expected, to attend and participate in regular user group meetings to review new technology and developments in the field as well as discuss the usage and capabilities of current instruments. Invitations to this group will extend to users and managers of other microscopy related facilities in other Colleges and form an important part of inter-College coordination.
• Assist with CPD courses by and for internal and external stakeholders.
• Assist teaching lecturing staff in the teaching of microscopy technologies to students as required.
• Play a proactive role in the promotion of the services offered by the facility.
• Actively engage in the Personal Development Process.
• Contribute at a level appropriate with the grade, to internal and external audit procedures, and to regulatory inspections.
• Assist Line Manager in identifying and tracking items held on the University asset register.
• Play a proactive role in developing new initiatives for the service and ensure such initiatives are expressed in a coherent/professional format to inform and/or influence senior management.
• Promote equality and values diversity, acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.
• Supports the University’s sustainability agenda through resource efficient working.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Educated to Degree level(or equivalent qualifications) or relevant technical qualification and relevant experience - where no equivalent qualification is held, extensive proven practical and technical experiencein a similar role will be required.
• Evidence of literacy and numeracy, with the ability to write clearly and to analyse information and data using Microsoft office applications.
• Proven experience of a wide range of microscopy techniques, including widefield and confocal (some or all).
• Professional experience in a laboratory service environment.
• Understanding of an ability to apply the principles of good clinical practices (GCP) in a research environment.
• Positive service attitude and shows courtesy in dealing with others.
• Proven ability to organise and manage own workload and demonstrate flexibility in terms of work practices and requirements.
• Proven ability to work independently but function as part of a team.
• Proven ability to understand customer requirements and ensure solutions are developed to meet their needs and provide advice and guidance.
• Proven ability to diagnose/ resolve problems and suggest solutions in own area, whilst having regard to the local and wider interests.
• Must be able to communicate effectively with all levels of users
• Proficiency in commonly used software packages and in-depth knowledge of image processing software.
• Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day-to-day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly.

Role context

Roles at this at this level will require proven specialist knowledge of technical, IT or scientific practices, methods and procedures gained through either experience and/or formal qualification and this knowledge should be deployed in the provision of a range of high-level technical support activities.You will have the opportunity to exercise a high degree of personal responsibility and initiative which you will use to resolve issues; you will use your judgement to deal with unforeseen problems and circumstances, all with limited guidance/supervision.

Core competencies/transferable skills

Working at this level, you will be able to develop and successfully use the core competencies/transferable skills outlined in each of the areas shown below.As appropriate for the level, our Birmingham Professionals will take ownership for getting things done. You will be expected to be flexible as required in supporting your department and wider University.

Planning and organising

• provide high level technical support, specialist analysis or advice to others;
• prioritise and schedule work and resources to ensure on time and (where applicable) on budget delivery;
• set priorities and quality standards for a wide range of tasks and duties;
• liaise with staff, students and technical colleagues to anticipate and understand needs/provide advice/guidance;
• as applicable, manage a team of staff who are carrying out similar kinds of work;
• use the PPMS management system to control and monitor users’ training records and access to equipment. Regularly review the information in the user database for accuracy;
• using the PPMS management system to monitor equipment usage to meet future planning requirements;
• maintain stocks of consumables, if necessary, creating purchase order requisitions for the College finance office or via web-based ordering system. Receipt and correct storage of consumables and chemical reagents;
• ensuring that the facilities are maintained in a clean, functional and safe condition, reporting any problems through the appropriate channels;
• any other duties commensurate with the grade and skill base of the role holder as directed by Line Manager.

Health and Safety/Environmental Issues

• ensuring all facility users, working within the area of responsibility, comply with all basic University / College Health & Safety policies This will include compliance by all staff with current rules governing work with COSHH, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), biological samples, human tissue etc. Ensure all required assessments are in place approved and up to date;
• maintaining records both paper and computer based as appropriate;
• carrying out regular maintenance processes such as flushing eye wash stations as appropriate and ensuring records are maintained;
• reporting any breaches or non-compliance with H&S procedures to the Line Manager or College Health and Safety Manager;
• upholding the correct waste disposal stream as governed by college and local policy for laboratory, recycled and general waste;
• adopt a proactive attitude to assisting with and implementing carbon reduction and energy saving measures.

Problem solving and decision making

• anticipate, diagnose and resolve problems within their own working area;
• test and implement new approaches, services orsystems;
• develop and implement improvement programs within own local, school or service area.

Organisational understanding

• quickly develop an understanding of their working area and how it contributes to the success of the University;
• display an interest in how the University operates beyond own working area; develop and share this knowledge with others.

Relationships and communication

• work collaboratively with colleagues to understand their requirements, discussing and reinterpreting requests as necessary, and ensure solutions are developed to meet these;
• provide specific support and advice;
• analyse problems and summarise the key points to others, including non-specialist staff;
• demonstrate collaborative working at all times, including with others outside the immediate work area.

Further particulars can be foundhere

Informal enquiries to Adriana Flores-Langarica, email: a.floreslangarica@bham.ac.uk

View our staff values and behaviourshere

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyoneon our website .