Teaching Wet Laboratories Technician Full-time

Teaching Wet Laboratories Technician

Located on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, UCL East is dedicated to disruptive thinking and discovery that reaches across disciplines and beyond academic walls to solve the biggest challenges facing future living. We are based in Newham, east London – one of the most socially diverse parts of the UK – and we want our staff recruitment to reflect this. More than a conventional campus, UCL East represents a future-focused mindset. We deliver new research, technology and innovation, and more than 50 undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes for up to 4,000 students, in facilities that include specialist academic spaces and equipment, a large 24-hour library, digital accessibility hubs, catering and retail outlets, and a staff common room. Our Teaching Wet Laboratories are at the heart of this ambition: a multi-purpose wet lab for up to 120 students, alongside a Large Equipment Room and a Cell Culture Training Suite. The facilities support teaching, research and outreach across Chemical, Biochemical and Mechanical Engineering, Materials Discovery, and Cell & Gene Therapies. This post sits within the Office of the Vice-Provost (Strategy) UCL East Campus Team, which oversees campus-wide activity, safety governance, shared laboratories and specialist facilities, and relationships with East London partners and local government.

As Teaching Wet Laboratories Technician, you will be the technical backbone of one of UCL East's flagship facilities – keeping our laboratories safe, well-equipped and ready for the students, researchers and visitors who rely on them every day. You'll combine hands-on technical expertise with a genuine passion for supporting great teaching and research, ensuring practical sessions run smoothly from first setup to final clear-down. Your day-to-day will include:

• Preparing, setting up and clearing laboratories, equipment, chemicals and consumables for scheduled teaching activities.
• Providing technical advice, training and instruction to academic, technical and research staff, and to undergraduate and postgraduate students.
• Collaborating with academic teams on the preparation of practical classes and contributing ideas to improve the student experience.
• Advising and supporting safe use of the facilities, including PPE and waste streams, in line with UCL health and safety policy.
• Delivering local safety inductions and managing facility access for permitted users.
• Keeping laboratory areas and equipment clean, tidy and fit for purpose before and after use.
• Contributing to risk assessments and COSHH assessments, and maintaining records on the UCL riskNET database.
• Maintaining equipment inventories and records of purchase, commissioning, servicing and repair.
• Creating and updating user guides, Standard Operating Procedures, safety induction forms and other key documentation.
• Contributing to timetabling, balancing preparation, set-up and demount times for efficient scheduling.
• Managing laboratory storage and liaising with colleagues and suppliers on shared chemical supplies (including cryogens and pressurised gases) and hazardous waste collections.
• Reporting infrastructure issues and liaising with facilities management and ISD to resolve them promptly.
• Deputising for the Teaching Wet Laboratories Manager as required, including representing the team at technical and safety committee meetings.
• Purchasing equipment, consumables and services within agreed budgets.
• Acting as a Fire Marshal and First Aider.

You'll also play a part in shaping a positive, inclusive team culture – sharing good practice, supporting colleagues' development, and championing the UCL Ways of Working in everything you do. The post is full-time (36.5 hours per week) and permanent. You will be expected to work onsite from Monday to Friday. Normal working hours are 09:00 – 17:00 with occasional working hours across 08:00 – 18:00 dependent on the activities scheduled.

We're looking for a hands-on, safety-conscious technician who thrives in a busy, varied laboratory environment and enjoys helping others learn. You'll need:

• Essential: Maths, English and Science GCSEs at grade 5 or above (or equivalent).
• Demonstrable experience working in a teaching laboratory or similar facility supporting a wide range and number of users.
• Sound knowledge of health and safety practices and legal requirements, with experience implementing health and safety in a laboratory or similar setting.
• Confidence explaining techniques and equipment clearly, and interpreting technical concepts for a range of audiences.
• Experience working independently, solving unforeseen problems and taking ownership of service standards, targets and workload.
• Good computer literacy (Word, Excel, internet and similar tools).
• A collaborative approach, with evidence of positive teamwork.
• A commitment to safe working practice and to UCL's Health and Safety policy.
• A commitment to equality of opportunity and the ability to work harmoniously with colleagues and students from all cultures and backgrounds.
• Sound judgement in resolving difficult or sensitive issues, and strong personal organisation in managing your own workload.
• Desirable: A Bachelor's degree with Honours, ideally in an Engineering or Science subject.
• Practical knowledge of physical sciences and engineering teaching laboratory techniques – for example safety equipment (fume cupboards, recirculating fume hoods, gas manifold and monitoring systems, fittings and pressure regulators); general lab equipment (FTIR, optical microscopes, rotary evaporators, precision balances, glassware set-ups for reflux, vacuum filtration and titration); and/or specialist equipment (spin coaters, potentiostats, AFM, XRD, SEM, TGA/LFA, automation robots).
• Understanding of practical class requirements across disciplines such as electrical, mechanical, chemical or civil engineering, computer science, architecture or archaeology.
• Experience managing a budget.

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:

• 41 Days holiday (including 27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
• On-Site nursery (Bloomsbury Campus)
• On-site gym (Bloomsbury Campus)
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
• Discounted medical insurance

As London's Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world's talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL's workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women. You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here.