Scientific Operations Assistant

Are you passionate about science and making a difference to medicine and health? Could you provide a professional, laboratory support service to staff working in ground breaking research and teaching whilst working towards a formal qualification? Do you have a friendly and helpful attitude? 

The Scientific Operations Team are committed to providing responsible and flexible teams to support academic priorities. We do this through our dedicated team of technical staff who engage in varied activities to support research and teaching. You will join a team of professional laboratory assistants, working closely under an experienced supervisor/manager, to provide basic laboratory support.

You will also be studying for a formal qualification as a level 3 apprentice which will account for 1 day per working week. 

The work priority is regular collection and safe disposal of laboratory waste, washing up of glass and plastic ware using machines or by hand as appropriate. The preparation and sterilisation of solutions and the use of autoclaves, setting out and clearing equipment, washing benches and keeping the laboratories tidy will also be a priority. The preparation and making of media as determined by a weekly spreadsheet. Working as part of a team across various areas within the Faculty according to a weekly rota as directed by the Lab Assistant Manager. Other duties will include decontamination of waste from laboratories, servicing communal rooms, assisting senior staff with room/laboratory relocations, packing of dirty lab coats for laundry collection, and checking and sorting clean laundry, stock taking and ordering consumables. 

You will carry out general laboratory administrative tasks, such as record keeping and data input. You will also work flexibly and move to various areas to cover for absent colleagues and support LICAMM suites and Primary laboratory areas. 

You will need to be enthusiastic about the role and have a can do attitude. As you will have daily contact with academic staff, support staff, researchers and students you should have an approachable and professional manner, along with good communication and team working skills. You will also need basic computer literacy and knowledge of safe manual handling techniques. It would be advantageous if you could demonstrate a little experience from within a Laboratory environment. The role will involve some moderately heavy work, but we will provide full training.

What we offer in return

• 26 days holiday plus approx. 16 Bank Holidays/days that the University is closed by custom (including Christmas) – That’s 42 days a year!
• Generous pension scheme options plus life assurance
• Health and Wellbeing: Discounted staff membership options at The Edge, our state-of-the-art Campus gym, with a pool, sauna, climbing wall, cycle circuit, and sports halls.
• Personal Development: Access to courses run by our Organisational Development & Professional Learning team, and self-development courses including languages, Creative Writing, Wellbeing Therapies and much more.
• Access to on-site childcare, shopping discounts and travel schemes are also available.

And much more!   

To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact:

Alison Fardon, Senior Scientific Operations Manager

Email: a.j.fardon@leeds.ac.uk

Location: Leeds - Main Campus

Faculty/Service: Faculty of Medicine & Health

School/Institute: Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine (LICAMM)

Section: Institute Support Services

Category: Technical Support

Further details:

• Candidate Brief

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