Senior Technician : Infrastructure in Sheffield

As a Senior Technician: Infrastructure, you will work with the Nanoscience Building. Reporting to the Technical Specialist, you will ensure adherence to organisational policies, procedures, and health and safety regulations while fostering a culture of efficiency and effectiveness. You will collaborate with external stakeholders to drive innovation, support business development, and engage in advanced technical problem‑solving. You will have practical experience in the maintenance and repair of specialist technical equipment across the Nanoscience Building and extensive experience of the building infrastructure. You will provide advice and support to staff and students. You will uphold high working standards, ensuring we continue to be recognised for our service excellence and exemplary Health and Safety record. This will include maintaining a detailed awareness and full commitment to the relevant regulations and providing timely safety information and updates, including the carrying out and documenting of risk and COSHH assessments.

Main duties and responsibilities:

• Provide a comprehensive and proactive technical service to all Nanoscience users. This will involve the design, development, installation, commissioning, maintenance, service and repair of experimental components, assemblies and rigs.
• Use, monitor, repair, maintain, and demonstrate to a high standard a range of general and highly specialised technical equipment across the School’s laboratories.
• Plan, design, develop, construct and experimental systems, apparatus, or equipment to meet the needs of teaching, research and related purposes.
• Provide detailed comprehensive drawings, simulations and documentation of equipment to aid teaching and research.
• Ensure all building infrastructure is maintained and operational, such as chillers, gas scrubbers, Uninterrupted Power Supplies, hydrogen purifiers and external gas supplies by carrying out any repairs and preventative maintenance or by liaising with external companies.
• Ensure excellent service delivery for research projects, commercial partners and other stakeholders, ensuring equipment downtime is kept to a minimum and timescales for repair are communicated.
• Monitor stocks of acids, solvents and laboratory consumables, ordering and receiving these as and when required using the University’s SAP System.
• Liaise with equipment suppliers, engineers, contractors and internal service providers to arrange complex repairs and infrastructure maintenance as required for approximately one day per week.
• Communicate with relevant stakeholders to ensure equipment failures are known and that timescales for repair are made clear.
• Contribute as a member of the School’s Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus team and First Aider, including mental health first aid.
• Provide high-quality administrative support; for example, ordering consumables and maintaining up to date records of laboratory user access logs.
• Provide training to technical colleagues, other staff, and students in operation and maintenance (where applicable) of all equipment, including the safe usage of acids and solvents; cryogenic safety and the safe dispensing of liquid nitrogen.
• Ensure compliance with all legislation and University/School policies and procedures.
• Act as the School’s LEV competent person, provide expert advice to the School Health and Safety committee and be the initial point of contact for School staff and students.
• Carry out other duties commensurate with the grade and remit of the post.

Person Specification:

Our diverse community of staff and students recognises the unique abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs of all. We foster a culture where everyone feels they belong and are respected. Even if your past experience doesn't match perfectly with this role's criteria, your contribution is valuable, and we encourage you to apply. Please ensure that you reference the application criteria in the application statement when you apply.

• Experience equivalent to Level 6 (Degree) qualification in relevant field, with proven vocational skills in line with the job description.
• Experience working in a semiconductor cleanroom environment.
• Ability to plan and work safely at all times, complying with health and safety legislation, regulations, environmental compliance procedures and systems.
• Ability to deliver technical training to others in the use of materials/equipment/tools and processes to support the group's current and future teaching and research portfolio.
• Demonstrable aptitude and experience of maintenance and troubleshooting within a scientific, manufacturing and/or engineering based facility (mechanical, electrical, gas, chemicals).
• Practical experience of a wide range of electronics and general lab equipment, its maintenance and repair.
• Knowledge of building systems (ventilation, gases, pressure systems) and their complexity.
• Ability to organise and plan projects and tasks within agreed constraints and quality standards to ensure service uptime.
• Work efficiently and effectively at all times, maintaining workplace organisation and minimising waste.
• The ability to lead by example with a strong focus on developing and managing junior members of staff.
• Write clear and succinct technical reports, and be able to communicate these to a wide variety of stakeholders, in a variety of methods, for example verbally, in presentation format, or written.
• Technical Professional registration to IEng Level.

Further Information:

Grade 6 £32,080-£36,636 with the potential to progress to £39,906 through sustained exceptional contribution.

Benefits:

• A minimum of 38 days annual leave including bank holiday and closure days (pro rata) with the ability to purchase more.
• Flexible working opportunities, including hybrid working for some roles.
• A wide range of discounts and rewards on shopping, eating out and travel.
• A variety of staff networks, providing opportunities for social interaction, peer support and personal development (for example, Race Equality, LGBT+, Women’s and Parent’s networks).
• Recognition Awards to reward staff who go above and beyond in their role.
• A commitment to your development access to learning and mentoring schemes; integrated with our Technical Career Route.
• A range of generous family-friendly policies including paid time off for parenting and caring emergencies, support for those going through the menopause, paid time off and support for fertility treatment and more.

We are a Disability Confident Employer. If you have a disability and meet the essential criteria for this job you will be invited to take part in the next stage of the selection process.