Biology Lab Technician 12 month position

Solano Community College•Vallejo, CA

About The Position

The Biology Lab Technician supports Biology classes under the direction of the Dean, Mathematics and Science. The technician maintains laboratory equipment by cleaning, testing, calibrating, adjusting, inspecting, and performing major maintenance; develops operating procedures; and assists students and instructors with proper equipment use. The role prepares, designs, and sets up laboratory materials and equipment for demonstrations and student use. It also includes ordering, receiving, storing, and inventorying supplies and equipment, and using a computer to prepare and maintain records and reports. Instructional lab technicians oversee a complex laboratory environment and work independently, providing assistance to students and instructors in a laboratory designated for a specific academic or vocational subject. They maintain activity records, order supplies and equipment, and keep laboratory facilities and equipment clean and operable. This position also supports live cultures and specimens, including daily care of living materials and greenhouse maintenance, and handles hazardous or contaminated materials in accordance with legal requirements and established procedures. This is a 12-month position. The minimum qualification is either two years of college with major coursework in Biology or two years of laboratory experience that includes operating modern scientific analytical instruments. Experience in an instructional setting is desirable.

Requirements

Completion of two years of college with major coursework in Biology, or two years of laboratory experience that includes operating modern scientific analytical instruments.
Knowledge of Biology and Chemistry.
Knowledge of the purpose and use of laboratory equipment, its proper daily maintenance, and the ability to demonstrate equipment use to students and faculty.
Knowledge of rules and regulations concerning the use, storage, and disposal of hazardous chemicals, human bodies and parts, and contaminated materials.
Competence operating, maintaining, and performing major repairs on science-related equipment, including microscopes, orbital shakers, ovens, autoclaves, hot plates and burners, respirameters, physiographs, ECG machines, stethoscopes, sphygmomanometers, light illuminators, blenders, mixers, vortexers, autolets, centrifuges, pH meters and electrodes, calibrated glassware, micropipetors, pipets and pipetors, autopipetors, electrophoresis chambers, spectrophotometers, microcomputers, and de-ionizing water and chromatography systems.
Competence operating, maintaining, and performing minor repairs on audio-visual and office equipment, including microcomputers, printers, filmstrip and slide projectors, cameras, video equipment, typewriters, and paper cutters.
Ability to plan and organize work and work independently with little direction.
Ability to relate sensitively to people from diverse socioeconomic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds, including people with disabilities.
Ability to establish and maintain effective, cooperative working relationships; meet schedules and timelines; and maintain timely, accurate records and reports.
Ability to perform clerical work using modern office practices, procedures, and equipment, including a microcomputer.
Ability to learn instructional methods and techniques.
Ability to train, schedule, supervise, and evaluate student workers.
Ability to perform work in compliance with health and safety regulations and handle, store, and dispose of hazardous materials according to legal and established procedures.
Ability to issue, receive, store, and inventory equipment and supplies; prepare, monitor, and maintain Biology class budgets; and ensure the security of assigned equipment, materials, and supplies.

Nice To Haves

Experience in an instructional setting.

Responsibilities

Plan, schedule, and perform work to ensure timely preparation of Biology labs for classes as requested by instructors.
Train, schedule, supervise, and evaluate student workers.
Maintain classrooms, preparation areas, and storage areas in a safe, clean, and orderly condition.
Prepare live cultures, specimens, chemical solutions, glassware, equipment, and other instructional materials for demonstrations or student use.
Make up and autoclave media and materials for Microbiology.
Maintain records of materials and equipment issued or loaned to students.
Cultivate and maintain bacterial, plant, and other living materials for labs; maintain the greenhouse and ensure living materials receive daily care, including weekends.
Research, order, receive, catalog, store, and issue living and preserved materials, chemicals, and equipment.
Maintain inventories, including stuffed animal and insect collections, ensure adequate quantities are available for instruction, identify equipment, and purge inventories for disposal.
Clean, test, calibrate, adjust, inspect, and perform major maintenance on Biology-related equipment; request outside service, maintenance, or repair when appropriate.
Develop operating procedures consistent with modern laboratory practices and assist students and instructors in correct equipment operation.
Handle, store, and dispose of hazardous or contaminated materials according to legal requirements and established procedures; maintain required hazardous-material inventories and records.
Provide technical assistance to Biology faculty in preparing specifications for new or replacement equipment and materials; recommend equipment selections and, when appropriate, interview vendors.
Prepare and maintain budgets for Biology classes based on purchasing requirements and budget allocation; monitor expenditures.
Prepare and maintain purchasing, hazardous-material, equipment-service and repair, procedure, inventory, legal authorization, vendor catalog, correspondence, equipment manual and warranty, equipment circulation, and computer backup records and files.
Perform other related duties as assigned.