Learning & Teaching Stockroom and Laboratory Support Specialist: Department of Chemistry - UTK

University of Tennessee•Knoxville, TN

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The Chemistry Learning & Teaching Stockroom Personnel leads a team that prepares chemicals and other materials for assigned undergraduate Chemistry laboratories conducted in Strong Hall. The position requires skills in chemical safety protocols, wet chemistry, and hazardous waste training. The responsibilities include planning, sourcing, making, and delivering chemicals in the proper form, place, time and utility to deliver academic services. Interpersonal skills, organizational skills and record keeping are required in the execution of many primary functions of this position. This is a flex-time position. The time-range for the 8-hour shifts will change according to the class schedules in the time-table. 1/3-1/2 of all Knoxville campus undergraduates enroll in undergraduate Chemistry classes; most of these are non-Chemistry majors. For AY26-27, UTK is expecting ~3,000 enrolled undergraduate students.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Chemistry
Knowledge of chemical compatibilities
Knowledge of concepts and topics from general and organic chemistry
Ability to manage, coordinate, and deploy stockroom assistants
Ability to enforce safety protocols and expectations
Knowledge of chemical preparation and synthesis
Knowledge of equipment and techniques used in a chemistry laboratory
Ability to react quickly and properly to immediate emergencies and issues arising in a laboratory
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without need now or in the future for sponsorship for employment-based visa status.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree or higher in Chemistry
2 years’ experience of management in a lab setting
Knowledge of chemical properties and chemical safety.
Knowledge of Lab Quest and NMR

Responsibilities

Day-to-day activities of teaching laboratories, chemical preparation room, and stockrooms: Timeliness is of extreme importance for the success of the lab for preparing chemicals and other materials for teaching laboratories and chemical preparation room, set-up and disassembles experimental supplies and apparatus.
Provides training and direct support for 7 undergraduate courses during all academic semester periods (Fall, Spring, Summer). These teaching laboratories support: CHEM 103, 113, 123, 133, 269, 359, and 389.
Tests, verifies, and validates technological/scientific procedures or processes related to course delivery.
Supervises 10-15 undergraduate laboratory assistants.
Schedules undergraduate laboratory assistant shifts.
Serves 50+ graduate teaching assistants, 5-10 faculty, and 3,000 undergraduates. Due to work shifts, will only come into contact with 30 graduate students and 4-5 faculty daily, plus the undergraduate students enrolled in classes.
Planning, Organizing, Coordination of the Stockrooms: Plans, orders, receives and manages inventory for chemicals and equipment required for all General and Organic Chemistry courses.
Training includes proper laboratory technique and safety, proper preparation of solutions and other materials, execution of laboratory experiments.
Training for software to record breakage fees.
Coordinates weekly course calendars with the two stockroom operations schedules.
Responsible for organizing and general housekeeping for teaching labs and stockrooms.
Records ordering information and produces cost breakdown analysis.
Equipment Management and Equipment Training: Maintains laboratory equipment, Troubleshoots malfunctioning equipment and facilitates/coordinates repairs as needed; not limited to Lab Quest, NMR, and phone conversations.
Administers set up procedures for audio visual equipment and computers in labs.
Performs and schedules routine maintenance for scientific instruments and laboratory devices.
Curriculum, Development of Staff Skills, and Outreach: Contributes feedback on curriculum expansion.
Provides academic consultation and training to staff, teaching assistants and undergraduate students to foster scientific reasoning skills.
Delivers ad hoc, supplemental undergraduate laboratory orientations.
Outreach - Acts as support for faculty and students on outreach activities in addition to supporting other departmental outreach efforts such as, but not limited to, Olympiad, the Summer Chemistry Camp, Summer Bridge Program, and the Governor’s School for the Sciences
Environmental, Health, Safety: Designs, develops, writes, edits, and assesses documents in collaboration with lab directors and subject matter experts to produce critical documents such as chemical hygiene plans and standard laboratory operation procedures and safety policies.
Enforces health and safety compliance of students and staff.
Coordinates with Environmental Health and Safety to ensure conformity with University, state and federal hazardous materials management requirements such as flammable storage and hazardous waste management.
Employee must use gloves and/or safety goggles, as well as, be fit to wear a respirator.
Responds, investigates and evaluates safety occurrences to generate incident reports.
Contacts emergency responders when necessary.
Serves as a daily safety contact for 30+ graduate teaching assistants, 5+ faculty and 3000+ undergraduate students.
Trains undergraduate laboratory assistants in accordance with state, university, departmental and laboratory specific guidelines outlined current Chemical Hygiene Plans.
Records laboratory accidents and forwards reports to Environmental Health & Safety.