Role Profile – Grade 4 Technical Support
Technician
Job Title:
Chemistry Technician
Generic Job Title:
Technician
Reporting to:
Senior Technician
School/
Department:
School of Engineering & Built
Environment
Job Family:
Technical Support
Grade:
4
Main Purpose
of the Role:
Provide technical support for teaching and learning, research and income generation within the school
as well as assist in the support of student learning activities.
Summary of
Activity:
Examples of role specific activity:
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Technical support for chemistry apparatus for academic staff, undergraduate and postgraduate
students.
Setting up of undergraduate laboratories in-line with academic timetable requirements.
Estimation of forward requirements of materials/compounds and standard equipment and
responsibility for ensuring adequate availability.
Maintenance, service, adjustment and repairs to laboratory equipment.
Monitoring chemical laboratory stores and glass wear.
Any other tasks appropriate to the post and in line with Department business needs.
Examples of generic activity:
 Provide information to staff and students relating to the provision of technical
assistance/resources.
 Explains University procedures and clarifies technical requirements.
 Liaises internally with staff throughout the University to ensure effective coordination of work
and possibly to exchange information for effective working (liaison with service engineers in
relation to equipment failure, with suppliers regarding stock requirements).
 Assist in the provision of an effective and efficient technical support service to students and staff
working within set standards and procedures.
 May be required to provide information that informs the decision making of others (purchase of
equipment and stock, limitations of equipment).
 Expected to provide information and guidance that informs the decision making of others
(estimated process times of jobs to inform quotations, new equipment requirements).
 Plans, prioritises, and organises own workload based on the needs of staff, students and the
department.
 Involved in assisting in the planning and organising of technical resources.
 Required to solve day to day problems as they arise on a routine basis.
 Recognise when a problem should be referred to others (problems with room or equipment
bookings).
 May be expected to resolve problems when the solution may not be immediately apparent
(remedying failures in complex equipment).
 Expected to establish basic facts in situations which require further investigation and inform
others if necessary (carrying out routine maintenance checks, and reporting faults and failures).
 Expected to assist in academic research by providing technical expertise such as conducting
experiments and collating data.
 Routinely required to use well developed sensory skills acquired over time through practice
when dealing with complex equipment and/or hazardous material.
 May be required to use considerable physical effort and/or concentration in the execution of
their work (handling/repairing equipment and/or handling dangerous substances).
 Works in an environment that requires taking account of environmental conditions (laboratory
or workshop).
Role Profile – Grade 4 Technical Support
Technician
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Take H&S precautions to minimise risk using standard protective clothing or safety equipment.
Follow standard H&S procedures.
Responsible for co-operating and complying with University and Local Health and Safety
regulations, standards and processes.
Any other tasks appropriate to the post in line with School/Department business needs.
Person Specification
Criteria
Essential
Education,
Qualifications
& Training
A degree or equivalent with ability to
demonstrate relevant post
qualification experience
Skills,
Knowledge &
Competencies
Have experience of preparing
chemical solutions for wet chemistry
and analytical experiments.
Have experience of using analytical
equipment for analysis.
An understanding of work related
regulations and procedures (Risk
Assessment/COSHH) and an
understanding of non-compliance on
other staff relating to Health and
Safety issues.
Self-managing with the ability to
organise and prioritise own
workload.
Demonstrate good interpersonal
skills including communication, both
written and verbal.
Flexibility and adaptability; able to
take on new challenges, learn new
skills and adapt to an ever changing
environment.
Desirable
Evidence
Application form
Qualifications
Have experience of Spectroscopic
techniques e.g. Atomic
absorption/Fluorescence/Raman/Fo
urier Transform Infra-red
Spectroscopy.
Experience in working in Further /
Higher Education.
Application form
References
Interview
Generic HERA Activity – Grade 4 Technical Support
Technician
1
Communication
This element includes communication through written/electronic/visual/verbal means, and in both informal/formal
situations. This may include the need to convey basic factual information clearly and accurately, conveying
information in the most appropriate format and explaining complex or detailed specialist information.
Required to verbally, and potentially by written media, clarify matters of a non-routine nature, use language over
and above that which is found in every day conversation, choose an appropriate method of delivery and employ
techniques to ensure understanding and may be required to .
2
Teamwork and Motivation
This element includes team work and team leadership when working in both internal and external teams. This may
include the need to contribute as an active member of the team, motivating others in the team and providing
leadership and direction for the team.
Needs to be cooperative when asked but is not required to take a proactive role in the team.
3
Liaison and Networking
This element includes liaising with others both within and outside the institution and creating networks of useful
contacts. This may include passing on information promptly to colleagues, ensuring mutual exchange of information,
influencing developments through one’s contacts and building an external reputation.
Required to have regular contact with people outside their work team for the purpose of exchange of information
for effective working.
4
Service Delivery
This element includes the provision of help and assistance to a high standard of service to students, visitors,
members of staff and other users of the institution. This may include reacting to requests for information or advice,
actively offering or promoting the services of the institution to others and setting the overall standards of service
offered.
Responds to requests for information, provides answers to questions regularly posed, drawing upon preprepared materials for the answers and responds to breakdowns, system or mechanical failures or predictable
requests for help.
5
Decision Making Processes and Outcomes
This element includes the impact of decisions within the institution and externally. This may include decisions which
impact on one’s own work or team, decisions which impact across the institution and decisions which could have
significant impact in the longer term within or outside the institution.
Collaborative decisions about routine work matters and recommending purchases such as teaching material and
equipment.
6
Planning and Organising Resources
This element includes organising, prioritising and planning time and resources, be they human, physical or financial.
This may include planning and organising one’s own work, planning work for others on day to day tasks or on projects,
carrying out operational planning and planning for coming years.
Generic HERA Activity – Grade 4 Technical Support
Technician
Expected to decide own work patterns of work and select the order in which tasks are completed.
7
Initiative and Problem Solving
This element includes identifying or developing options and selecting solutions to problems which occur in the role.
This may include using initiative to select from available options, resolving problems where an immediate solution
may not be apparent, dealing with complex problems and anticipating problems which could have major
repercussions.
Little scope for discretion, however, may be required to use judgement to resolve problems that are predictable
but occur less frequently.
8
Analysis and Research
This element includes investigating issues, analysing information and carrying out research. This may include
following standard procedures to gather and analyse data, identifying and designing appropriate methods of
research, collating and analysing a range of data from different sources and establishing new methods or models for
research, setting the context for research.
Required to gather and manipulate route data so it can be interpreted by others.
9
Sensory and Physical Demands
This element includes the sensory and physical aspects of the role required to complete tasks. This may include
physical effort, co-ordination and dexterity, using aural evidence to assess next actions, applying skilled techniques
and co-ordinating sensory information and high levels of dexterity where precision or accuracy is essential.
Co-ordinates and interprets various sensory data, will be required to use well developed skills acquired over time,
considerable demand for high levels of concentration, precision and speed.
10 Work Environment
This element includes the impact the working environment has on the individual and their ability to respond to and
control that environment safely. This may include such things as the temperature, noise or fumes, the work position
and working in an outdoor environment.
Required to use standard protective clothing or safety equipment, and follow standard procedures, and will need
to make decisions about how to perform the work because of the nature of the environment.
11 Pastoral Care and Welfare
This element includes the welfare and well being of students and staff within the institution, in both informal and
formal situations. This may include the need to be aware of the support services available, giving supportive advice
and guidance and counselling others on specific issues.
Is expected to be sensitive to and consider other people's needs or feelings and may include dealing with signs of
obvious distress.
12 Team Development
Generic HERA Activity – Grade 4 Technical Support
Technician
This element includes the development of the skills and knowledge of others in the work team. This may include the
induction of new colleagues, coaching and appraising any individuals who are supervised, mentored or managed by the
role holder and giving guidance or advice to one’s peers or supervisor on specific aspects of work.
Expected to help other members of the team.
13 Teaching and Learning Support
This element includes the development of the skills and knowledge of students and others who are not part of the work
team. This may include providing instruction to students or others when they are first using a particular service or
working in a particular area, carrying out standard training and the assessment and teaching of students.
Involved in providing regular and routine instructions, straightforward demonstrations, and explanations.
14 Knowledge and Experience
This element includes the relevant knowledge needed to carry out the role, however acquired, whether this is technical,
professional or specialist. This may include the need for sufficient experience to carry out basic, day to day
responsibilities, the need for a breadth or depth of experience to act as a point of reference for others and the need to
act as a leading authority in one’s field or discipline.
Requires knowledge of professional or technical practice.