Lead Technologist, Laboratory Support (MCG)

Laboratory Support Specialist

Coordinates activities in a variety of specialized scientific lab infrastructures and supervises experiment testing and adaptation to the faculty/school's curriculum requirements. Designs, installs and maintains complex technical, scientific and research equipment in an assigned group of laboratories to ensure the accurate and effective performance of these instruments. Provides technical advice and support to faculty members, teaching assistants, and students, and provides instructions on safe working practices in the laboratory environment. The work is performed with minimum supervision, under general guidelines and requires understanding of the related scientific field. Duties include resource allocation, scheduling, design, technical support and maintenance.

In this role, your responsibilities will include:

• Lab Technical Support: Meets with clients to identify and analyze their needs for special purpose, complex scientific/research lab equipment. Designs, assembles, installs, maintains and repairs assigned laboratory equipment to meet specific client's needs and to ensure accurate and proper functionality. Analyzes and diagnoses the causes of lab equipment malfunctions and carries out the required repair actions in order to maintain lab functionality for clients.
• IT Technical Support: Maintains computer equipment in labs located in designated faculty/school by performing regular checks on both hardware and software to assure all equipment is in good working condition. Repairs existing or assembles new computing equipment in the labs.
• Interface Design and Programming: Creates and tests interfaces between lab equipment and computers, including writing programs, to facilitate the efficient capture of data and control of process equipment.
• Training: Trains, performs demonstrations and supports clients (faculty members, teaching assistants, and students) in the use of lab equipment to improve end-user proficiency. Promotes and supervises the responsible use of all lab equipment to contribute to the safety of all users and to safeguard the value of the University's assets.
• Health and Safety: Encourages that all assigned laboratories operate and are operated in accordance with Health and Safety rules and regulations. Assists in minimizing potential problems by encouraging that there is always a lab staff member present during scheduled labs.
• Technical Advice: Provides advice regarding the design of lab equipment to ensure the feasibility of fabrication and may provide build or fabricating consultation services when required. Acts as a resource person within his field by imparting skills and knowledge to students enrolled in the CEAB capstone project course (Faculty of Engineering only), or other similar senior level 4th year courses at all levels of design and fabrication.
• Purchasing Advice: Researches, evaluates and recommends the acquisition of new lab equipment and instrumentation to ensure clients have access to the tools they require. Maintains regular contact with suppliers to obtain information and diagrams to carry out modifications as necessary.
• Design and Fabrication: Leads the design and fabrication of specialized lab equipment to meet teaching and research requirements of users.

What you will bring:

• College diploma in a related discipline (such as engineering technologist, computer science, physics, chemistry, etc.) or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Minimum 3 years of experience providing support and technical advice in a teaching/research laboratory
• Knowledge of the specialized areas of research supported by the Faculty.
• Knowledge of electronics, computers, data acquisition and mechanical instrumentation.
• Knowledge of laboratory tools, equipment and instruments and their safe usage.
• Knowledge of Health and Safety rules and regulations related to the operation of labs and lab equipment.
• Knowledge of established University policies and procedures relating to laboratory equipment and usage.
• Experience in the design and implementation of interface programs between laboratory instruments and computers.
• Experience in electronic circuit design and fabrication;
• Experience in providing technical support and advice to users for lab equipment.
• Experience in providing technical support and advice to users for IT equipment.
• Experience in designing, assembling, building, testing and repairing special purpose lab equipment.
• Experience in preparing and developing scientific experiments.
• Analytical skills to diagnose and repair laboratory equipment issues.
• Ability to communicate technical concepts to users.
• Ability to prioritize own work.
• Bilingualism - French and English (spoken and written)

Key competencies at uOttawa:

Planning: Organize in time a series of actions or events in order to realize an objective or a project. Plan and organize own work and priorities in regular daily activities.

Initiative: Demonstrate creativity and initiative to suggest improvements and encourage positive results. Is proactive and self-starting. Show availability and willingness to go above and beyond whenever it is possible.

Client Service Orientation: Help or serve others to meet their needs. This implies anticipating and identifying the needs of internal and external clients and finding solutions on how to meet them.

Teamwork and Cooperation: Cooperate and work well with other members of the team to reach common goal(s). Accept and give constructive feedback. Able to adjust own behaviour to reach the goals of the team.

The University of Ottawa embraces diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We are passionate about our people and committed to employment equity. We foster a culture of respect, teamwork and inclusion, where collaboration, innovation, and creativity fuel our quest for research and teaching excellence. While all qualified persons are invited to apply, we welcome applications from qualified Indigenous persons, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, women and LGBTQIA2S+ persons. The University is committed to creating and maintaining an accessible, barrier-free work environment.