CTL Technical Team Leader - College of Engineering and Physical Sciences - 105501 - Grade

University of Birmingham; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 29,000 - 32,000

Job description

Position Details

College of Engineering and Physical Sciences

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £29,647 to £31,460, with potential progression once in post to £35,388

Grade: 5

Full Time, Permanent

Closing date: 20th April 2025

Are you considering a career at the University of Birmingham?

Our Recruitment Team is hosting one-to-one conversations to help you understand the application process, provide updates on existing applications, and answer general questions about working at the University. Our next appointments are available on Friday 28th March; click here to book. Further dates and opportunities to connect with us in person will be advertised on future job listings.

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do.

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high-quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham.

Role Summary

The Collaborative Teaching Laboratory (CTL) represents a £42m investment in STEM teaching. The CTL provides primarily undergraduate students with a transformational teaching experience in state-of-the-art facilities to encourage and enable inter-disciplinary working. The CTL consists of nine teaching laboratories, supported by a range of technical experts. The CTL supports teaching from the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences (EPS) and the College of Life and Environmental Sciences (LES), with support provided to seven Schools.

This is a new role within the CTL and will be embedded within the CTL Prep Team. Working closely with the Prep Team Manager, you will supervise the Set-up team and ensure that day-to-day tasks are being achieved efficiently and effectively.

The Set-Up Team is responsible for setting up and clearing away equipment and glassware before and after timetabled sessions in all the CTL labs. Responsibilities include the washing of glassware, laundering of lab coats, disposal of general and biological wastes and service and maintenance of equipment. There are seven Set Up Team Technicians, and the role holder will provide operational and staff leadership to the Set-Up Team and direct the work of the team such that the performance targets set out in service level agreements are met. You will assign weekly tasks, carry out regular 1-2-1s with the team and be responsible for supervising performance and conducting PDRs. You will organise weekly meetings to plan and prioritise the workload for the set-up team.

This position will suit a candidate with good experience working within a laboratory environment or with a good knowledge of a STEM subject. Additionally, time working in a Teaching environment would be beneficial. The role holder will ensure that expert in-class support is provided to ensure that all aspects of practical classes run well, and that the student experience is high.

Main Duties

• In a supervisory role, you will lead staff and take responsibility for co-ordinating and prioritising the work of others, normally as the head of a small team or sub-unit of a team.
• Working closely with the Prep Team Manager and the CTL Lab Managers, oversee the preparation of equipment, glassware and consumables, and facilitate the set-up and clear-down for all practicals running in the CTL labs.
• Working along with the Set-up team and actively taking part in the service delivery and ensuring the team are locally supported.
• Order and plan consumables to ensure stock levels are maintained.
• Understand specifications as set out by timetable requirements in coordination with the relevant Lab Manager.
• The post holder will deal with any issues of conflict or poor performance within the team, escalating these as necessary to the Prep Team Manager.
• Provide support for your manager(s) in promoting sustainability across your area.
• As required, ensure information is available to all relevant stakeholders.
• The post holder is responsible for ensuring the accuracy and quality of the work of all members of the team.
• Ensure the premises and environment are safe, clean, tidy and well maintained.
• Evaluating and making recommendations on new developments relating to the CTL, briefing managers and implementing agreed changes to procedures.
• Provide training to colleagues in the safe operation of specialist equipment, and assist the lab manager to keep and maintain all appropriate training records.
• You may liaise with colleagues in other institutions – to share and develop expertise in all areas of facilities management.
• Supports equality and values diversity, moderates own behaviour to avoid unfair discriminatory impact or bias on others.
• Any other duties as may reasonably be expected by the relevant manager.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

Required

• Educated to A Level standard, or equivalent level 3 qualification such as a Level 3 NVQ, or level 3 national diploma or relevant facilities work experience evidencing the skills and ability to undertake the role.
• Minimum of GCSE grade C/4 in Mathematics and English at GCSE or equivalent level 2 qualification.
• Demonstrable experience of working in a facility or laboratory role.
• Excellent interpersonal skills. You will need to inspire confidence and command authority with a range of colleagues and always provide excellent customer service.
• Highly proficient IT skills including Microsoft packages. The post holder should also be confident and able to quickly learn new IT skills and software packages as required as in-house systems are used for procurement.

Desirable

• Excellent analytical skills with the ability to evaluate the service offered and identify improvements.
• A high degree of initiative, personal judgement, resourcefulness, adaptability, flexibility, and a self-motivating approach.
• Ability to work effectively in a large, complex organisation, and to develop a good understanding of how the University and higher education institutions work.
• Ability to understand policy and procedures and how to apply these.
• Adherence to safety policy and the ability to write and monitor the use of Risk Assessments.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to write for different audiences, and to required deadlines.
• Understands the importance of equality and diversity in the workplace.
• Ability to identify and respond to equality and diversity issues in line with relevant policies and procedures.

Informal enquiries to Indira Suresh, email: [e-mail]

View our staff values and behaviours here.

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy.You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyoneon our website.