Laboratory & Facilities Manager

at  University College London

ABOUT US

The UCL Healthcare Biomagnetics & Nanomaterials Laboratory, located within the world-famous Royal Institution of Great Britain building on Albemarle Street in Mayfair, is a unique cross-faculty and cross-disciplinary research centre in the heart of London. Established in 2008 under the aegis of a long-established collaboration between UCL and the RI, the Laboratory continues today as a centre of excellence in the biomedical applications of (mostly) magnetic nanomaterials.
The Laboratory comprises ca. 25 staff and students working on a broad range of projects focused on bench-to-clinic translational research. It features a well-equipped chemical synthesis laboratory with 4 fume hoods, a high-end specialised glove box, and a freeze drier; a cell culture and biological testing laboratory with a fume hood, cell incubators and 2 freezers for cell storage; an electronics and mechanical devices laboratory; a TEM laboratory; and a materials characterisation laboratory. The latter is known as the “Exhibition Laboratory”, as it is located on the Lower Ground Floor and forms part of the RI’s public outreach space, acting as a counterpoint to a museum facsimile of Michael Faraday’s laboratory, which is located directly opposite it. The Exhibition Laboratory has glass walls and doors to allow public viewing and features highly-specialist materials characterisation equipment including a SQUID-VSM magnetometer, a high-specification θ-θ X-ray diffractometer, and an FTIR spectrophotometer.
The Laboratory also features a comprehensive suite of other on-site characterisation facilities including live-cell imaging, thermogravimetric analysis, magnetic particle spectrometry, asymmetric-flow field-flow-fractionation, differential light scattering, UV-Vis/fluorescent spectrometry, and magnetic hyperthermia.
The Laboratory & Facilities Manager position is jointly supported and shared between the UCL Department of Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering (MPBE; 0.6 FTE) and the UCL Department of Physics & Astronomy (P&A; 0.4 FTE). The MPBE Department has a distinguished history, dating from 1896, when the first X-ray device began operating at the nearby Middlesex Hospital. The P&A Department is one of the top departments in the UK for graduate study, and researchers there are working on some of the most fundamental questions about the physical universe. More information on both Department’s research and teaching activities can be found at: https://tinyurl.com/3e6ec43x and https://tinyurl.com/ysfehu6s.

ABOUT YOU

For full details on the skills, qualifications, experience and attributes that the ideal candidate must or should meet in order to perform the role, please refer to the job description and person specification that can be accessed at the bottom of this page.

Your application should include a CV and a Cover Letter: In the Cover Letter please evidence how you meet the essential and desirable criteria in the Person Specification part of the Job Description. Please upload this in the cover letter attachment section of the application form. By including a Cover Letter, you can leave blank the ‘Why you have applied for this role’ field in the online application form, which is limited in the number of characters it will allow.)

• This role meets the eligibility requirements for a skilled worker certificate of sponsorship or a global talent visa under UK Visas and Immigration legislation. Therefore, UCL welcomes applications from international applicants who require a visa.
• We will consider applications to work on a part-time, flexible and job share basis wherever possible
• This appointment is subject to UCL Terms and Conditions of Service for Research and Professional Services Staff.

WHAT WE OFFER

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:

• 41 Days holiday (including 27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
• On-Site nursery
• On-site gym
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
• Discounted medical insurance

The advert will close on 4 October 2024 at 23:59 GMT, however we may close applications early if we receive a high volume of applications. Early application submission is recommended.
A job description and person specification can be accessed at the bottom of this page.
If you have any queries about the role, please contact q.pankhhurst@ucl.ac.uk.
The UCL Ways of Working supports colleagues to be successful and happy at UCL through sharing expectations around how we work – please visit www.ucl.ac.uk/ways-of-working to find out more.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The postholder will take operational management responsibilities for all aspects of the leased properties that constitute the UCL Healthcare Biomagnetics Laboratory at the RI, including its safety, operations, infrastructure, and upkeep.

The postholder will responsible for:

• maintaining good working relationships with the Royal Institution management in relation to the day-to-day running of the Laboratory and the management of the leased properties. In this respect, they will be the first point of contact between UCL and the RI with respect to building-maintenance and operational matters, including all safety-related matters such as equipment generating ionizing radiation (including X-Rays), hazardous waste collection, the handling and storage of hazardous and/or flammable chemicals, fire marshalling, the safety induction of new staff and students, and the training of first aiders. This will apply also to any and all occasions when urgent action is required to prevent damage to property or to the fabric of the premises, which is particularly important given that the Royal Institution building comprises a series of Grade 1 listed Georgian town houses and sits within the Mayfair Conservation Area.

The postholder will:

• oversee and uphold a high health and safety standard for all staff and student activities in the leased properties, the maintenance of all equipment and laboratory supplies, and the management of a booking system for all relevant laboratory spaces, facilities, and equipment
• maintain a regularly reviewed and updated Risk Management register for the Laboratory and will ensure that all activities undertaken in the Laboratory are conducted under appropriate, approved, and validated protocols.
• work closely with undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and academic staff providing relevant operational training and support, as and when required. They will also maintain a vigilant eye on these activities and will step in where needed to improve practice and maintain standards.

Lastly, the postholder will be responsible for maintaining good working relationships with equipment and consumables suppliers and contractors, both for the routine maintenance of equipment and services in the Laboratory ( (especially the very high-end and expensive equipment such as the SQUID magnetometer, TEM, and θ-θ X-ray diffractometer), and for the resolution of occasional extreme events such as equipment failures and both internal and external flooding events).

Your application should include a CV and a Cover Letter: In the Cover Letter please evidence how you meet the essential and desirable criteria in the Person Specification part of the Job Description. Please upload this in the cover letter attachment section of the application form. By including a Cover Letter, you can leave blank the ‘Why you have applied for this role’ field in the online application form, which is limited in the number of characters it will allow.)

• This role meets the eligibility requirements for a skilled worker certificate of sponsorship or a global talent visa under UK Visas and Immigration legislation. Therefore, UCL welcomes applications from international applicants who require a visa.
• We will consider applications to work on a part-time, flexible and job share basis wherever possible
• This appointment is subject to UCL Terms and Conditions of Service for Research and Professional Services Staff

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:

• 41 Days holiday (including 27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
• On-Site nursery
• On-site gym
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
• Discounted medical insuranc