POSITION DETAILS

College of Medicine and Health
Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK
Full time starting salary is normally in the range £27,166 to £28,768, with potential progression once in post to £32,145
Grade: 4
Part Time (17.5 hours per week)
Fixed Term contract up to May 2026 (maternity cover)
Closing date: 14th July 2025
This role is also open as an internal secondment opportunity which would need to be agreed by your current line manager.
’Open House’ Drop In Session: We will be holding an ‘open house’ drop in session at the University’s Exchange building, in Centenary Square, Birmingham, between 10am and 5pm on Friday 6th June 2025. If you’re interested in working at the University of Birmingham and perhaps have a few questions, this is an opportunity to meet colleagues in the Recruitment team. It will be a relaxed and informal event – you can drop in at any time.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE

• Familiarity with technologies associated with handling human samples.
• Experience of working within a biomedical environment.
• General laboratory experience.
• Familiarity with health and safety requirements/policies relating to biological, chemical, liquefied gases and manual handling.
• Attention to detail and ability to maintain accurate records under pressure.
• Good level of basic computing and technical skills.
• Good communication skills and ability to treat all work as confidential.
• Courteous and patient, with a positive service attitude.
• Ability/willingness to work outside of normal hours occasionally, to comply with hospital COVID requirements, and an ability to complete several half-mile round trips per day.
• Understands importance of equality and diversity in the workplace. Able to identify and respond to equality and diversity issues in line with relevant policies and procedures.Post holder will be trained in all aspects of HBRC activity and the regulations surrounding the collection and storage of human samples for research.
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  Further particulars can be found here
  Informal enquiries to Dr Gareth Bicknell, email: g.bicknell@bham.ac.uk
  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 everyone on our website

ROLE SUMMARY

The main role of the post holder is delivery of the core services provided by the Human Biomaterials Resource Centre (HBRC). The HBRC is an HTA-licensed human sample biorepository operating as part of the College’s Research Office. The HBRC is a quality-controlled environment regulated and operated in an HTA-compliant manner.
The post holder will undertake the procurement and processing of appropriately consented quality assured and annotated biomaterials from patients in a wide range of disease settings for release, processing or storage for biomedical research. They will also be expected to assist with sample management services (“hosting”). The role requires accurate, contemporaneous administration associated with sample tracking, and paperwork therefore forms a substantial portion of the role.
The HBRC has developed into a key facility helping to deliver translational research programmes which are central to the College research strategy. The post is varied, requires a strong sense of initiative, diligence and attention-to-detail when working to work under time pressures, and also knowledge of the regulations, legislation and governance arrangements applicable to clinical research which using human tissues and clinical trial samples. The post holder will interact with senior academic, clinical and surgical staff, and often with patients, therefore effective communication and strong interpersonal skills are essential.
The post can involve multiple half-mile round trips each day, and the local hospitals may require the wearing of masks/COVID vaccination for any staff with a “front of house” role (including non-NHS staff).

MAIN DUTIES

• To complete, accurately and contemporaneously, the necessary records and electronic tracking logs relating to sample consent, receipt, processing, storage, release and clinical data annotation, in a manner compliant the Human Tissue Act (HTAct), Data Protection Act 2018 (GDPR), and Good Clinical Practice (GCP).
• To undertake the procurement of consented human biomaterials (tissue, blood or other body fluids) from patients within local NHS Trusts, and from normal healthy donors. This may involve the oversight of tissue samples passing through cellular pathology departments before entry into the HBRC, and the retrieval of archival fixed tissue blocks. It will also involve the packing and dispatch of samples being released to biomedical researchers at external institutions.
• To assist with sample processing (e.g. tissue sectioning/staining) as required and according to level of training.
• To contribute to the sample management service (“hosting”) so that contract and ad hoc processes are initiated and executed, often within tight deadlines, in a manner compliant with GCP.
• To contribute to the Quality Management System within the HBRC, assisting with review of SOPs, risk assessments and COSHH assessments; contributing to internal/external audit procedures and regulatory inspections; undertaking basic housekeeping matters within the facility laboratories, including monitoring and maintenance of equipment.
• To uphold compliance with all University and local Health & Safety policies, including risk assessments and manual handling, reporting any breaches or non-compliance to the relevant manage.
• To adopt a proactive attitude to assisting with and implementing carbon reduction and energy saving measures where practicable.
• To support equality and values diversity, moderating own behaviour to avoid unfair discriminatory impact or bias on others.
• Any other duties within the HBRC commensurate with the grade and skill base of the post holder as directed by the HBRC General Manager and Tissue Services Manager.
  It is a requirement for both HTA and GCP compliance that all procedures within the HBRC are carried out according to strict Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) which comply with all current regulations, legislation and governance arrangements surrounding the research use of human tissues and handling of clinical trial samples/data, and with Health and Safety regulations. Accurate, contemporaneous administration associated with sample tracking therefore accounts for a substantial portion of the role.