Teaching Technician - School of Engineering - 108033 - Grade 4

This role provides technical support for undergraduate Mechanical Engineering workshop training, including laboratory demonstrations and managing equipment. Key responsibilities involve ensuring a safe working environment, supporting student projects, and maintaining laboratory resources. Essential requirements include a strong understanding of health and safety, excellent organizational skills, and effective communication abilities.

• Maintain stocks of consumables and, if necessary, creating purchase order requisitions.
• Receipt and correct storage of consumables and chemical reagents.
• Ensure that the facilities are maintained in a clean, functional and safe condition, reporting any problems.
• Reporting any problems with equipment or services which cannot be resolved to the line manager as appropriate.
• Adopt a proactive attitude to assisting with and implementing carbon reduction and energy saving measures where practicable.
• Supports equality and values diversity, moderates own behaviour to avoid unfair discriminatory impact or bias on others.
• Any other duties commensurate with the grade and skill base of the post holder.
• You will provide a wide range of support in the teaching laboratories, including active participation in the delivery of practical classes, by carrying out the following tasks:
• contribute to planning the most efficient/effective means to turnaround the daily classes
• setting up and clearing away of equipment, consumables and reagents, ensuring laboratories are suitably prepared for practicals
• testing, maintaining and calibrating a wide range of precision instrumentation
• monitoring and replenishing consumables, including preparing orders and collecting items from stores
• diagnosing and resolving the majority of in-class problems, including with equipment
• demonstrating the use of a wide range of relevant equipment and techniques during classes
• testing and, where appropriate, modifying protocols in conjunction with manager
• liaising with relevant managers with regard to requirements and accurately instruct other staff
• preparing the laboratories for other events such as open days. You may be asked to participate in demonstrations on open days.

• Experience of working in a laboratory-based teaching or research environment
• Ability to organise and manage own workload after consultation with manager.
• Proactive approach to Health and Safety matters, together with the communication skills to interact with a range of people, including students.
• Ability to be flexible to meet deadlines.
• The post-holder will be fully familiar with the safe handling and storage of laboratory materials.
• Good IT skills, having a familiarity with both Windows and/or Apple Macintosh OS will be advantageous.
• 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
• Working knowledge of manual Lathes and Millers would be advantageous, or a willingness to learn.
• A good knowledge, experience, understanding and appreciation of health and safety issues is essential.
• Full UK diving licence essential, due to forklift use.
• Very good organisational and administrative skills, able to record information accurately using online systems and databases.
• A positive, flexible and proactive attitude is essential.
• Very good communication and interpersonal skills, able to persuasively influence compliance from principal investigators to students.
• This post will require some work to be carried out during evenings and at weekends. The Activities section of the post will require occasional extended periods (e.g. a week) of work away from Birmingham, including overseas travel.
• A willingness to be a qualified as a first aider is desirable.
• NVQ, BTEC/ONC at level three or equivalent level three qualification and specific relevant experience in an appropriate subject would be advantageous.
• GCSE level 2 (A*- C) or equivalent level 2 qualification in mathematics and English.
• Practical experience of battery-operated vehicles would be an advantage and a working knowledge of Good Laboratory Practice.
• or be able to demonstrate the capability to participate with practical classes.

• 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.
• 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
• The post provides specialist technical support for a workshop training programme for undergraduate Mechanical Engineering students.
• The post holder will be expected to manage, operate and continually review and evaluate the programme according to accreditation requirements.
• The post holder will support final year projects, PGT projects and other student-led activities (e.g.
• UB Racing team & Brum Eco team).