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The Opportunity

Halifax, NS
Education and Training
Experienced
Temporary

Position: Science Technician III - Chemistry (Temporary, Full Time)

Department: Faculty of Science

Salary: $52,959 - $64,737 (Group 10)

Under the direction of the Department Chairperson, the Science Technician III - Chemistry provides technical and support services to the Chemistry Department. Instructs students, prepares chemical solutions, ensures proper handling and disposal of hazardous materials and ensures a safe laboratory environment.

What you'll do

Responsibilities

Duties as the Science Technician III - Chemistry, include but are not limited to:

  • Recruiting, selecting, scheduling, and recommending hiring and/or supervising co-op students, student assistants and markers and providing foreign students with necessary documentation to be eligible to work on campus.
  • Co-ordinating WHMIS program; conducting WHMIS training sessions for student teaching assistants (undergraduate and masters students) and monitoring compliance with safety procedures.
  • Providing laboratory instruction and guidance to Chemistry students.
  • Instructing lab users on experimental procedures, safety precautions, equipment, software and firmware programs. Monitoring students conducting experiments to ensure appropriate procedures.
  • Providing student assistants with instructions on preparation of chemical solutions, handling of hazardous materials and safety precautions.
  • Researching, compiling and developing training manuals and operating procedures for instruments, equipment and WHMIS training, evaluating and revising where necessary.
  • Initiating, developing, designing and maintaining an interactive computerized system for health and safety information as required by WHMIS legislation.
  • Pointing out safety infractions to all lab users and recommends corrective actions.
  • Filling in as Laboratory Instructor when required.
  • Organizing and preparing for introductory and/or advanced chemical laboratories. Assigning work to student assistants.
  • Preparing chemical solutions; calculating quantity of chemicals necessary for student experiments; ensuring chemicals are properly dispensed and labelled. Preparing unknowns and maintaining confidential records of the same.
  • Testing new experiments. Assisting in writing manuals; designing, amending and correcting manuals.
  • Maintaining labs, ensuring necessary chemicals and supplies are available.
  • Ensuring proper handling and storage of hazardous materials; developing procedures when appropriate; and ensuring WHMIS labelling of chemicals.
  • Ensuring proper transfer of hazardous wastes for disposal.
  • Researching, developing and initiating procedures for degradation-decontamination procedures for extremely hazardous compounds. Determining appropriate means of disposal of various hazardous materials.
  • Maintaining gas cylinders inventory and transporting and installing the same.
  • Calculating and adjusting chemical requirements for courses as experiments change using a computerized spreadsheet. Maintaining a computerized departmental inventory system.
  • Setting up and calibrating equipment and demonstrating calibration procedures and equipment to student assistants.
  • Researching, evaluating and recommending new equipment/instrumentation purchases, installs, tests and adapts instrumentation.
  • Determining cause of equipment/instrument malfunction and repairing when possible.
  • Ensuring a safe working environment within the laboratory. Informing laboratory visitors of hazardous nature of chemicals and the safety precautions necessary.
  • Preparing, providing and implementing emergency response procedures; identifying and correcting potentially hazardous conditions in laboratories.
  • Ensuring scientific instruments are functioning properly for lab usage, including alignments, calibrations, programming, testing, adapting and on-going maintenance.
  • Ensuring compliance with governmental licences and permits, and legislation.
  • Maintaining computerized inventories and lists of chemicals and hazardous materials.
  • Maintaining a record of, and calculating, current balances and reconciling departmental expenditures; providing information to Chairperson as requested; and maintaining file of accounting records.
  • Maintaining accessibility and security of departmental records, including confidential materials.
  • Scheduling laboratory experiments to avoid conflict between laboratories.
  • Maintaining student lockers and combinations and assigning students to locker space.
  • Organizing student's laboratories, coordinating marking of students' laboratory reports, preparing answer keys, instructing markers, maintaining a spreadsheet record of marks, computing marks and providing to professors. Marking book report answer sheets using pre-established responses.
  • Securing and maintaining building and room keys. Completing and distributing building passes as approved by Dean of Science.
  • Coordinating and organizing special projects.
  • Recording minor accidents and reporting serious accidents.
  • Performing other general administrative duties such as obtaining chemicals from other institutions, liaising with other departments and external organizations.
  • Initiating and/or designing, developing and maintaining a chemical database and a comprehensive spreadsheet listing detailed technical specifications, vendor sources, catalogue numbers for all equipment and supplies.
  • Using the computerized systems to compute and produce the chemical tender and preparing annual departmental order to be submitted to Purchasing Services for tendering.
  • Selecting successful tenders and producing individual company orders. Preparing "Order Receiving Reports" for individual suppliers.
  • Determining items to be ordered on an on-going basis, apart from annual tendering process. Providing product specifications, obtaining price quotations, selecting vendors and submitting requisitions to Purchasing for final processing.
  • Receiving incoming chemicals and supplies according to detailed departmental receiving procedures.

What you'll need

Qualifications

To be the successful Science Technician III - Chemistry you will possess a University degree in Science combined with a minimum two (2) years' related experience and WHMIS training.

We're looking for

Core Skills

Science Communication Laboratory Laboratory Skills Chemistry

A little bit about us

Saint Mary’s University

Saint Mary's University is one of Canada's top primary undergraduate universities--known for its international collaborations, leadership in entrepreneurship, and research that benefits local and global communities. Our programs in Arts, Science, Graduate Studies and the Sobey School of Business are among Canada's best and feature professors who are committed to the success of their students. Saint Mary's provides our 7,000 students with a place that fosters possibility, excellent research opportunities, and distinguished graduate and professional programs combined with a caring community. Nestled in the heart of Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Canada's east coast, Saint Mary's University is marked by iconic buildings, green spaces and fresh ocean air. The Saint Mary's University community is committed to a prosperous future for the world-a world without limits.

Learn more about working at Saint Mary's University here and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

Are you interested?

Work With Us

Apply for this opportunity online by visiting www.smu.ca/employment and use our online application system through CareerBeacon. Select the position you are interested in and apply by clicking the "Apply Online Now" button. Please include the names of three professional references. No telephone calls please.

Competition Opens: July 16, 2018 Competition Closes: July 27, 2018

Saint Mary's University hires on the basis of merit and is committed to the principles of employment equity. Saint Mary's University encourages applications from qualified women, visible minorities, Aboriginal people, and people with disabilities. Preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.

Saint Mary's University thanks all applicants for applying. Only those selected for interviews will be contacted.

Saint Mary's University promotes a scent free environment and is proud to be tobacco-free as of September 1, 2013