Job Description

Ref Number

B03-02562

Professional Expertise

Laboratory Technical and Lab Support

Department

UCL SLASH (B03)

Location

London

Working Pattern

Full time

Salary

54,172-63,752

Contract Type

Permanent

Working Type

On site

Available for Secondment

No

Closing Date

01-Sep-2025

About us

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The Department of Geography is widely recognised as one of the leading geography departments in the world (4th worldwide in the QS Ranking 2025, 2th in the Shanghai world rankings 2024). It has been highly rated in all seven UK Research Assessment Exercises, and the 2021 REF confirmed that 96% of the Department's research activity is considered World Leading (4) or Internationally Excellent (3).



UCL Geography spans a broad range of Human and Physical Geography, and we are committed to cross-disciplinary education and research. Investment in laboratory facilities has established the Department as a world-leading centre for laboratory-based environmental science. Laboratory facilities include:


The Geography laboratories include a dedicated water chemistry laboratory for anion and nutrient analysis, wet rooms for sieving and sorting sediment and biological samples, in addition to drying and freeze-drying facilities. The Geography Laboratories also include facilities for the curation of sediment cores and samples and for the routine preparation of sediments for sedimentological, palaeoecological (diatoms, macrofossil, pollen, foraminifera, ostracods), geochemical and stable isotope analyses. The laboratories include: an ultra-clean preparation room with laminar flow bench for trace element analysis and biomarkers; two HF-grade laboratories for pollen sample preparations; a suite of research microscopes and reference collections for microfossil analyses; Investment has enhanced our capabilities for bulk geochemical and grain size analyses of sediments. The Department has a near exhaustive holding of standard and specialist gear for collecting water, sediment and biological samples from lakes, rivers and ponds. It also an extensive range of field equipment, including five research boats, Livingstone, Russian, Hiller, Mini Mackereth gravity and percussion corers, hydrographic and coastal oceanographic instrumentation, dGPS, sounding and side-scan sonar equipment. UCL's Environmental Radiometric Facility (ERF). The ERF lab hosts a gamma spectrometry facility with four Ametek gamma spectrometers for radioisotope analyses, including 210Pb/137Cs dating.

The department also has access to the Bloomsbury Environmental Isotope Facility (BEIF); a central UCL mass spectrometer facility equipped to measure stable isotopes and MP-ICS equipment in Earth Sciences.

About the role

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We are seeking a full time, permanent Laboratories and Safety Manager who will play a key role in achieving the teaching and research strategy of the Department, including facilitating academic research and innovation, achieving sustainability targets, and developing a positive technical staffing culture. The appointee will manage and oversee the Laboratory operations and provide expert technical support (including hands-on) in the effective and safe delivery of research and teaching facilities as well as field work provision for academic and research staff, students and visitors. The postholder is responsible for the line management of four technical staff who provide the technical support required by teaching and research, both in the laboratories and in the field.



The postholder is responsible for the health and safety of the laboratory facilities in the department and the department in general, ensuring the department is compliant with safety legislation and University policy and advising the Head of Department, Department Manager, department colleagues, students and visitors on safety policies. This will include co-ordinating the duties and training of Deputy Safety Officers and departmental Fire Marshalls; ensuring staff, students and visitors have completed health and safety inductions; chairing departmental safety committees; and advising on safety for fieldwork, including offering advice and approval of fieldwork risk assessments. Budget oversight and responsibility for the lab facilities is also a key part of the role.

Please see the full job description and person specification linked at the bottom of this page for more information.

About you

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Applicants must have degree-level knowledge of applied science as well as recent experience of a range of practical laboratory techniques and knowledge of some analytical methods; appropriate knowledge of laboratory fixed systems (eg fume cupboards, chemical storage, gas alarm systems) and experience of safety management and safety audit. Experience of managing technical staff is also essential along with a commitment to and knowledge of advance equality, diversity and inclusion, and the ability to work harmoniously with colleagues and students from all backgrounds and cultures.




Experience of radiation safety management, budget management and experience of purchasing scientific equipment and working within the university environment are desirable, but not required.



Please see the full job description and person specification linked at the bottom of this page for more information.



This appointment is subject to UCL Terms and Conditions of Service for Research and Professional Services Staff. Please visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/conditions-service-research-teaching-and-professional-services-staff for more information.



Further details of the department are at https://www.geog.ucl.ac.uk/



If you have any informal enquiries about the position or the application process, or need reasonable adjustments or a more accessible format to apply for this job online, please contact Claire Betts: c.betts@ucl.ac.uk

We may close applications early if we receive a high volume of applications. Early application submission is recommended.

What we offer

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


41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days) Additional 5 days' annual leave purchase scheme Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE) Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan Immigration loan Relocation scheme for certain posts On-Site nursery On-site gym Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service Discounted medical insurance

Visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/reward-and-benefits to find out more.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

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As London's Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world's talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL's workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.



The Department of Geography has an active Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and networks for BME, LGBTQ, and disabled/neurodiverse staff and students. The Department recognises the importance of family-friendly working, and we try, as far as possible, to organise meetings and events with staff responsibilities as parents and carers in mind. The Department currently holds an Athena Swan Silver award and is working towards a Gold award. Above all the Department aims to be a supportive environment for both its staff and students. More information can be found here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/geography/about-ucl-department-geography/equality-diversity-and-inclusion