Floor Manager

• Institute for Molecular Bioscience

• Belong to a vibrant community where your work genuinely makes an impact 

• Partner with people educating future generations & solving the world’s problems 

• Plan for your future with a generous 17% superannuation allowance 

• Based at St Lucia Campus

About UQ

As part of the UQ community, you’ll have the opportunity to work alongside the brightest minds, who have joined us from all over the world.

Everyone here has a role to play. As a member of our professional staff cohort, you will be actively involved in working towards our vision of a better world. By supporting the academic endeavour across teaching, research, and the student life, you’ll have the opportunity to contribute to activities that have a lasting impact on our community.

Join a community where excellence is at the core of our culture, contributions are valued and a range of benefits and rewards are available, such as:

• 26 weeks paid parental leave or 14 weeks paid primary caregiver leave

• 17% superannuation contributions

• 17.5% annual leave loading

• Health and wellness discounts – fitness passport access, free yearly flu vaccinations, discounted health insurance, and access to our Employee Assistance Program for staff and their immediate family

• On campus childcare options

• Cheap parking (from just $5.75 a day)

• Salary packaging options

About This Opportunity 

The Floor Manager provides specialist technical support for research activities and coordinates shared laboratory spaces, including managing shared scientific equipment, providing safety inductions and training to staff and students, and ensuring compliance with UQ policies and procedures and relevant regulatory requirements. This position is based at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience.

This role may also provide support to specialist facilities and services such as PC3 laboratories, PC2 insectary, radiation safety, animal use oversight, research chemistry, drugs and poisons, and/or support for the central sterilising facility and QBP consumable store staff. The Floor Manager participates in institute safety committees, assists with implementation of safety management plans, WHS inspections and the maintenance of standard laboratory operating procedures and risk assessment documentation. The role may provide specialist expertise in one of the following areas: flow cytometry, infectious diseases/PC3, biomaterials, microscopy, animal and human ethics, OGTR (Office of the Gene Technology Regulator) and Biosecurity requirements.

Responsibilities
Scientific and Technical Support Services

• Manage building, floor and equipment access including providing floor inductions to all new staff, students, visitors and contractors, monitoring training records, and assisting supervisors with ensuring ongoing compliance.

• Procure laboratory supplies and maintain storage databases including chemical inventory, cryo-storage and asset management.

• In conjunction with the Infrastructure Manager, manage the installation and movement of complex equipment and management of shared scientific equipment.

• Coordinate repairs, maintenance and servicing of equipment for the floor ensuring equipment is appropriately cared for and maintained.

• Conduct training for specialised equipment/facilities and laboratory techniques and identify training gaps.

• Ensure compliance of imports and exports including identifying Dangerous Goods and coordinating transportation through registered DG shippers, ensuring compliance to relevant guidelines such as IATA, Biosecurity and OGTR.

• Assist research staff in completing documentation or seeking specialist advice from UQ or local experts in areas such as OGTR compliance for PC2 and PC3, biosecurity, UQ Biosafety, radiation, and human and animal ethics.

• Conduct routine and annual tasks such as asset stocktake and chemical audits.

• General laboratory maintenance including chemical spill kit and shared consumables orders, equipment procurement, decontamination and storage of equipment, and assisting compliance with chemical inventory and labelling requirements.

• Advise on Hazardous Chemicals legislative obligations and liaise with the occupational health and HSW Manager where required to coordinate approvals for use and storage of specifically listed or scheduled materials.

• Build a stakeholder network and liaise regularly with internal and external clients.

• Monitor the welfare and use of animals on the floor.

Health Safety and Wellness

• Participate in workplace audits and conduct workplace inspections, develop corrective action plans and monitor their completion.

• Advise staff on the requirements to conduct risk assessments, assist staff in conducting risk assessments where required and provide advice to the HSW Manager where new protocols are required.

• Assist with the implementation of new systems and processes as developed by the HSW Manager and Infrastructure Manager and conduct local training as required.

• Provide training and advise on HSW compliance including the correct use of PPE, waste management, chemical storage, managing biological hazards, and radioactive isotope handling.

• Conduct Laboratory Safety Inspections for the relevant floor and collaborate with the HSW Manager and other Floor Managers to ensure consistency and continual improvement.

• Act as Floor Warden, First Aider and WHSC

Administration

• Act as liaison between the research staff and the Institute’s Infrastructure Manager and HSW Manager, including providing after-hours contact on a roster basis.

• Participate in various committees and project teams in order to contribute to the strategic and operational objectives of the Institute and University.

• Any other duties as reasonably directed by your supervisor.

This is a full-time (100%), fixed-term position for 2 years.

At HEW level 7, the full-time equivalent base salary will be in the range $96,649.64 - $105,244.58, plus a generous super allowance of up to 17%. The total FTE package will be up to $113,080.08 - $123,136.15 annually. As this role is covered by an Enterprise Agreement, you will also receive regular remuneration increases – at least once a year.

About You  

• BSc (Hons) and 3-5 years of experience in a research laboratory, or an equivalent combination of relevant experience and/or education/training, or

• Extensive experience in at least one of the following areas: virology, bacteriology, molecular biology techniques, unsealed sources of radiation, WHS in a laboratory environment

• Detailed knowledge of equipment such as flow cytometry, imaging, real time PCR

• Knowledge and ability to interpret and apply current WHS, OGTR and Biosecurity legislative requirements

• Demonstrated ability to work with a variety of stakeholders, including research staff and students, in the running of the Centre/Laboratory

• Demonstrated experience in a commitment to excellence in OH&S and client service

• Demonstrated ability to apply corporate procedures and policies existing and novel situations.

• Ability to work under broad direction, in an efficient and well-organised manner, exercise independent judgement, meet deadlines, follow tasks through to completion and undertake complex problem solving.

• Effective written and oral communication skills

Desirable

• Post-graduate qualification in a relevant field

• Workplace Health and Safety and Radiation Safety certifications

• Knowledge of university operating procedures.

• Knowledge and/or experience of technical quality systems (eg ISO 17025, GLP) administered by the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA)

• Experience in supervision of technical staff

• Due to potential exposure to human and animal tissue this position may require selective vaccinations and periodic health surveillance

In addition, the following mandatory requirements apply:

• Work Rights: You must have unrestricted work rights in Australia for the duration of this appointment to apply. Visa sponsorship is not available for this appointment. 

• Mandatory Immunisations: It is a condition of employment for this role that you will be required to provide evidence of immunisation against certain vaccine preventable diseases.

• Background Checks: All final applicants for this position may be asked to consent to a criminal record check. Please note that people with criminal records are not automatically barred from applying for this position. Each application will be considered on its merits. 

Questions? 

For more information about this opportunity, please contact Dr Donna Easton at [email protected] .    

For application queries, please contact [email protected] stating the job reference number (below) in the subject line. 
 

All applicants must upload the following documents in order for your application to be considered:

• Cover letter addressing the ‘About You’ section  

• Resume 

Other Information 

At UQ we know that our greatest strengths come from our diverse mix of colleagues, this is reflected in our ongoing commitment to creating an environment focused on equity, diversity and inclusion .  We ensure that we are always attracting, retaining and promoting colleagues who are representative of the diversity in the broader community, whether that be gender identity , LGBTQIA+ , cultural and/or linguistic , Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples , or people with a disability . Accessibility requirements and/or adjustments can be directed to [email protected] .

If you are a current employee (including casual staff and HDR scholars) or hold an unpaid/affiliate appointment, please login to your staff Workday account and visit the internal careers board to apply for this opportunity. Please do NOT apply via the external job board.

Applications close Wednesday 27 March 2024 at 11.00pm AEST (Job Reference Number – R-35908).