Lab Specialist II - Chemistry

General Statement of Job

The Lab Specialist II - Chemistry provides direct professional support to all Chemistry faculty and is responsible for the day-to-day laboratory operations for courses with a lab component. Maintains safety in the labs according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), Global Harmonized System (GHS) guidelines, the colleges Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP), and Safety Data Sheets (SDS).

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

• Responsible for the day-to day laboratory operations in one or more chemistry course with a lab component; potentially at multiple locations and various high school locations.

• Collaborates with faculty to plan and organize weekly lab activities to ensure that instructional materials and lab experiments are available as needed.

• Provides customer service to faculty, staff, and students on lab related activities.

• Assists faculty during regularly scheduled labs or as needed.

• Develops adequate training aids to train students and/or faculty on equipment use, as needed.

• Performs and assists in preparatory work for the labs, including but not limited to, reagent preparation, performing experiments and demonstration in specialty areas, and preparing carts with materials for lab.

• Prepares flammable, acidic, alkaline, and/or corrosive solutions in a safe manner.

• Manages waste for the labs in compliance with federal, state, and local laws.

• Maintains a safe working environment in all chemistry instructional laboratories.

• Assists with updating and implementing of the chemical hygiene plan (CHP).

• Maintains laboratory inventory of chemicals and equipment.

• Performs preventative maintenance of equipment.

• Maintains accurate records related to lab personnel, trainings, and operation of laboratory.

• Requests quotes and prepares requisitions.

• Receives orders, distributes and stores materials, parts, and supplies.

• Performs routine repairs on equipment, and notifies proper personnel for warranty maintenance and major non-warranty repairs.

• Coordinates, develops, and assists with special events and community workshops, as needed.

• Recommends laboratory equipment and researches potential new laboratory experiments, as needed or as requested by faculty.

• Trains on specialized equipment such as IR, NMR, HPLC, MicroLab, and/or Vernier systems.

• Maintains lab rooms in a clean and orderly condition.

• Cross-trains in different chemistry courses to assist faculty within the Chemistry department, as needed.

• Interviews, conducts reference checks, selects, trains, and supervises the Chemistry part-time staff.

• Responsible for managing the labs and may be assigned to different campuses as needed.

• Travels throughout the college district, as needed.

• Performs other duties as assigned

Position Information

Posting Number SP2544 Position Title Lab Specialist II - Chemistry Department MSB-Chemistry Temporary End Date (if applicable) Location Pecan E-Class Professional/Technical FLSA Non-Exempt Min Salary $42,640.00 Salary Range

• Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree required; Bachelor's degree in Chemistry or related field preferred.

• Bachelor in related field acceptable provided General Chemistry I & II, Organic Chemistry I & II are successfully completed. Additional eight (8) hours of junior level or higher chemistry courses preferred.

• At least two (2) years of experience in a science lab setting required.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Excellent oral, written, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.

• Strong computer skills with knowledge of Microsoft Office including, but not limited to, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, the Windows environment, and internet research skills.

• Knowledge of chemistry and/or chemistry related disciplines.

• Familiarity of a science laboratory, including safety and precautions.

• Ability to respond to emergencies at all times.

• Ability to use specialized instruments, equipment, software and perform experiments and demonstrations in the specialty area.

• Knowledge of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and Global Harmonized System (GHS) guidelines.

• Ability to prioritize, organize, and complete multiple tasks with attention to detail, within stated deadlines.

• Ability to adapt to constant change and periods of fast-paced, high-intensity work situations.

• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively within department and with others.

• Ability to work evenings and/or weekends as needed; willing to travel throughout the college district using own means of reliable transportation.

• Demonstrated commitment to achieving the vision and mission of South Texas College.

• Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals.

• Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.

• Ability to effectively present information and respond to inquiries from groups of students, faculty, staff, and the general public.

• Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.

• Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.

• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.

• Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

• Ability to work at multiple campus locations and various high school locations; may be required to work outdoors.

Checks, Certificates, Licenses, and Registrations

• Security Sensitive position: All applicants are subject to a criminal background check under South Texas College policy.

• Must have or qualify for a valid Texas driver's license and proof of liability insurance.

Physical Requirements

• Exerting up to 25 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body.

• Bending the body downward and forward by bending leg and spine.

• Perceiving attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature or texture by touching with skin, particularly that of fingertips.

• Picking, pinching, typing, or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with the whole hand as in handling.

• Regularly required to use hands to handle or hold objects, and to reach for objects with hands and arms.

• Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm.

• Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction.

• Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make the discrimination in sound.

• Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position-to-position. Occurs to a considerable degree and requires substantial use of upper extremities and back muscles.

• Ability to make rational decisions through sound logic and deductive processes.

• Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word including the ability to convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately and concisely.

• Standing particularly for sustained periods of time.

• Bending body downward and forward by bending spine at the waist. Occurs to a considerable degree and requires full motion of the lower extremities and back muscles.

• Close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; and/or extensive reading.

• Close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: visual inspection involving small defects, small parts, and operation of machines, using measurement devices, and/or assembly or fabrication of parts at distances close to the eyes.

• Mobility to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or moving from one work site to another.

Working Environment

• While performing duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to chemical hazards as well as biological, physical and safety hazards.

• Diverse hazards encountered in the laboratories such as fumes, aerosols, particulates, sharp instruments, and hot items may present health hazards if not handled according to safety protocol.

• Exposure to continuous, intermediate, and impulsive noise may be present from a variety of sources when working.

The above job description is not intended as, nor should it be construed as, exhaustive of all responsibilities, skills, efforts, or working conditions associated with this job.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this job.

Posting Detail Information

Desired Start Date 07/08/2024 Close Date 06/27/2024 Open Until Filled (overrides Close Date) No Special Instructions to Applicants

This is an online only application

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Transcripts

Transcripts must be from an institution accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

Foreign transcripts

Applicants submitting employment applications with foreign transcripts must provide transcript equivalency documentation from an approved evaluation service. The evaluation service must be a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). The evaluation service links on the following site are provided by South Texas College for your convenience but are not affiliated with South Texas College: NACES Members

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