Research Assistant New

We are seeking to appoint a Teaching Technician to join the Department of Chemistry teaching laboratories technical team.

Fixed term, full time to start in October, for 5 months.

Key responsibilities:

• Support the setting, smooth running and clear down of undergraduate Chemistry laboratory classes.
• Ensuring the laboratory is clean and well organised, glassware washed, consumables stocked, and waste disposed of via the correct routes.
• Preparation of chemical solutions.
• Providing support for laboratory instruments.
• Assist with maintaining good laboratory records.
• Supporting laboratory health and safety is maintained.

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Minimum level 3 qualification (e.g. A levels, AS levels, International Baccalaureate diploma or other level 3 qualification) in chemistry / biochemistry / related subject plus work experience in a relevant technical/scientific post

OR

Knowledge and skills gained through work experience in a relevant technical or scientific post.

• Practical and organisational skills, managing competing priorities
• Forward planning and adherence to strict deadlines
• Good IT skills with experience of Microsoft Office package
• Teamworking skills
• Adherence to safe working practices
• Experience working in a laboratory environment or a relevant degree (e.g. Chemistry, biochemistry)

1. To support the Supervisor to achieve the day-to-day tasks, by understanding individual and team tasks, working to deliver an effective and efficient service and supporting colleagues to ensure that all tasks and services are supported therefore contributing to individual and team metrics/KPIs.  
2. To establish and maintain good working relationships with all stakeholders, providing advice, information, signposting and sharing specialist knowledge with all team colleagues relating the school portfolio that they have been allocated in that academic year. Supporting different portfolios as needed, which will allocated by the Supervisor and/or Coordinator using a data led approach and rotated yearly as appropriate.  
3. To play an active role in ensuring that the team provide excellent customer service, ensuring they are contributing to the continual enhancement of services offered by highlight processes, procedures or policies that are not easily administrable, identifying any barriers and possible solutions.     
4. Responding to enquiries in a timely, calm, sensitive and informative manner through the variety of platforms available to students, providing advice and information relating to extenuating circumstances and attendance monitoring, making sure the information provided is accurate and escalating complex queries or concerns with the Student Engagement Supervisor / Coordinator.  
5. Supporting the attendance monitoring process by completing weekly reviews, identifying students not meeting the attendance/engagement thresholds, sending out emails/appointments as per the policy, making calls, managing a case load of students, writing up all actions in the CRM, making appointments with appropriate members of academic staff (in line with the policy) to complete attendance review panels, recording this information and completing all follow up work.  
6. Working collaboratively with Schools to support students ?at risk? of non-continuation by providing timely and effective interventions to re-engage the student with their studies, adopting a mentoring and coaching approach to support the students to achieve their full potential.  
7. Completion of interruption and withdrawal procedures as a result of continued poor engagement, making sure to liaise with appropriate key stakeholders and providing weekly/monthly reports on student engagement and non-continuation (withdrawals and interruptions).  
8. Working on a continual basis to review and support the extenuating circumstances process, ensuring the queries are responded to, decisions made, and communicated, complex cases are resolved, all decisions are appropriately recorded, with all stakeholders informed, providing reports relating to the volume of queries and completion of tasks in line with SLAs.  
9. Responsible for delivering ad hoc activities that contribute to continuation, progression, and successful student outcomes across the University.   

This list is not exhaustive. The post holder will be expected to carry out relevant and related tasks as commensurate with the current grade and agreed with the Head of Student Administration or their nominee.  

Please see above 

Person specification / Selection criteria 

1. Practical administration experience working in a higher education setting, supporting and resolving students/customer concerns both face to face and online.   
2. Experience of supporting and resolving students concerns both face to face and online with an experience of and/or understanding the current issues facing students including the barriers and challenges to engagement.  
3. Experience of managing a student caseload using data to target support providing mentoring and coaching support.  
4. Experience of maintaining accurate records, the use the IT systems/software to input, store and where appropriate gather data.  
5. To be able to use own initiative to plan, prioritise and organise own varied workload, in a timely manner, to approach challenges/problems in a creative and proactive way.  
6. To operate flexibly either as part of a team or independently.  
7. Excellent organisational and administrative skills and to cope with high volumes of work and work as a team during stressful periods in the academic year in a calm and efficient manner.  
8. Good customer service/relationship skills, dealing sensitively with enquiries from a diverse range of individuals, and de-escalate and manage potentially difficult or conflict situations calmly and with confidence.  
9. Experience of servicing committee meetings, both in preparation and minute taking, and following up matters raised in meetings.  
10. To be committed to and have experience of the application of ICT in administration. Knowledge of word processing, databases and spreadsheets and of the use of the web. Willingness and ability to learn new packages in order to carry out the duties of the role.  

An ideal role for someone looking to gain more experience in the work place within one of QMUL's departments for the first 2 terms.

The role will assist with coordinating and scheduling qNomics activities.

You will develop your admin skills along with communication and organisation skills. 

Good previous education with strong English and Maths

Ideal for a current QM student or recent graduate

Highly accurate admin skills.

Strong customer service and communication skills.

Good organisational skills.