Instrument Repair Specialist

Title

Instrument Repair Specialist

Department

Chemistry and Environmental Science

Reports To

Chair, Department of Chemistry & Environmental Science

Position Type : Staff

Staff

Position Summary

Under the direction of the Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science, the instrument specialist repairs research and teaching equipment (electrical, electronic and mechanical), assists in normal equipment maintenance, makes appropriate arrangements with outside specialist or University maintenance department (for repairs outside the Department), initiates and develops new departmental instrumentation program for laboratory courses and research laboratories.

Essential Functions

Repair of research and teaching equipment (electrical, electronic, and mechanical) in the department. The procedure would normally include :

• Determine the cause of equipment malfunction. If necessary, coordinate repairs with Director, Chemistry and EVSC Laboratories, appropriate faculty members, and the Department Chairperson.
• Make suggestions and estimates of cost for repair.
• Selection of vendor(s) to supply repair parts.
• Installation of parts and operational check.
• When necessary, consult by telephone with technicians on the staff of instrument vendors and decide as to whether an outside specialist is needed.
• Record-keeping to include dates of the repair request, ordering of spare parts, and final repair, as well as a short statement describing equipment malfunction and repair.
• Keep stock of specialized spare parts as appropriate.

When the repair has to be done by an outside specialist or by University maintenance department

• Contact and make appropriate arrangements with outside specialists / maintenance personnel after clearing financial arrangements with appropriate faculty members or department chairperson.
• Observe repair to be able to give future help and service on maintenance and repair.
• Follow through until repair is accomplished. -Setting up new equipment if an instrument repair specialist's help is needed or observe the installation of new equipment by outside specialists to be able to give future help and service on maintenance.

Assist in normal equipment maintenance by

• Suggesting operational equipment procedures or record-keeping needed to keep track of equipment use.
• Making a determination as to whether regular outside maintenance service is necessary and making suggestions to an appropriate faculty member or department chairperson.
• Suggest annual budgets for instrument repair and maintenance. Works with appropriate personnel regarding financial transactions.

Keep up-to-date on state-of-the-art equipment and equipment maintenance procedures.

• Periodic surveillance and routine maintenance of major instruments to anticipate pending trouble.
• Develop modifications or adaptations to equipment, under the supervision of appropriate faculty members

Additional Functions

Training of students, faculty, and related personnel - Provide basic user training for the department's instructional equipment / instrumentation.

Provide training of students, faculty and related personnel for equipment / instrumentation in research laboratories as required by the faculty in charge of the research labs.

Be familiar with any new equipment by attending vendor training of new research and instructional equipment.

Performs other duties as assigned.

Prerequisite Qualifications :

M.S. degree in electronics, instrumentation engineering or a similar field with 1-2 years of experience in the operation and maintenance of chemical instrumentation and analytical equipment.

Demonstrated ability to learn and use computer techniques, including word processing and Excel spreadsheets, chemistry and instrument software and programming is required.

At the university's discretion, the education and experience prerequisites may be exempted where the candidate can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the university, an equivalent combination of education and experience specifically preparing the candidate for success in the position.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in the operation of higher education teaching and research laboratories is strongly preferred.

Bargaining Unit : Range / Band :

Range / Band : FLSA :

FLSA : Exempt

Exempt

Full-Time