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Light Stable Isotope Facilities Manager

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Position overview

Position title: Light Stable Isotope Facilities Manager (Associate Specialist - Specialist)
Salary range: Commensurate with qualifications and experience (see page 33 of the current UCSC salary scale for the Fiscal Year Specialist title series).
Percent time: Full‐time (100%)
Anticipated start: As soon as possible after initial review of the applications.
Position duration: Initial appointment will be for one year, with the possibility of reappointment. Should the hiring unit propose reappointment; a review to assess performance will be conducted. Reappointment is also contingent upon the availability of funding.

Position description

The Light Stable Isotope Laboratory at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) invites applications for a Light Stable Isotope Facilities Manager. Under the direction of the Earth & Planetary Sciences Department Chair, the specialist will serve a diverse community of researchers in managing and supporting the UCSC Light Stable Isotope Laboratory (SIL), a shared open access facility equipped with a wide variety of chemical preparation and stable isotope mass spectrometry equipment. The lab currently supports seven isotope ratio instruments, including multiple GC-IRMS and EA-IRMS instruments making bulk organic and individual compound analysis of C, N, O, S, one dedicated carbonate instrument (a Kiel IV + MAT253), and the first linked Q-Exactive Orbitrap high resolution GC-MS / GC-IRMS configuration in the United States.

The users of the UCSC-SIL include researchers and students from multiple institutions, including multiple UCSC academic departments; the Institute of Marine Sciences (UCSC); other Universities; and external collaborators, such as the US Geological Survey and National Marine Fisheries Service. This open-access facility has a long history of being highly productive in serving both internal research needs and external clients, due in large part to having had a knowledgeable and service-oriented lab manager in place for many years. We seek a new manager for the facility who will provide the level of service, support, and technical expertise required to make the most of these shared resources.

The position will be approximately half managerial and half technical duties. Critical duties include: 1) maintaining isotope ratio instrumentation, developing new analytical methods and applications, and also analyzing specific sample sets as needed, 2) training users on proper equipment use and techniques, 3) overseeing day-to-day operation of the lab and working with the faculty oversight committee in the overall management of SIL operations, 4) supervising other SIL staff, and 5) planning for future SIL operational priorities in order to maintain strong fiscal health of the facility, all while maintaining a diverse user base and state-of-art analytical capabilities. Furthermore, the position will require that the specialist be physically capable of lifting items weighing as much as thirty pounds and working in tightly confined spaces with or without accommodations.

To accomplish these tasks, the specialist must consistently demonstrate strong communication skills, exemplary organizational skills, the ability to oversee staff, and work both collaboratively (with students, postdoctoral scholars, and visitors) and independently. Under the guidance of the faculty oversight committee, the specialist will be given wide latitude in day-to-day lab operation.

Applicants with any of the following qualifications are strongly encouraged to apply:

  • Master's or doctoral degree (or an equivalent foreign degree) in the sciences.
  • Expertise in stable isotope instrumentation and related chemistry.
  • Prior management experience in a technical lab setting.
  • Demonstrated record of working with research scientists in a cooperative and service-oriented role.
  • Record of writing clear, detailed reports, standard operating protocols, and technical guides.
  • Demonstrated record of strong organizational skills and the ability to work independently with little supervision.
  • Demonstrated record of troubleshooting and solving complex problems in a research environment.

The hiring unit will not sponsor employment-eligible immigration statuses for this position.

The Light Stable Isotope Laboratory: https://sites.google.com/ucsc.edu/sil

The Earth & Planetary Sciences Department: https://eps.ucsc.edu/

Qualifications

Basic qualifications (required at time of application)
  • Master’s degree or higher (or an equivalent foreign degree) in the sciences (see rank qualifications in Article 26 of the Academic Researchers contract.
  • At least two years of post-degree experience with analytical mass spectrometry instrumentation and applications, running analyses and developing methods.
  • Demonstrated experience operating and maintaining analytical instrumentation, in particular isotope ratio mass spectrometers, GC-IRMS systems, instrumentation for carbonate and gas isotope measurements, etc.

Application Requirements

Document requirements
  • Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.

  • Cover Letter - Letter of application that briefly summarizes your qualifications and interest in the position.

Reference requirements
  • 3-5 required (contact information only)

Applicants must provide the names and contact information of their references. The hiring unit will request confidential letters* from the references of those applicants who are under serious consideration. Please note that your references, or dossier service, will submit their confidential letters directly to the UC Recruit System.

*All letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law. For any reference letter provided via a third party (i.e., dossier service, career center), direct the author to UCSC’s confidentiality statement at http://apo.ucsc.edu/confstm.htm.

Apply link: https://recruit.ucsc.edu/JPF01388

Help contact: mclapham@ucsc.edu

About UC Santa Cruz

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status. UC Santa Cruz is committed to excellence through diversity and strives to establish a climate that welcomes, celebrates, and promotes respect for the contributions of all students and employees. Inquiries regarding the University’s equal employment opportunity policies may be directed to the Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 or by phone at (831) 459-2686.

Under Federal law, the University of California may employ only individuals who are legally able to work in the United States as established by providing documents as specified in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Certain UCSC positions funded by federal contracts or sub-contracts require the selected candidate to pass an E-Verify check (see https://www.uscis.gov/e-verify). The university sponsors employment-based visas for nonresidents who are offered academic appointments at UC Santa Cruz (see https://apo.ucsc.edu/policy/capm/102.530.html).

UCSC is a smoke & tobacco-free campus.

If you need accommodation due to a disability, please contact Disability Management Services at roberts@ucsc.edu (831) 459-4602.

UCSC is committed to addressing the spousal and partner employment needs of our candidates and employees. As part of this commitment, our institution is a member of the Northern California Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (NorCal HERC). Visit the NorCal HERC website at https://www.hercjobs.org/regions/higher-ed-careers-northern-california/ to search for open positions within a commutable distance of our institution.

The University of California offers a competitive benefits package and a number of programs to support employee work/life balance. For information about employee benefits please visit https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/compensation-and-benefits/index.html

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

VISIT UC Santa Cruz: https://www.ucsc.edu

Job location

Santa Cruz, California