Lab Coordinator

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JOB DESCRIPTION AND POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

The Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering in the College of Agricultural Sciences is hiring a Lab Coordinator. This is a full-time non-academic staff (Lab Coordinator-Engineering-Intermediate Professional) position who will be responsible for management of shop facilities; supervision of graduate student research activities involving shop and/or laboratory facilities; coordination of design, construction, use, and maintenance and repair of prototype and/or research equipment. Assist faculty and graduate students in their field and laboratory research projects, including equipment/instrumentation transportation between the Agricultural Engineering Building and field research sites; equipment/instrumentation design, installation, calibration, and data collection; supervise the ABE's Research and Teaching Shop related activities of graduate research assistants, undergraduate students working on class projects, and wage payroll personnel who need to use shop facilities and equipment, including providing safety training to students, faculty and other staff members. Participate in organizing and conducting research, teaching, and extension activities. Monitor progress of assigned projects, evaluate quality and true costs of completed projects, and coordinate available services external to the Department. Serve as liaison with faculty, graduate students, and other staff to meet their research, teaching, and extension needs for the design, development, fabrication, operation, and maintenance of prototype and/or research equipment and shop services. Coordinate building safety and maintenance and renovation needs with Office of Physical Plant (OPP) and department personnel. Additional specific duties include:

• Provide engineering and design support to research projects both within and outside the department.

• Manage shop and/or laboratory facilities and equipment, with responsibilities including safety, maintenance, organization, and procurement of materials and supplies.

• Work closely with the College of Agricultural Sciences Director of Facilities and Safety and serve as the safety officer for the ABE department, including development of the Integrated Safety Plan (ISP), as recommended by Environmental Safety and Health and other safety-related aspects.

• Coordinate building maintenance and renovation needs with OPP and department personnel.

• Maintain departmental vehicles, their inspections, renewal of permits, registration etc., and relocating them per weather forecast.

• Directly supervise 1-2 wage payroll students per year who assist with general shop tasks, fabrication for specific projects, and other duties as needed.

• Coordinate and monitor design, layout, fabrication, assembly, testing, calibration, operation, and maintenance and repair phases of assigned projects.

• Oversee and coordinate the transfer of old equipment, research items, etc., to Lion Surplus.

• Use independent judgment in daily and weekly activities on research projects and coordinate efforts with input from the faculty in coordination with the supervisor (Department Head).

Education and Experience:

The Lab Coordinator-Engineering-Intermediate Professional requires a BS degree and 1 year of relevant experience, experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience. In addition to assisting in laboratory research, the person will assist in installing soil, water quantity and quality instrumentation, and plant and climate monitoring systems/equipment. A willingness to work under field conditions, ability to work within a multidisciplinary team and in supervised or unsupervised environments is required. Ability to perform basic data collection, prepare plot layout, analyses, report writing is needed. Using own judgment to make management and operational decisions is important. Must be willing to work in a team environment and share knowledge and skills with co-workers. Show extra care to minimize human error in implementing experimental procedures. Field research projects require walking fields during the growing season to download data from various dataloggers, check experimental plots, scouting, etc. Basic knowledge of Adobe, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word is preferred.

This position requires that you operate a motor vehicle as a part of your job duties. A valid driver's license and successful completion of a motor vehicle records check will be required in addition to standard background checks.

Application Information:

For full consideration, applicants must submit a cover letter and a resume. Candidates are encouraged to apply before December 16. The desired start date is January 20, 2025 or as negotiated with the successful candidate. The position will remain open until filled.

The Pennsylvania State University is committed to and accountable for advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion inall ofits forms.We embrace individual uniqueness, foster a culture of inclusive excellence that supports both broad and specific diversity initiatives, leverage the educational and institutional benefits of diversity, and engage all individuals to help them thrive. We value inclusive excellence as a core strength and an essential element of our public service mission.

The salary range for this position, including all possible grades is:

Salary Structure - additional information on Penn State's job and salary structure.

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