Laboratory Technician

This is a term position until April 10, 2026

The Department of Chemistry offers 3-year, 4-year, and Honours BSc degrees in Chemistry and is involved in several interdisciplinary programs. The department has 8 teaching labs, 2 support teaching areas, 1 chemical storeroom (prep lab), 1 computer lab and 8 research lab spaces.

The department programs provide students with the opportunity to learn theoretical and practical aspects of scientific principles through lectures, labs, research projects, directed studies and employment opportunities. They can have one-on-one interaction with instructors, researchers and technicians.

Laboratory Technician is a full-time term position that acts as an independent “Lab Manager” to assigned teaching labs, providing support in all aspects of the teaching lab program including lab preparation and maintenance, ordering supplies, safety matters, infrastructure concerns, troubleshooting experiments, and maintaining lab equipment.

The successful candidate will share the responsibility of providing support to lab instructors. Technicians are actively on-site during all scheduled teaching labs (between 7:00 AM and 9:30 PM depending on course schedule - hours are divided amongst 3 Technicians).

Responsibilities:

• Prepares all reagents, solutions, buffers, and enzymes for assigned courses using specialized lab equipment according to WHMIS regulations and ensures adherence to Safety Data Sheets (SDS).
• Prepares chromatography columns for student use.
• Handwashes glassware and equipment.
• Verifies assays before students perform experiments.
• Performs weekly lab setups in accordance with the lab curriculum and instructions provided.
• Inspects assigned labs daily, replenishing and cleaning when required, checks for issues with equipment or instrumentation. Provides minor repairs or troubleshooting, referring major repairs if needed.
• Performs weekly lab teardowns of each lab promptly.
• Maintains both common use and personal lab lockers for assigned courses.
• Communicates with Facilities to ensure infrastructure maintenance and repairs are done, monitors labs for any infrastructure issues, leaks, fume hood issues, air quality issues and further safety concerns.
• Coordinates with other technicians to organize shared equipment and minimize conflicts between courses.
• Attends all weekly lab meetings held by the head instructor.
• Reviews and makes improvements to “Technician Notes” on a yearly basis.
• Thoroughly cleans and tidies laboratories and all equipment at end of term, manages triannual hazardous waste disposal, completes inventory at year end, restocking as needed.
• Provides backup for other technicians during absences.
• Dispenses chemicals, reagents, samples, unknowns, equipment, and glassware from the Chemical Storeroom.
• Shares on-call duties for teaching labs.
• Checks with head instructor to ensure experiment is running to their satisfaction, adjusts or troubleshoots if needed.
• Provides general support to undergraduate students, provides technical advice to researchers and grad students.
• Maintains the Chemical Storeroom and Solvent Room.
• Acts as a supervisor to Assistant Technicians, training specific protocols, delegating tasks, and providing guidance.
• Orders chemicals, glassware, disposables, and equipment, submitting requests for quotes to obtain the best pricing, coordinates to create large bulk orders.
• Evaluates availability and quantity required to determine best sources of supply.
• Maintains a good working relationship with all vendors, regularly meeting in person on campus and at trade shows.
• Inspects, unpacks, and stores chemical orders, and inspects and tests equipment and supplies upon arrival.
• Keeps accurate records of purchases, completes monthly VISA reconciliations.
• Makes purchases at local retailers and transports the supplies to campus.
• Manages the employee payrolls of participating researchers and researchers’ annual budgets.
• Maintains, tests, and troubleshoots equipment such as:
  • Micropipettes
  • Water baths, analytical balances, protein gel systems, vortexes, microscopes, and shakers.
  • pH meters
  • Bench top centrifuges, microcentrifuges, and large high-speed centrifuges
  • Jenways Visible Light Spectrophotometers
  • Agilent 8453 UV Vis Spectrophotometers.
  • EPOCH plate readers
  • Bio-Rad Gel Doc system
  • Varian GC
  • Computers that accompany instruments listed above.
• Instructs others on the usage of all the above equipment and instrumentation, writing detailed SOPs.
• Responsible for ‘First-Level’ diagnosis of mechanical faults on all equipment and instrumentation, sends equipment/instrumentation back to the manufacturer for repair or calibration when needed.
• Uses inventory listings to determine when levels on hand necessitate reordering.
• Assists in maintaining chemistry department bar code inventory (Hazmatory) of approximately 4,000 chemicals.
• Performs quarterly safety inspections for each assigned teaching lab, participates in yearly safety audits of laboratories.
• Refills and restocks first aid kits in teaching labs as required.
• Assists in updating and maintaining computerized SDS database.
• Serves on the Departmental Safety Committee.
• Informs head instructor if their lab curriculum is using dangerous chemicals, and/or unsafe lab procedures.

Qualifications:

• A university undergraduate degree and/or a diploma in a relevant discipline from a recognized institution is required.
• At least 2 years of directly related laboratory/technical experience.
• Highly effective oral and written communication skills with the ability to demonstrate and explain detailed technical procedures.
• Demonstrated ability to organize workflow and execute plans to meet deadlines with minimal direction. Ability to multitask and exercise independent judgment are assets.
• Must be computer literate and have above average skills. Numerous software will be used for advanced instrumentation, ordering, and inventory. Will have to manage a suite of computers used for instrumentation.
• Must have proven laboratory skills, ability to make numerous types of reagents and ability to use numerous types of lab equipment and instrumentation.
• Able to provide minor repairs and calibration on lab equipment.
• Troubleshooting skills in a laboratory setting is an asset.
• Must have good knowledge of WHMIS regulations and have knowledge of the safe and proper handling of chemicals.
• Must be comfortable with public speaking, needs to effectively communicate with faculty, staff, students, and the public.

An equivalent combination of education, experience, skills, knowledge and abilities may be considered.

Condition(s) of Employment:

• Must be legally entitled to work in Canada.
• Must have first aid training.
• Must be able to work varying hours Monday- Friday, 7:00 AM – 10:00 PM, and occasional weekends, for a total of 35 hours a week.
• Ability to lift moderately heavy objects and be able to be on feet for extended periods.
• Must not have any allergies to chemicals used in the department.

The salary range for this position will be from $51,742.60 to $71,762.60 annually.

The University of Winnipeg is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion, and recognizes that a diverse staff and faculty enriches the work, learning, and research environments, essential to academic and institutional excellence. We welcome applications from all qualified individuals and encourage women, racialized persons, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQ+ persons to confidentially self-identify at time of application.

The University of Winnipeg is committed to ensuring employment opportunities are accessible for all applicants. If you require accommodation supports during the recruitment process, please contact [email protected].

The personal information of applicants is collected under the authority of the University of Winnipeg Act and 36(1)(b) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. All personal information collected via the recruitment process is used to assess the applicant’s suitability, eligibility, and qualifications for employment, and to otherwise support recruitment activities.