University Instrument Center Laboratory Technician

Western Washington University, with over 15,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community of 90,000 overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia. Western has additional sites in Anacortes, Bremerton, Everett, Port Angeles, and Poulsbo. Western is recognized nationally for its successes, such as being named one of the top public master's-granting institutions in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report.

Western Washington University is committed to achieving excellence through advancing inclusive success, increasing our Washington impact, and focusing on transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and based on innovative scholarship, research, and creative activity. Western's greatest strength is the outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae who make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure for all and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone can thrive. In pursuit of this excellence, individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff, faculty, administration, student, and external constituents. Further, individual employees are expected to have the ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economic, societal, environmental) into all aspects of performing their job duties.

Scientific Technical Services (SciTech or STS) is a department that supports research, scholarship and teaching across all colleges at WWU by providing access to advanced multi-user scientific instrumentation, machine and electronics shops, and equipment design, fabrication and repair services.

SciTech operates two core facilities: The University Instrument Center, Western’s primary multi-user equipment facility with chromatography, mass spectrometry, and spectroscopy instrumentation and the University Shops, with electronics, metalworking, woodworking, and design and repair services.

This position is designed to provide opportunities for professional growth and skill development in analytical instrumentation, laboratory operations, and research support. The successful candidate will demonstrate strong technical aptitude, attention to detail, a commitment to customer service, and a willingness to learn new instrumentation and analytical techniques. Prior expertise with all instrumentation is not expected, as training will be provided.

The UIC Lab Tech does not have supervisory responsibilities and works collaboratively with faculty, staff, and students to support a safe, effective, and accessible laboratory environment.

The State HR classification for this position is Instructional & Classroom Support Technician 3. Funding for this position is provided for an initial one-year term and may be renewed, subject to available funding and programmatic needs.

Training and User Support

Train faculty, staff, students, and external users in the safe and effective operation of scientific instrumentation.

Assist users with instrument setup, operation, data collection, and routine data processing for instructional and research activities.

Provide guidance on sample preparation, instrument capabilities, analytical workflows, and established best practices.

Assist in troubleshooting routine instrument, software, and sample preparation issues and refer complex problems to senior staff or faculty as appropriate.

Develop and maintain standard operating procedures, user guides, training materials, and other instructional resources.

Support classroom, laboratory, and research activities through demonstrations and hands-on instruction.

Foster a safe, collaborative learning environment that promotes user proficiency and confidence with scientific instrumentation.

Operations Support

Support the day-to-day operation of the UIC by maintaining instrumentation, laboratory spaces, and equipment in a safe, organized, and functional condition.

Prepare reagents, calibration standards, quality control samples, and other materials for instructional and research activities.

Assist with the procurement, inventory management, and organization of equipment, supplies, chemicals, and consumables.

Handle, store, and dispose of chemical waste and hazardous materials in accordance with university policies and regulatory requirements.

Maintain records related to instrument maintenance, laboratory operations, and safety activities.

Develop and maintain technical expertise in analytical instrumentation, laboratory practices, and emerging technologies.

Maintaining Instrumentation

Perform routine maintenance, operational checks, calibrations, and minor troubleshooting to ensure reliable and safe instrument operation.

Identify instrument performance issues and coordinate repairs with vendors, service providers, senior staff, or faculty as needed.

Maintain service records and documentation related to instrument maintenance and performance.

Provide basic instrumentation support, troubleshooting, and maintenance assistance to other academic units as requested.

Coordinate equipment scheduling to ensure efficient and equitable access for instructional, research, and service activities.

Monitor instrument availability and communicate maintenance schedules, outages, and operational updates to users.

Compressed Gases

Monitor inventory levels of compressed gases and related laboratory supplies used within the UIC.

Coordinate the ordering, receipt, storage, and replacement of gas cylinders and associated materials to support uninterrupted operations.

Ensure compressed gases are handled, stored, and documented in accordance with university safety policies and applicable regulations.

Professional Development and Technical Growth

Develop expertise in the operation, maintenance, and application of scientific instrumentation.

Assume increasing levels of responsibility as technical knowledge and competencies are acquired.

Build proficiency in chromatography (GC and LC), ICP, and microCT instrumentation.

Expand expertise into mass spectrometry, advanced imaging, and other specialized analytical techniques as experience and proficiency increase.

Participate in ongoing professional development to support the evolving needs of the UIC and its users.

Other Duties as Assigned

Perform other duties and special projects in support of the teaching, research, service, and operational missions of the UIC and SciTech.

Contribute to departmental initiatives and emerging operational needs as assigned.

This is a project-employment position ending no later than June 30, 2027.

• Bachelor's degree in a scientific or technical discipline (e.g., chemistry, biochemistry, biology, physics, geology, environmental science, materials science, or engineering), or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated commitment to providing high-quality customer service and technical support.
• Ability to work independently under general supervision while effectively managing multiple priorities and collaborating professionally with SciTech staff, faculty, university staff, students, and external users from diverse backgrounds and experience levels.
• Strong verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills, along with demonstrated problem-solving, troubleshooting, and organizational abilities.
• Experience operating scientific instrumentation and performing laboratory procedures in instructional, research, industrial, or other technical laboratory environments.
• Experience preparing samples, reagents, solutions, and standards; collecting, organizing, and documenting scientific or technical data; and following established laboratory procedures and safety protocols.
• Ability to recognize and respond to shifting departmental priorities by appropriately reprioritizing responsibilities, including adapting to short-notice changes in planned work activities to meet operational and user support needs.
• Commitment to functioning as a collaborative and dependable team member in support of shared departmental goals, including the effective operation of the UIC and the success of its users.
• Proficiency with standard computer applications, including Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

• Experience supporting laboratory instruction, scientific research, instrumentation, or related technical operations.
• Experience operating, maintaining, or troubleshooting analytical instrumentation in instructional, research, industrial, or shared-use laboratory environments.
• Demonstrated experience with one or more of the following instrument categories:
  • Chromatography systems, including GC, HPLC, UHPLC, or related techniques.
  • Mass spectrometry instrumentation, including GC-MS, LC-MS, MALDI-MS, or related systems.
  • Optical microscopy instrumentation, including brightfield, fluorescence, confocal, or Raman microscopy.
  • Electron microscopy instrumentation, including SEM, EDS, or related techniques.
  • Spectroscopic instrumentation, including UV-Vis, FTIR, Raman, fluorescence, atomic absorption, ICP-OES, ICP-MS, or related methods.
• Experience with instrument control software, scientific data analysis, and interpretation of analytical results.
• Experience developing or following laboratory protocols, standard operating procedures (SOPs), user guides, or other technical documentation.
• Experience providing technical instruction, user training, mentoring, or laboratory support in educational, research, or shared-use laboratory settings.
• Demonstrated ability to learn new instrumentation, software platforms, and analytical techniques and apply those skills in support of teaching, research, and service activities.

HR@wwu.edu

Application materials should address your experience related to the position responsibilities and the required and preferred qualifications.

Western Washington University (WWU) is an equal opportunity employer. In compliance with applicable laws, WWU does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, age, citizenship or immigration status, pregnancy, use of protective leave, genetic status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, creed, religion, veteran or military status, disability or the use of a trained guide dog or service animal (including a service animal in training) by a person with a disability, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law, in its programs or activities, including employment, admissions, and educational programs. See WWU’s Policies on Prohibiting Discrimination Based on A Protected Class and Prohibiting Discrimination Based on Sex. Inquiries may be directed to the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance, Title IX and ADA Coordinator, Western Washington University, Old Main 126 (MS 9021), 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225; 360.650.3307 (voice) or 711 (Washington Relay); 

crtc@wwu.edu

WWU is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. To request this document in an alternate format or to request an accommodation, please contact Human Resources Disability Services, 360.650.3751 or 711 (Washington Relay).

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student.life@wwu.edu

All new employees must comply with the immunization policy and show employment eligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service before beginning work at WWU. A thorough background check will be conducted on all new hires which includes a sexual misconduct background check.