Instrument Maintenance Specialist
Colby College

Job DescriptionDepartment:Natural Sciences - StaffPay Rate Type:SalaryEmployee Type:Job Summary:The Instrument Maintenance Specialist will work in collaboration with the existing Instrument Maintenance Technician to support the College's sophisticated suite of laboratory instrumentation. The Instrument Maintenance team will do routine calibration and preventive maintenance of scientific instruments and equipment, interact with vendors and provide oversight/administration of service contracts, coordinate instrument maintenance requiring external contractors, oversee receiving and installation of new equipment, repair laboratory equipment and instrumentation, and maintain the Natural Science Division's machine shop.

Essential Functions

To succeed in this position, an individual must be able to perform the essential duties outlined below. Colby College actively supports the Americans with Disabilities Act and will consider reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position. This listing of essential duties is not all-inclusive, but representative; other duties may be assigned.

• Maintain and repair a diverse range of scientific instruments. Colby's current suite of instrumentation includes: nuclear magnetic spectrophotometer, X-ray diffractometers, inductively-coupled plasma spectrometer, mass spectrometers, gas and liquid chromatography systems, various laser systems, various microscopy systems, greenhouses systems, incubators, centrifuges, vacuum systems, ultra low temperature freezers, ultra pure water systems, and mechanical systems of two observatories.

• Operate and maintain a machine shop which includes a milling machine, metal lathe, band saw, drill press, and various saws and hand tools.

• Coordinate, schedule, and assist Colby faculty members, Facilities personnel, and outside vendors in the repair and/or contractual maintenance of systems/equipment.

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Position Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

Experience: Minimum of 5 years of professional experience maintaining and repairing precision instrumentation/equipment.

Licensure, certification, registration or other requirements: Some advanced training in precision instrumentation/equipment repair.

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Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Deploy expertise in electronics, machining, and computer systems towards maintenance and repair of precision instruments.

• Expand existing skills and knowledge to maintain new equipment and systems.

• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing with a wide range of individuals and constituencies.

• Strong attention to detail and accuracy.

• Ability to develop and maintain professional relationships with faculty and staff members at the College and external vendors.

• Ability to multitask and effectively organize workload.

• Capacity for leadership towards expansion of a team of instrument support staff.

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Physical/Mental Demands

The physical demands and work environment described herein are representative of those needed to perform essential functions of this position and/or may be encountered while performing essential functions. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• The ability to comply with inflexible deadlines is required to successfully perform the essential functions of this position; there will be multiple occurrences of sudden, urgent task completion required.

• While performing the essential duties of this position, an employee would frequently be required to move around the office space as well as within hallways, meeting rooms, and other parts of the campus facilities.

• There may be multiple/daily instances of prolonged personal computer use which would include keyboard and/or mouse usage as well as viewing a computer monitor.

• An employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 20 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds to perform essential position functions.

• Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and ability to adjust focus.

• The overall work environment requires the mental ability to shift focus quickly due to interruptions; an employee must be able to mentally track multiple projects and tasks.

• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate; however, there may be unexpected instances of somewhat loud sounds.