Position Available: Technical Laboratory Manager - IT

Applications for this role are now closed.

Technical Laboratory Manager - IT, School of Mathematics and Statistics

Job no: 503386
Work type: Full-time
Location: Sydney, NSW
Categories: Information Technology

• One of Australia’s leading research & teaching universities
• Vibrant campus life with a strong sense of community & inclusion
• Enjoy a career that makes a difference by collaborating with & learning from the best

At UNSW, we pride ourselves on being a workplace where the best people come to do their best work.

THIS ROLE IS LOCATED IN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA.

Applications are now closed for this role. 

The School of Mathematics and Statistics currently has more than sixty continuing academic staff and more than thirty research staff as well as visiting academics. UNSW is the only university in Australia to be ranked in the top 100 in the world in Mathematics and Statistics by each of the four ranking bodies: CWTS Leiden, ARWU, USNews, QS.

The Technical Laboratory Manager - IT is responsible for the management and operations of Teaching and Research Laboratories in the School of Mathematics and Statistics. The Teaching and Research Laboratory resources in the School include dual boot Windows-Linux systems with specialized software, networked staff desktop machines, and audio video conferencing equipment.

The role provides leadership to the Technical Officers supporting the School’s laboratories overseeing the effective operation and maintenance laboratory infrastructure, equipment and facilities whilst taking ownership of the implementation of safe workplace procedures in accordance with health and safety legislation, University policy, and best practice.

About the role

• $109K - $123K plus 17% Superannuation and annual leave loading
• Continuing
• Full-time (35 hours per week)

The position reports to the School Manager and has one direct report.

Specific responsibilities for this role include:

• Manage the efficient maintenance and operation of the School’s Teaching and Research laboratories including oversight of the coordination of efficient day-to-day management of equipment, infrastructure, and services, including audio-visual hardware and software, as well as the planning, maintenance, and scheduling of operations.
• Provide leadership and direction to School Technical staff to deliver high quality service supporting the School’s research and teaching programs and assist the School Manager in the ongoing performance and career development of the team.
• Provide expert advice to the Head of School, academic staff in charge of laboratories, other staff and students ensuring the efficient management of facilities. This can range from the day-to-day management of laboratories to overseeing complex experimental design and costings.
• Manage laboratory budget/s and assist in the preparation of the School’s budgeting processes in relation to laboratories.
• Ensure appropriate laboratory training and inductions are completed.
• Manage, maintain and implement policies and procedures such as purchasing, asset management, stock control, safe disposal of equipment and laboratory consumables and lab induction/training.
• Lead the implementation of WHS for research and teaching laboratories including, develop and implement risk management protocols and monitoring compliance.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement, leading the evaluation of existing equipment, infrastructure, service delivery and training, as well as systems, procedures and protocols.
• Lead knowledge transfer across the team of current and future trends and technologies, to identify opportunities for improvement. Provide recommendations for new methodologies and solutions to the
• Manager/Academics and implement change.
• Develop and implement plans for major equipment purchases or replacement to ensure that laboratories remain state of the art facilities, including preparing recommendations and business cases as relevant.
• Negotiate and prepare contracts and ongoing service agreements with external contractors.
• Play an integral part as the technical lead in managing School wide projects and initiatives which are highly complex, require a working knowledge of multiple disciplines and manage competing stakeholder expectations.
• Implement the UNSW Health and safety management system within your area of responsibility.

About the successful applicant
(Selection Criteria)

To be successful in this role you will have:

• Completion of a relevant degree and extensive relevant technical experience or equivalent competency gained through another combination of education, training and experience. This currently includes Linux, Windows and Mac computers and Audio Video conferencing facilities.
• Ability to quickly gain a working knowledge of mathematical and statistical software packages such as LaTeX, Möbius, R, and SAS.
• Extensive experience in the technical management of teaching and research facilities.
• Demonstrated success in leading and developing technical staff.
• Proven experience in effective policy, planning, operation, and maintenance of teaching and research laboratories.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, with the demonstrated ability to clearly articulate concepts and policies to varying levels of stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to support and advise researchers and students on the technical aspects of laboratories and the design, development, and conduct of experiments.
• Expertise in managing high level technical projects and negotiating contracts and/or service agreements.
• Demonstrated success in the dedication to continuous improvement through long-term planning and expansion of laboratory policy and facilities.
• Knowledge of health and safety responsibilities and commitment to attending relevant health and safety training, with the ability and capacity to implement required UNSW health and safety policies and procedures.

Specific qualifications/skills required include:

• Advanced troubleshooting skills for Linux System Administration (Red Hat, Ubuntu).
• Knowledge of networking and troubleshooting (TCP/IP, firewall, DNS, DHCP, Bridging).
• Basic scripting knowledge (Python, Bash, Perl).
• Knowledge of configuration management (Puppet, Chef, Ansible).
• Knowledge of data backup and discovery (rsnapshot).

Highly desirable skills include:

• Experience managing Red Hat servers with Red Hat Satellite Server.
• Understanding of Security best practices.
• Knowledge of relational databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL).
• Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) or Red Hat Certified System Engineer (RHCE).

You should systematically address the selection criteria listed within the position description in your application.

Applications are now closed.