Technician – Dairy Research Team (Fixed term)

Reference

SCI380622

Closing Date

Friday, 30th September 2022

Job Type

Technical Services

Department

Biosciences

Salary

£22149 to £24948 per annum (pro-rata if applicable) depending on skills and experience. Salary progression beyond this scale is subject to performance.

Applications are invited for the above post based within the School of Biosciences at the Sutton Bonington Campus.  

The role will be a part of a dairy feed trials technical team to provide high-quality, technical support for feed trials taking place within the state-of-the-art dairy, part of the Centre for Dairy Science and Innovation (CDSI) and will support a wide range of activities related to dairy nutrition, environmental, fertility and other scientific studies based at the CDSI and associated labs. Activities will include preparation and dispensing of feeds, maintenance of the automated feeding system and providing routine husbandry to calves, heifers and cows. They may also be required to provide some training and supervision of students and temporary staff.

Duties of this role include:

• Mixing of cow diets using the automated feeding systems at the CDSI ensuring their timely distribution (involves manual handling, recording and emptying refusals from feed bins etc).
• Provide general husbandry and welfare monitoring to the animals undergoing and associated with research protocols, reporting to specific personnel. Completion of records as required.
• Ensure high levels of cleanliness and good housekeeping with specific focus on cleaning around Hoko and RIC2discover feed bins and running automated feeding equipment. Includes regular routine maintenance, checking and cleaning sensors and diagnosis of faults to repair equipment.
• Assisting with animal handling, weighing, restraint and other procedures. Complete monitoring protocols and records as required for example temperature, methane, animal measurements, assessing health and collation of data.
• Undertake basic laboratory techniques such as sample preparation, drying, labelling, aliquoting, proximate analysis and specific wet chemistry techniques, contribute to laboratory housekeeping.
• Assisting in the supervision, induction and advising of students in the application of techniques and use of relevant technical/laboratory equipment and/or systems.
• Other duties appropriate to the role and level.

Applicants must have a minimum of two A Levels in relevant subjects or equivalent vocational qualifications (NVQ, City & Guild), plus some experience in a relevant technical/scientific role or considerable work experience in a relevant technical/scientific role.

Further details can be found in the job description.

This is a full-time, fixed term role, providing maternity leave cover. Due to the nature of the dairy working day, start times will typically be at 7-7:30am, and flexibility is required to meet needs of the studies. Job share arrangements may be considered.

Animals are required to be fed daily when on study, so the role holder may be required to provide cover over weekends and holiday periods as part of a rota (working pattern to be determined on appointment) and the role holder would be responsible for completing welfare checks and ensuring that equipment is functioning correctly.

Informal enquiries may be addressed to Leigh Silvester, tel: 0115 951 6045 or email leigh.silvester@nottingham.ac.uk.
Please note that applications sent directly to this email address will not be accepted.

Our University is a supportive, inclusive, caring and positive community. We warmly welcome those of different cultures, ethnicities and beliefs – indeed this very diversity is vital to our success, it is fundamental to our values and enriches life on campus. We welcome applications from UK, Europe and from across the globe. For more information on the support we offer our international colleagues, see our Moving to Nottingham pages.

For successful international applicants, we provide financial support for your visa and the immigration health surcharge, plus an interest-free loan to help cover the cost of immigration-related expenses for any dependants accompanying you to the UK. For more information please see the our webpage on Financial support for visas and the immigration health surcharge .

This role will not attract sufficient points to obtain a sponsored Skilled Worker visa under the UK Visas & Immigration points based immigration system, however applications are welcome from candidates who don’t currently have the right to work in the UK, but who would be eligible to obtain a valid visa via another route.