Senior Lab Equipment Specialist - NMR

Position Summary

The Senior Lab Equipment Maintenance Specialist provides professional expert service and support for high-tech/high-end laboratory research equipment by performing field service repairs, maintenance, calibrations, and alignments.He/she will be a mentor to junior maintenance personnel, and will prepare, plan and complete user maintenance and equipment operation training sessions. The Senior LEM Specialist will deliver the highest level of service to maximize equipment uptime while minimizing maintenance costs.

The Senior LEM Specialist will work within guidelines established by the LEM Director and Laboratory Equipment Maintenance Leads and will follow established standard operating procedures.

Major Responsibilities

• Respond quickly to maintenance and troubleshooting requests for hardware and software
• Complete assigned work at the highest possible level of quality and in a timely manner
• Coordinate with end-user to schedule equipment maintenance and other services
• Build and maintain strategic functional and productive relationships with research equipment manufacturers and vendors
• Leverage relationships with the manufacturers to facilitate the necessary support and training for the team.
• Confer with lab equipment operators/manufacturers/agents to identify and diagnose problems and implement appropriate solutions
• Identify required spare parts, work with the lead to optimize stock level and assist with the ordering process.
• Maximize insourcing of maintenance activities and coordinate vendor visits, if necessary, while minimizing the equipment downtime.
• Participate in professional development trainings, seminars, and other activities to remain at a highly competent level of expertise on assigned equipment
• Collaborate with the team to sustain high service levels through workload sharing, cross-training, and providing mentorship.
• Instruct end user on preventative equipment maintenance strategies and proper instrument use
• Provide occasional value-added user training sessions on assigned equipment within expertise
• Comply with all HSE and KAUST safety policies, practices, and procedures at all times.
• Develop and maintain safe habits and practices with regard to safety requirements on site and in the workshop and report any breaches or concerns on health and safety matters to the appropriate supervisor
• Identify process improvement areas to improve efficiency and increase automation
• Work closely and productively with the Lab Equipment Maintenance Leads in a professional manner to define and complete any additional objectives
• Ability to work extended hours (as needed)
• Respond to predictive maintenance alerts, if available.
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned
• Ability to travel 10% of the time for training and external services

Personal Requirements

Competencies

• Knowledge of lab safety protocols, especially regarding cryogens, high magnetic fields, and radiofrequency radiation.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively troubleshoot major electrical and mechanical components of research instruments and equipment and make repairs in a timely manner
• Demonstrated professional customer service skills and etiquette
• A strong sense of urgency in executing and completing assigned work
• Efficiently manages a varied workload while under pressure; accomplishing tasks with minimal supervision
• Demonstrated effective leadership ability
• Team player with a flexible can-do attitude
• Excellent problem solving and analytical skills
• Strong planning and organizational skills
• Ability to communicate in a clear and concise manner
• Excellent command of the English language (read, write and speak English)
• Ability to work effectively in a multi-cultural international environment and help foster a cooperative work environment
• Highly proficient in Microsoft Office applications
• Ability to develop high quality Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

Qualifications & Experience

Essential:

• Bachelor’s degree in science or engineering
• Factory service training in the class of equipment covered by the unit
• Knowledge of cryogenics, high-frequency electronics, superconducting magnets, and vacuum systems.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite

Preferable:

• Familiarity with NMR/EPR/MRI acquisition and processing software (e.g., minimum TopSpin, EPR software is a plus).
• Proficiency with using a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) such as SAP.
• Training in quality systems such as ISO 9001:2015, Six Sigma and Lean principles.Training in quality systems such as ISO 9001:2015, Six Sigma and Lean principles.
• Minimum 7 years’ experience as a field service engineer or in-house maintenance engineer performing service-level maintenance and repairs on Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) equipment from Bruker covering the following models:

Avance neo 800, AVANCE-III HD, Avance III 400 – 700 WB

• Experience maintaining Bruker Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR) is highly desirable
• Previous experience as a service engineer or technical specialist in an NMR/EPR facility.
• Experience with DNP-NMR and hyperpolarization techniques.
• Proven experience with cryogenic probe maintenance
• Experience with energizing a magnet is highly desirable.
• Experience with other major manufacturers is considered a plus
• Experience providing service to academic organizations is considered a plus