Materials Engineering Technologist

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Job Summary

1. Give a short summary of the duties and responsibilities of your job.

The incumbent is responsible for the safe use of equipment operation for the Materials Engineering Nicol and Jackson Hall teaching and research facilities within the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering (MME).

Undergraduate Program Support
The position’s top priory is to provide support to the undergraduate teaching laboratories. The incumbent will provide guidance, advice, and oversee the safe use of equipment by diverse individuals (e.g. undergraduate and graduate students, teaching assistants, faculty, and staff) either on own or in groups, on matters related to laboratory and equipment safety; use and operation of laboratory and scientific equipment; chemical handling safety; purchases of minor laboratory supplies, consumables, and small sample pieces; and assisting in the scheduling of laboratories and facilities usage. The incumbent will anticipate and provide solutions to problems without interruption of the program and, in consultation with course instructors or as directed by the Department Manager, and will provide input to facilitate the continuous improvement of laboratory equipment for undergraduate program.

Research/Graduate Support
Provide guidance and advice to faculty, staff, and students on the safe use of laboratory equipment and chemicals, testing and layout of running experiments, suggest tools or equipment to use for an experiment or building of apparatus, and assist with the maintenance of research equipment as needed.

Health and Safety
Act as the Safety Officer for the MME facilities in Nicol and Jackson Halls. They will ensure laboratory safety procedures are being followed including the proper use, storage and recycling of chemicals, gas cylinders and any other hazardous wastes. Perform regular monthly safety inspections as required for fire extinguishers, fire hoses, emergency kits, and other safety devices. Provide advice on safe practices or direct faculty, staff, and students to others on campus in the resolution of a safety issue or question. May lead or assist other facilities within the department with the handling of emergencies e.g. chemical spills.

General Support
Provide general support for day-to-day operations e.g. set up/dismantle of laboratories and equipment, assist with minor equipment repairs or preventative maintenance, and arrange for disposal of surplus equipment. Assist Department Manager with the planning and allocation of departmental laboratory resources and design of spaces. Provide input and make recommendations to improve established quality control programs for a variety of scientific equipment for teaching and research laboratories including documenting and reporting required equipment replacement parts. Monitor and track equipment usage; inventory of laboratory supplies, and purchase minor laboratory supplies and consumables e.g. wipes, moist towelettes, glassware, chemicals, etc. Provide a safe learning environment.

Job Description

2. To fulfil your duties what knowledge, skills and specialized techniques are required? How would each be normally acquired? How long would it take to become proficient in each of the areas of your work?

•3-year diploma in Mechanical Engineering Technology, Chemical Engineering Technology or related program with 3 years of related experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
•Well-developed interpersonal skills for interacting professionally with diverse individuals (e.g. faculty, staff, and students) in a training/teaching setting.
•The following required qualifications are usually acquired through a 3-year community college program:
oKnowledge of good laboratory practices (housekeeping, safety, etc.)
oKnowledge of chemical and chemical mix properties, as is necessary for safe handling, storage and disposal
oKnowledge of electrical and electronics concepts in laboratory applications
oDemonstrated computer and computer software skills and the ability to learn new programs and stay updated. Common applications include Excel, Word, MATLAB and data acquisition systems.
oKnowledge of common materials testing and heat treating instrumentation such as strain gauges, micrometers, extensometers, hardness testers, thermocouples, etc.
•Demonstrated skills in materials engineering including practical application in metallography, materials testing and chemical analysis
•Strong organizational and time management skills
•Ability to work effectively either independently or as part of a team
•Ability to maintain inventory and stay within the department’s procurement card (P-Card) limit when purchasing minor laboratory supplies and consumables
•Ability to work in a safe and diligent fashion, adhering to University policies or procedures as well as regulations defined in the Occupational Health and Safety Act
•Health and safety knowledge and training to handle emergencies e.g. WHMIS, Fire Extinguisher, First Aid or related training

Knowledge and skills can be gained on the job with proficiency reached within the first 2 years of the role. Continuous learning through on the job training, workshops, seminars and self-study are expected to keep abreast of developments and upgrades in the related areas of instrumentation analysis, computer applications and health and safety.

3. Is it necessary in this position to oversee the work, or to instruct other staff? If so, what does this involve?

The incumbent does not schedule, assign or monitor the workflow of other employees but will provide technical support, guidance and advice to staff, faculty, and students on the safe use of equipment housed within the department to ensure compliance with departmental safety procedures. The incumbent may have direct contact with the University’s Environmental Health and Safety Department in matters related to chemical storage, waste disposal and other safety issues. Monitoring the booking and scheduling of equipment by users and setting priorities may impact staff and students.
The incumbent will also provide assistance and advice on the safe use of laboratory equipment to teaching assistants that are hired for laboratory specific courses, which includes demonstrating the technical aspects of the equipment design, operation and maintenance.

4. What other people must you deal with in this job and why? (i.e. is there direct contact with students, teaching staff, other departments, people outside the university community).

The incumbent has direct contact with departmental staff, faculty, and students who require technical guidance or assistance on the safe use of laboratory equipment. Students may approach the incumbent for advice on use of equipment resources related to their coursework or research outside of their class time. They will communicate directly with suppliers of equipment and/or other technicians within the department in regards to repairs, servicing and maintenance of equipment.

May provide laboratory tours of the Nicol and Jackson Hall facilities to visitors internal and external to the University.
The incumbent may oversee or assist with the safe use of equipment when needed by other departments for testing or research. This includes tracking the use of equipment for service/usage fee purposes.

5. How is your work assigned to you and how closely is your work checked by someone else?

The incumbent reports directly to the Department Manager, works independently and provides work progress updates to Department Manager on a weekly basis. Once work has been assigned and scheduled by the Department Manager, work is prioritized on own by the incumbent.

The incumbent will ensure set up of laboratory is completed ahead of each scheduled laboratory session and provide guidance to faculty, staff or students while the experiments are being carried out to ensure safe equipment procedures are followed as described in established manuals and standard operating procedures.
Contribute to the satisfaction of the laboratory users by being professional when interacting with laboratory faculty, staff, and students.

The incumbent is required to track all time spent on various activities outside of normal departmental operations such as assisting in testing for outside departments; the tracking sheet will be submitted to the Department Manager for financial reconciliation purposes.

6 a) Are the sorts of problems encountered in this job usually covered by established procedures or do you frequently have to develop or invent solutions to problems yourself?

The incumbent must be self-reliant and able to perform to departmental standards with minimum supervision. Tasks assigned are generally covered under established procedures e.g. laboratory set up, procurement activities, purchasing of laboratory supplies and maintenance of equipment. Problems that arise are usually within the incumbent’s field of expertise and solutions are developed according to circumstances or through frequent discussions with the appropriate staff member. For problems not completely covered by procedures, incumbent is expected to provide a solution or make a recommendation to interpret outcome or resolve issue. Unusual or complicated problems are referred to the Department Manager.

The incumbent is expected to provide positive and constructive input when working with other team members and provide guidance or assistance to other technicians in the department with regards to the safe use of equipment as required.

6 b) Are you involved in establishing standard procedures? (Give examples)

Yes, the incumbent helps with creating and updating documentation to ensure that standard operating procedures are set for new equipment and/or laboratory methods, working either on own or in in consultation with the Department Manager, faculty or staff member as needed. The incumbent provides input and recommends best practices to improve efficiencies and cost-effective methods to current laboratory standard operating procedures.

7 a)What is the size of your department (i.e. # of classes for which you are involved with labs., # of students, # of staff you might come in contact with, # of technicians in department).

Number of Academic Staff30
Number of Support Staff7
Number of Technicians8
Number of Undergraduate Students700
Number of Graduate Students200
Number of Undergraduate coursesApprox. 9

7 b) What kind of equipment or material are you responsible for? Are you solely responsible for it and what is its approximate value?

The incumbent is responsible for maintaining equipment primarily related to the materials science and metallography portion of the engineering program currently located in Nicol and Jackson Halls. The equipment may be related to undergraduate, graduate or research activities. Examples include optical and electron microscopes; x-ray systems; heat-treatment equipment including furnaces and ovens; tensile, hardness and Charpy testing machines; vacuum pumps polishing and coating; and chemical analysis. The approximate replacement value of all equipment is in excess of $ 2 million.

8. Give details of any unusual factors affecting this job? i.e. hazards, unusual working conditions, requirement for a high degree of manual dexterity etc.

The incumbent must:
•Work in areas where toxic, flammable, explosive, carcinogenic chemical and biohazardous materials are utilized and stored
•Work with/handle chemicals and bottled gases (explosive)
•Work on systems that generate extreme heat and X-rays
•Maintain delicate and expensive laboratory equipment
•Occasionally work in a machine shop environment with its inherent hazards e.g. noise, distracting or dirty environments
•Occasionally move heavy objects
•Adhere to workplace safety guidelines by working and operating equipment in compliance with University and OH&S requirements
•Monitor and advise others of potentially dangerous operation of equipment or conditions

9. Do you have any general comments about this position which may not be covered by the preceding questions?

The incumbent is expected to work professionally with others and demonstrate a positive customer service attitude. Queen’s University is a diverse workplace and the incumbent must be prepared to adjust their communication style to fit the audience.

Employment Equity and Accessibility Statement

The University invites applications from all qualified individuals. Queen’s is committed to employment equity and diversity in the workplace and welcomes applications from women, visible minorities, Aboriginal Peoples, persons with disabilities, and persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity. In accordance with Canadian Immigration requirements, priority will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents.

The University provides support in its recruitment processes to applicants with disabilities, including accommodation that takes into account an applicant's accessibility needs.