Laboratory Technician-Life Science (Aquaculture)



Laboratory Technician-Life Science (Aquaculture)

Salary

$67,152.00 - $81,636.00 Annually

Location

1900 Pico Blvd. Santa Monica 90405, CA

Job Type

Full-time, Permanent

Job Number

LabTech Aquaculture

Department

Academic Affairs

Opening Date

03/20/2024

Closing Date

4/10/2024 11:59 PM Pacific

Description

 

Merged Promotional & Open Competitive

LABORATORY TECHNICIAN-AQUACULTURE
(Laboratory Technician-Life Science)

WELCOME TO SANTA MONICA COLLEGE! We have an exciting new employment opportunity in the collegiate Aquaculture program.  In collaboration with Heal the Bay, the College is seeking a Laboratory Technician-Life Science to provide laboratory support and assist aquaculture instructors in Life Science laboratories and lab-work study students.  This position is scheduled to work Tuesday through Saturday, 8 am to 5 pm, 40 hours per week, 12 months per year at the Heal the Bay Aquarium and Santa Monica College Main Campus. This position will receive an additional 5% weekend differential in addition to the posted salary. 

Please Note:  This position is grant funded through June 30, 2026.  Ongoing permanency of this position is dependent upon availability of ongoing funding. 

Please click the link below to learn more about Aquaculture at SMC:
https://youtu.be/JhY_LdqitiY?si=MPb0V9pIqfD-3LwX

All candidates must have authorization to work in the United States; the District does not have the ability to provide sponsorship.

What You Will Bring to the College
The ideal candidate for this position will have experience working in an aquatics laboratory. They will have a demonstrated understanding of aquarium science and sustainable aquaculture techniques. They will have experience with husbandry maintenance, life support maintenance, maintaining live food cultures for larval grow-out, water quality, nutrition and overall animal welfare.  The candidate should exhibit behaviors that demonstrate a commitment to student success, conservation and environmental sustainability as well as an interest in supporting lab work-study students and the ability to lead projects.

Why Work at SMC?
At SMC, you will work beside a diverse group of colleagues who leverage their combined talents and passions to accomplish something great.  No matter what department you are in, or what job you have, your contributions will be critical to helping our students fulfill their dreams. 

Some details about us:

  • We are the number one transfer college to UCLA, USC, the University of California system, and Loyola Marymount University.
  • We are dedicated to sustainable practices and are accessible via environmentally-friendly transportation options, including the E Line and Big Blue Bus.
  • We are one of the select community colleges in California approved to award a Bachelor's degree. SMC currently awards a Bachelor's degree in Interaction Design.
Please visit https://www.smc.edu/about/ to learn more about us and why we are Proud to Be SMC!

Benefits
We value our employees as people, and recognize the value of work-life balance, the health of you and your family and professional development. We offer a variety of benefits and perks to support new members of our team, including:

  • 18 paid holidays*
  • 12 paid vacation days*
  • 12 paid illness days*
  • Fully paid medical, dental, and vision-care coverage (including eligible dependents)
  • Free mental health assistance through the Employee Assistance Service for Education (EASE) program.
  • Membership in the California Public Employee Retirement System (CALPERS).
  • 5% increase in base pay for every 5 years worked with SMC, up to 40 years of service.
  • Waived tuition fees for classes taken at Santa Monica College.
  • Reimbursement for related classes, conferences or workshops to empower your professional development.
  • Free Big Blue Bus access and monthly incentives for eligible employees through the Sustainable Transportation Incentive Program.
  • CSEA Chapter 36 Union Membership Option.

*Benefits, holidays, vacation, and illness days listed above assume a 40-hour per week, 12 month per year schedule. Benefits, vacation and illness days are prorated for other work schedules.

Salary Placement
New Employees: Generally, new employees start at the first step on the salary schedule. A new permanent classified employee may request a higher salary placement based on recruitment issues and/or additional training and experience which greatly exceeds the minimum requirements. Please note that salary placement above the third step requires additional approvals by Santa Monica College executive staff.

Current Employees: Upon promotion, the new salary for a current, permanent employee is based on Merit Rule 12.2.7. In accordance with this rule, employees are entitled to at least a one-step (5%) salary increase, and may be eligible for advanced step placement in accordance with established criteria.

About the Selection Process

The selection process tentatively consists of a Qualifications Appraisal Interview (weighted 100%), which will be preceded by a Training & Experience Evaluation (pass/fail).  Candidates must be successful on all test parts to be placed on the eligibility list.  The eligibility list created from this recruitment will be used to fill any vacancies that occur during the one year life of the eligibility list, including full-time and/or part-time, permanent and/or temporary positions.

Santa Monica College reserves the right to modify the stated test components and weights prior to the administration of any test.

Certain positions within this classification may require employees to routinely and consistently read, speak, and/or write using a language other than English. Testing of eligible candidates’ bilingual proficiency will occur, as needed, as the District identifies positions that require this skill.

Communication for this recruitment will be via e-mail. You must check your e-mail on a regular basis to be informed of your status for this recruitment.

Test Retake Policy
Based on the District’s hiring needs, we may administer multiple recruitments for this job classification (or a related job classification that uses the same test(s)) within the next several months. Candidates must wait a period of 90 calendar days between testing appointments before retesting. Candidates who are ineligible to participate in an upcoming test or interview due to the provided retake period will be notified via email, and will have their highest valid score(s) on any non-weighted (pass/fail) test parts applied toward that recruitment.
 
The Santa Monica Community College District is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity. All qualified applicants for employment, as well as District employees, shall have full and equal access to employment opportunity. No person shall be subjected to unlawful discrimination in any program or activity of the District. The District's Board Policy 3120 (Equal Employment Opportunity and Nondiscrimination in Employment) may be accessed at: https://www.smc.edu/administration/governance/documents/administrative-regulations/AR_3000_Human-Resources.pdf

Equity Statement
"Santa Monica College encourages candidates that are equity-minded to apply. SMC is a minority-serving, Hispanic-serving institution. We actively seek to attract candidates from minority groups that value equity, diversity, and inclusion. Equity, diversity, and inclusion are built into the culture at SMC, and are an essential component of the work that we do. SMC is committed to racial and socioeconomic diversity as it is a reflection of our student population and we strive to hire candidates that share this commitment."

Examples of Duties

Perform daily operations of live foods and larval rearing tanks, including: husbandry, life support system maintenance, water quality, nutrition, and overall animal welfare.

Follows and ensures strict safety procedures and safety checks. 

Prepares and arranges equipment for experiments in laboratory and classroom demonstrations.

Plans and organizes work related to assigned classes to prepare for upcoming laboratory experiments and demonstrations. 

Prepares reagents and chemical solutions for classroom use. 

Consults and plans with faculty on specific needs of their assignments throughout the academic calendar. 

Inspects, maintains, calibrates, and performs minor repairs on a variety of laboratory equipment, and instruments. 

Demonstrates proper use and care of laboratory materials, equipment, chemicals, and supplies to students. 

Maintains laboratories and stock room in a clean and orderly condition; informs the Lead Laboratory Technician of ongoing inventory needs. 

Documents standard operating protocols regarding equipment use and setup of experiments. 

Trains and oversees the work of student workers. 

May provide daily care of the greenhouse plants and garden, including watering, fertilizing, weeding, and pest control. 

May maintain live animal collections, including feeding and care.

Performs other related duties as requested or assigned.  

Examples of essential duties are descriptive and not restrictive in nature and are generally listed in descending order of importance.


Minimum Qualifications

Education Requirement: 

Associate's degree with a major in a Life Science, including the completion of coursework in general Biology and Microbiology.   A bachelor’s degree in Life Science is desirable.  

Experience Requirement: 

One year (1) of work experience in a scientific laboratory including preparing chemicals and solutions and setting up equipment for laboratory experiments and/or demonstrations.   

Education/Experience Equivalency:

Experience and/or education of the same kind, level or amount as required in the minimum qualifications may be substituted on a year-for-year basis. 

Supplemental Information

For additional information about our employment process, please visit our FAQ page and click on "current employees" (for existing, permanent SMC employees) or "job applicants" (for external applicants).

Santa Monica College offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, holiday, and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, and life insurance for permanent positions. Permanent full-time positions of 35 hours or more receive fully paid District benefits. Permanent position assignments of 20 to 34 hours per week receive a pro-rated benefits package as outlined in CSEA Chapter 36 Bargaining Agreement.

Temporary positions and permanent position assignments of less than 20 hours per week do not have a benefits package.

For more information visit the following link: click here

01
To participate in the selection process, all candidates must meet the minimum education and experience requirements for this job. The following supplemental questions will help us determine if you meet these requirements. In addition, this process is designed to further evaluate your qualifications beyond the minimum requirements as part of a Training & Experience Evaluation (T&EE Tips). You are required to answer each of the questions truthfully and completely - do not refer us to your resume. Only the highest scoring candidates will move forward to the next step in the hiring process. Your answers MUST be supported by the information you have entered in your general application and are subject to verification; responses which cannot be supported by information contained in your application will be deemed invalid. Falsification, exaggeration, and misrepresentation will result in your disqualification. Do you agree to answer the following questions truthfully and completely AND understand that falsification or overstatement of your qualifications is grounds for disqualification of your application?
  • Yes
  • No
02
Candidates must possess (1) year of work experience in a scientific laboratory including preparing chemicals and solutions and setting up equipment for laboratory experiments and/or demonstrations. Do you meet this experience requirement? Please Note: Additional qualifying education, beyond what is listed in the minimum education requirement, may substitute for missing experience on a year-for-year basis (30 semester/45 quarter units = 1 year experience).
  • Yes, I meet this experience requirement
  • No, I do not meet this experience requirement. However, I have additional education (beyond the minimum required) that can fully substitute for the missing experience.
  • I do not meet the experience requirement, and do not possess additional education that can substitute for this experience.
03
Please discuss how you meet the experience requirement. Include (1) the organization(s) for which you worked, (2) dates of employment, (3) hours worked per week, and (4) duties performed. If you do not have experience in this area, type N/A. (This is a required question. Do Not write "see resume")
04
Candidates must possess an associate's degree with a major in a Life Science, including the completion of coursework in general Biology and Microbiology. Do you meet this education requirement? Please Note: Additional qualifying experience, beyond what is listed in the minimum experience requirement, may substitute for missing education on a year-for-year basis (30 semester/45 quarter units = 1 year of experience).
  • Yes, I meet this education requirement.
  • No, I do not meet this education requirement. However, I have additional experience (beyond the minimum required) that can fully substitute for the missing education.
  • I do not meet the education requirement, and do not possess additional experience that can substitute for the missing education.
05
At a later date, you may be required to present educational degrees or transcripts verifying completion of the education listed in your application. Please ensure that you have access to these documents. I understand and agree to follow these instructions.
  • Yes
  • No
06
Please describe your experience working in aquatic animal husbandry. In your response indicate the following: (A) The job(s) where you gained the experience and your job title(s) (B) Dates of employment (month/year) (C) The general species you have worked with (D) The specific aquaculture project/s that you have participated in and your role in the project/s. If you do not have any experience in this area, please type ("N/A"). PLEASE DO NOT WRITE SEE RESUME
07
Please describe your experience writing laboratory protocols and/or procedures. In your response indicate the following: (A) The job(s) where you gained the experience and your job title(s) (B) Dates of employment (month/year) (C) The specific laboratory protocol(s) and/or procedure(s) you have written, including those related to aquaculture. If you do not have any experience in this area, please type ("N/A"). PLEASE DO NOT WRITE SEE RESUME
08
Please describe the approach you would take to researching laboratory procedures for aquatic species that you do not have prior experience with.
09
Please describe your work experience in the area of life support system design. In your response indicate the following: (A) The job(s) where you gained the experience and your job title(s) (B) Dates of employment (month/year) (C) The components that are necessary for aquatic life support (D) The specific system builds that you participated in (E) How nitrification relates to life support system design. If you do not have any experience in this area, please type ("N/A"). PLEASE DO NOT WRITE SEE RESUME
10
Please describe your experience overseeing or providing guidance in the work of students, staff, interns, and/or volunteers in a professional setting. In your response indicate the following: (A) the job(s) where you gained the experience and your job title(s) (B) dates of employment (month/year) (C) the job titles of the individuals whose work you oversaw or provided guidance to (D) A description of the experience you have overseeing and/or providing guidance to others. If you do not have any experience in this area, please type ("N/A"). PLEASE DO NOT WRITE SEE RESUME

Required Question

Agency
Santa Monica College
Address
Office Location - 2714 Pico Blvd., SM, CA 90405
Mailing Address - 1900 Pico Blvd.
Santa Monica, California, 90405
Phone
(310) 434-4410