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Job Summary
A Caltech Lab is seeking a Laboratory Technician to support the day-to-day technical operations of its cleanroom facilities on the Caltech campus.
The Technician will help maintain and organize the cleanroom labs - wet/dry labs, mechanical equipment rooms, and supply and chemical storage areas - keeping supplies well stocked and daily operations running smoothly for the lab''s research team, while working closely with senior technicians and equipment engineers.
The Technician will assist with routine, hands-on tasks and gradually take on greater responsibility - including nanofabrication equipment maintenance and facilities coordination - as they build experience. Overall, the Technician is expected to contribute to the lab''s culture and capabilities and grow into a more developed technician role over time.
Essential Job Duties
Facilities monitoring and coordination:
- Monitor lab facility systems (HVAC, electrical, plumbing, compressed gas, and DI water lines) for signs of malfunction - unusual noise, temperature drift, leaks, alarms - and report issues promptly to the Lab Manager and/or Caltech Facilities.
- Track critical environmental parameters (temperature, humidity, particle counts, gas levels) that affect equipment performance and researcher safety, and escalate deviations quickly.
Inventory and procurement:
- Organize and perform inventory counts of stockroom supplies, including equipment, maintenance spares, consumables, PPE, chemicals, gas cylinders, and other hazardous and nonhazardous materials.
- Place orders for consumables and coordinate delivery with vendors. Flag vendor issues (communication, quality, lead time) to the lab supervisor and help resolve them.
Lab standards and documentation:
- Maintain the cleanroom''s hygiene standards, keeping workspaces organized and clean. Coordinate routine cleaning with vendors.
- Keep organized data records, troubleshooting documentation, and standard operating procedures to track equipment performance and guide future maintenance.
- Support broader lab safety practices alongside the Lab Safety Officer.
- Help identify and implement process improvements across equipment maintenance and lab operations.
Communication and lab culture:
- Communicate progress and problems to the supervisor via email/phone, in meetings, and in reports, matching the format to the urgency and scope.
- Raise difficult or uncomfortable issues (e.g., equipment damage, missed protocols, delays) as soon as they''re identified - early transparency protects the lab and its researchers more than a delayed or filtered report.
Basic Qualifications
Experience and technical skill:
- Willingness to learn equipment operation, basic maintenance, and lab procedures in a cleanroom environment; prior hands-on experience (school, hobby, work, or military) is a plus but not required.
- Basic mechanical aptitude and comfort using hand tools and basic measurement instruments.
- Proficiency with Excel, Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
Work style and collaboration:
- Attention to detail and a willingness to learn problem-solving and debugging skills.
- Willingness to maintain highly organized data records.
- Ability to learn quickly and take direction from senior technicians and the lab supervisor.
- A desire to meet high standards and grow into greater responsibility over time.
- Ability to work independently on assigned tasks, with increasing responsibility.
- Strong communication skills with the supervisor, vendors, and lab users.
- Teamwork skills and an ability to collaborate with coworkers having diverse skills and backgrounds.
Schedule and physical requirements:
- On-site during peak hours (8am-5pm, Monday through Friday), with the ability to work early mornings, evenings, and weekends when necessary.
- Able to work in a cleanroom setting, following all established protocols for gowning, PPE, and safety.
- Able to lift up to 20 lbs.
Required Documents