Field And Laboratory Technician (Rothamsted Long-Term Experiments)

Rothamsted Research is seeking to recruit a Field and Laboratory Technician to work on the Long-Term Experiments - National Bioscience Research Infrastructure (RLTE-NBRI) project.
The successful candidate will be primarily responsible for carrying out a programme of Field and Laboratory work on the Long-Term Experiments (LTEs) at our Harpenden (Hertfordshire) and Woburn (Bedfordshire) sites using well-established protocols.
The candidate will:
Conduct some demanding Field and Laboratory work, including sampling of crops, soils and drainage waters from the LTEs,
Prepare Samples for analysis (drying, chopping, milling, filtering, batching, and weighing),
Add Samples to the Rothamsted Sample Archive (RSA).
Other important duties include supporting electronic and hard-copy documentation procedures, curating analytical data and creating data summaries.
The candidate will also provide occasional support to the UK Environmental Change Network (ECN) in collecting samples from the Harpenden site and processing them for analysis.
The ideal candidate:
Will support internal and external colleagues in the collection of samples from the LTEs and RSA for other projects through a sample request system.
Be able to support knowledge exchange and communication activities associated with the project, such as meeting a range of visitors (scientists, farmers, students, general public).
Help prepare outputs such as posters and presentations.
Maintain the resources required for the project (consumables, equipment, workspaces).
Training will be provided on all aspects of the post. There is also opportunity for the successful candidate to receive further training to enhance their own personal development.
The successful candidate will be educated to at least NVQ Level 3 or A/AS-level (preferably to degree level) and will have experience of working in agricultural research (or similar) and conducting Field and Laboratory work using specialist technical equipment.
Experience in standard software packages and basic data analysis, and good skills in record-keeping, time management, and communication are prerequisite.
A full driving license covering use of manual transmission vehicles is essential, and experience in driving off-road is desirable.
Candidates are strongly recommended to review in detail the Job Description, Person Specification and Shortlisting Criteria documents before considering making an application, noting the essential criteria to be met.
Please note applicants will only be considered if they meet all essential criteria, and if they are eligible to live and work in the UK.
This is a full-time fixed-term appointment up to 31 March 2028 in the first instance, reflecting the duration of the current RLTE-NBRI project, with a salary in the range of £24,225 to £26,573 per annum based on 37 hours per week.
The RLTE-NBRI forms a part of a current 5-year strategic funding award to Rothamsted Research and there is the expectation that a proposal for a successor award would be submitted in due course which, if successful, would enable the post to continue beyond March 2028.
Closing date for applications: 3 June 2024
Interviews (expected): 8-11 July 2024

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