Facilities Assistant

Oxitec has an exciting opportunity for a Facilities Assistant to join our Facilities Team at our Abingdon site. You will be responsible for providing a safe working environment for our employees’.

You will have previous facilities management experience, ideally within a laboratory environment, highly motivated and proactive, with excellent attention to detail, and influencing customer service skills, with the ability to communicate and work collaboratively with employees and key stakeholders to resolve and identify issues swiftly.

We have a culture that’s open, friendly, and collaborative and are committed to being a diverse and inclusive organisation, so, whatever your background if you’re excited about the role we’d love to hear from you! 

About Us
We are a team of passionate individuals, developing ground-breaking biological technologies designed to sustainably, and safely control pests that transmit disease, destroy crops and harm livestock. We do this work to improve lives and livelihoods around the world in the face of the growing threats that pests pose to human health and the global food supply.   

Whilst what we do relates to developing pest control technologies, Oxitec is about people and is in service to people.    

We are strongly committed to a set of values, principles, and behaviours, and foster a culture of trust, respect, creativity, and accountability. Click here to learn more, and here to read our CEO’s blog about trust and our culture.   

Purpose of the Job

The Facilities Assistant will work closely with the Facilities Manager and will assist in the co-ordination and management of a wide range of essential services and projects conducted at Oxitec’s Research and Development (R&D) laboratories and office spaces. The R&D laboratories and office space comprises of approximately 25,911sq ft. over three building units, and houses over 95 building users, across the three sites.

The Facilities Assistant will be the first point of contact for the reporting of laboratory and office facility issues, and support in daily operations of all three sites. Additionally, the role will be responsible for undertaking regular building checks, arranging for defective scientific and office equipment to be swiftly repaired, arranging on and off-site repairs as required, proactively identifying areas for improved presentation, and ensuring that the laboratory and office facilities are fit for purpose, contained and a safe environment to be working in.

It will be essential for the Facilities Assistant to have strong laboratory management experience with the ability to provide best advice to ensure that the business is able to carry out research effectively, and to have a strong understanding of Health and Safety processes and protocols, ability to adhere to Good Laboratory Practice (GLP), and support the quality team with maintaining records and documentation for compliance purposes.

Responsibilities

• Front desk point of contact for greeting visitors and contractors into the facilities, including Oxitec staff from different locations, engineers, and visitor tours.
• Responsible for reporting laboratory and office facility issues and defective scientific, IT hardware and office equipment.
• Receive delivery of goods and distribute to relevant persons, and submit delivery note paperwork to purchasing.
• Conduct regular building checks and identifying areas that require maintenance or improvements.
• Conduct any minor repair work required in the laboratories and offices.
• Responsible, for installing and maintaining both lab and office equipment; providing assembly and calibration of equipment and regular servicing.
• Provide regular Facilities meeting updates with department representatives to share best practice quality standards.
• Managing and co-ordinate transitions of laboratories between project shutdowns and any lab and office moves.
• Plan and track laboratory resources to meet the organisational needs.
• Report and trend quality performance in dashboards and routine management meetings.
• Participation to work out of hours “on call” rota basis, with flexibility to cover annual leave.

Inventory & Asset Management

• Responsible for the organising, labelling, and storage of laboratory stock and equipment.
• Implement and maintain a central inventory register, to monitoring and locate lab and office equipment.
• Monitor inventories for all on and off-site storage facilities.
• Recording and verifying onsite assets and service activity regularly through Computerised Maintenance Management System (CMMS).

Consumables & Stock Control

• Maintain a register of preferred suppliers and approved products.
• Manage standard consumables and equipment stocks across the laboratories and offices, including kitchen refreshments.
• Oversee the ordering of standard lab and office consumables to meet business requirements.

H&S, Compliance & Auditing

• Ensure that H&S and risk assessments required for processes, chemicals and equipment are kept up to date.
• Ensure that SOPs are completed for each business area, ensuring that all processes for each department are captured by standardised procedures.
• Overseeing that employees adhere to PPE requirements for different processes in the facility and ensuring sufficient PPE is available.
• Maintain high standard of record keeping and copies certificates of equipment and service schedules for auditing purposes.
• Complete regular audits of chemicals cabinet, adhering to safe chemical handling practices (COSHH).
• Ensure, chemical, clinical, and hazardous (sharps) are safely disposed in line with HSE regulations.

Training

• Support with the Laboratory induction process.
• Provide training to technicians and scientist on equipment and “Safe Chemical Handling.”
• Ensure Training Matrix’s for employees are complete, prior to conducting Lab activities.

Skills, Experience, and Education Requirements

*(E) Essential

• A minimum of 3+ years previous experience in a facilities or lab manager facing role of similar. (E)
• Previous experience in a customer facing role would be desirable.
• Previous experience working with laboratory equipment would be desirable but not essential (microscopes, incubators, centrifuge).
• Effective communication and people skills to interact with suppliers, engineers, and colleagues. (E)
• Previous experience in ensuring regulatory compliance and successfully managing inspections by regulatory authorities, as well as leading department internal audits. (E)
• Strong knowledge of Health & Safety regulations and procedures. (E)
• Must have good physical stamina and ability to perform manual tasks, such as lifting, bending, and standing for extended periods.
• Excellent written and oral use of English language.
• Previous experience with CMMS software systems or similar. (E)
• Excellent proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy with data management. (E)
• Experience in building services and maintenance requirements. (E)
• Previous experience with working inline to regulatory safety requirements, due to role including hazardous or safety critical activities. (E)

The hazards or safety-critical duties involved are as follows:

• Working at heights.
• Lone working.
• Driving on company business.
• Regular manual handling.
• Working with power tools.
• Work with various chemicals.

Behavioural Requirements

• Committed to and passionate about Oxitec’s mission and values.
• Responsive to the needs of an international business working across different time zones, adapting working patterns in-line with business requirements.
• Positive, humble, co-operative, and with a service-oriented professional mindset.
• Work with a sense of urgency and with the ability to solve problems effectively.
• The ability to remain calm in the event of an emergency.
• Resilient and persistent in an innovative and constantly changing environment.
• Strong organisation and time management skills with the ability multi-task and prioritize.
• Ability to work independently or as part of a team, with a “can do attitude.”