Director of Laboratory Instruction

St. John's University

Director of Laboratory Instruction

Hartford, CT +3 locations
Full Time
Paid
  • Responsibilities

    St. John’s, established in 1870, has two New York City campuses; international locations in Rome, Italy; Limerick, Ireland; and Paris, France; and study abroad locations around the world. The Princeton Review and other top rankings consistently recognize the University’s outstanding academics, diverse student body, dynamic internship, and volunteer opportunities, focus on student life, and diverse study abroad offerings. St. John’s University offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs in its six colleges and schools, with a growing number of programs offered online. The University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and 12 other major academic and professional associations.

    A dedication to diversity, equity and inclusion is at the heart of our mission. As a Catholic and Vincentian university, St. John’s is committed to institutionalizing practices of inclusive excellence to ensure that we welcome and celebrate the intrinsic worth of all members of our community. We will become an even stronger university as we enhance equity at every level of our institution. Our graduates will excel in the competencies and values needed for leadership and service in a rapidly evolving world.

    Department: Biological Sciences

    Specific Job Title: Director of Laboratory Instruction

    Reports to : Dr. Yong Yu, Chairperson, Biological Sciences

    Campus: Queens

    Job Summary:

    The Director of Laboratory Instruction works closely with the departmental chairperson and faculty and is responsible for a number of tasks including but not limited to: delivering laboratory curriculum to students, supervising departmental three technicians, assigning and supervising graduate students who are teaching laboratory sections, assigning adjunct professors for laboratory sections, and designing and implementing new laboratory exercises.

    **Essential Functions: **

    Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

    Major responsibilities include:

    • Supervising three departmental technicians.

    • Supervising and training graduate assistants who teach laboratory classes.

    • Assigning, supervising, and training adjunct professors who teach laboratory classes.

    • Running demo labs every week for BIO 1001L, 2001L, and 3001L.

    • Assisting undergraduate students with registration for laboratory classes.

    • Delivering laboratory curriculum to students and working with the publisher to update and order all lab books for BIO 1001L, 2001L, and 3001L.

    • Substituting for graduate students or adjuncts who are out and can’t teach a lab

    • Designing, developing, and troubleshooting new laboratory exercises.

    • Planning, organizing, and executing field trips for students in BIO 1001L.

    • Maintaining a good working and safe environment in the teaching laboratories.

    • Maintaining all laboratory teaching equipment and lab setup in good order.

    • Overseeing and coordinating exams, assigning grades, importing attendance, and resolving student issues in teaching laboratories.

    • Helping with technology issues that arise during a lab.

    • Coordinating with students who need to make up a lab.

    • Advising undergraduate biology and pre-health students.

    • Helping to maintain living collections, such as the greenhouse and fish facilities.

    • Working with the Graduate Director to staff labs with students on Doctoral Fellowships and TAships, including last-minute changes for enrolled graduate students.

    • Organizing a proctoring schedule for graduate students to proctor biology lecture exams.

    • Uploading all course outlines and materials to each Canvas course for the introductory labs.

    Up to six concurrent teaching labs are run throughout weekdays in the department. We run 20-30 introductory labs and 18-25 upper-level labs each semester. During F24-F25, 1268 students took BIO 1001L, 2001L, or 3001L labs. These labs serve students from the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, College of Professional Studies, and School of Education. Students majoring in Biology, Biochemistry, Pharmacy, Biomedical Sciences, and Nursing are required to take at least one of these courses.

    **Competencies: **

    • Management skills are required to oversee lab instructors and technicians.

    • Organizational skills (maintain schedules and instructor training).

    • Ability to plan and carry out tasks that span multiple weeks (work with instructors to plan labs, some of which require > 1-week advance preparation).

    • Adaptability and troubleshooting ability (for instance, sometimes a multi-day lab prep goes wrong, instructors fall ill, or there are lab emergencies).

    • Observant and attentive, address any issues that come up during labs.

    • Good interpersonal skills, including working with book publishers to create lab workbooks each semester.

    • Proficient in software such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Canvas.

    • Specific technical skills:

    • * Basic biology lab skills.
      
    • * Broad knowledge of all areas of biological sciences, including biochemistry, molecular biology, ecology, anatomy, genetics, etc.
      
    • * Knowledge of the use of laboratory equipment, including autoclaves, thermocyclers, centrifuges, etc. 
      
    • * Experience with Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. 
      
    • * Experience with Canvas.
      

    **Supervisory Responsibility : **

    The position officially supervises the departmental laboratory technicians listed below. The position regularly works with these three technicians to ensure that all undergraduate laboratories are set up, supplies are purchased, and that they run smoothly:

    • Louis Bryan, Laboratory Technician

    • Amila Radoncic, Laboratory Technician

    • Natalia Poltoratskaya, Laboratory Technician

    The position also supervises graduate assistants (Doctoral and Master’s level) and Adjunct professors in teaching labs. This position assists with hiring, assigning, supervising, and training these instructors to teach laboratory classes in the biology department. It focuses on the introductory labs, BIO 1001L, BIO 2001L, and BIO 3001L. The position also staffs and oversees all upper-level BIO labs.

    Work Environment :

    This position operates in a standard biology laboratory environment and is required to work with biohazardous chemicals and materials as well as standard laboratory equipment such as centrifuges, incubators, and heat baths. This position also operates in general lab spaces with communal equipment for teaching and research, utilizing and maintaining equipment such as autoclaves, ultracentrifuges, -80 freezers, etc. This position additionally operates in a professional office environment and is required to use standard office equipment such as personal computers, copiers, printers, etc.

    **Physical Demands : **

    While performing the duties of this job, the employee must occasionally stand; move about; sit; carry work and use controls; reach with hands and arms; wear personal protective equipment; climb stairs; and communicate. The employee must occasionally lift or move more than 50 lbs. The employee will need to handle, package, sterilize, and dispose of containers for biological and biohazardous waste. While performing the duties of this job, the employee must work with standard laboratory chemicals and reagents.

    Specific vision abilities required by the employee include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus, etc.

    **Environmental Conditions : **

    The work environment will involve the use of laboratory chemicals, including acids, irritants, dyes and stains, biological materials, and odorous chemicals. The environment will include interacting with sharp containers and biohazardous waste containers. The laboratory coordinator will work with the Environmental Health and Safety office on campus to ensure a safe environment for themselves, instructors, and students.

    **Position Type/Expected Hours of Work : **

    This position is full-time. It requires a flexible schedule to coordinate with and support the departmental lab courses. This will generally fall within the confines of Monday through Friday, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, but may fluctuate depending on specific lab needs.

    **Required Education and Experience: **

    • A PhD in Biology or a related field.

    • Must have biology laboratory experience; previous teaching experience preferred.

    • Good computer skills with proficiency in Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Canvas.

    • Ability to interact professionally with diverse groups of students, instructors, and support staff.

    • Ability to manage, supervise, and monitor instructors for undergraduate teaching labs.

    **Preferred Education and Experience: **

    A PhD in Biology is required. Preference will be given to candidates who have teaching and laboratory teaching experience.

    Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time, with or without notice.

    In compliance with NYC’s Pay Transparency Act, the annual salary range for this position is $66,300 - $71,100. St. John’s University considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, as well as market and organizational considerations when extending an offer.

    *** Important Note- St. John’s is NOT an E-Verify Employer **

    St. John’s offers a competitive compensation program which is commensurate with your qualifications, experience, and contingent upon the departmental budget. We also offer an extremely comprehensive benefits program to meet the diverse needs of our workforce. Along with exceptional benefits such as medical, dental, life insurance, long term disability insurance, tuition remission, generous 403(b) employer contribution, employee assistance program, and liberal paid time off policies, faculty and staff can also enjoy St. John’s performing arts, libraries, bookstores, dining facilities, campus recreation and sporting events

    Any offer of employment is subject to receipt by St. John’s University of satisfactory references, verification of employment and education.

    St. John’s University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

    Required Skills

    Required Experience

  • Qualifications

    Performance is measured by the revenue produced in Kofax software sales, professional services, and other measurable performance such as: demonstrations, overall sales support, communications, team building, internal asset contribution and technical leadership. Measurable performance also includes the individuals willingness to:

    • Seek and successfully completes special assignments that enable continued development of his/her technical and/or other job-related skills and abilities
    • Regularly go out of his/her way to assist others in the team or department
    • Demonstrate openness to feedback and constructive criticism
    • Through openness and a flexible style of working with others, help to foster an environment of innovation and creativity
    • Assist in maintaining a professional customer environment with positive customer satisfaction
    • Make a concerted effort to stay abreast of technological advances and Kofax’s industry overall

    All Kofax Sr. Sales Engineers regardless of title or level must possess the following skills and knowledge:

    • Communications/Listening Skills

    (Internal & external) – including but not limited to professional writing, problem escalation, and good analysis skills as outlined below.

    • Analysis/Discovery (ROI) -

    Ability to plan for and conduct an Interview with the prospect and/or customer to determine the true business requirements to help build a valid Return on Investment (ROI).

    • Project Management

    Critical path analysis to do risk assessment, problem decomposition and resource estimation. Not a concentrated focus on the tools available to manage projects but a working knowledge of the concepts and how they apply in sales situations i.e. knowledge of the theory, not the mechanics.

    • Sales & Presentation Skills

    Professional presentation skills and experience in team selling, solution selling methodologies, and an understanding of and ability to utilize the Kofax Sales Process

    • Time Management

    Ability to manage projects including preparation for presentations and demonstrations, training, scheduling, and reporting, and expense processing. This is critical to the success of the sales opportunities as the Sr. Sales Engineer will be required to manage multiple sales campaigns at any given time.

    • INDUSTRY/GENERAL TECHNOLOGY KNOWLEDGE

    A HIGH LEVEL UNDERSTANDING of basic networking and operating system concepts, Visual Basic development / scripting – Ability to develop, test and deploy custom VB/VBA scripts, Java and JavaScript, Industry specific business pain points with active paper processing, storage, and retrieval, and an understanding of J2EE, XML, .NET, OCR, ICR and their use in business processing.

    • Kofax Technology Knowledge

    A HIGH LEVEL UNDERSTANDING of each of the suites that constitute the Kofax product line and the ability to fit the pieces together into the whole strategy - By stating the requirement for ‘a HIGH LEVEL UNDERSTANDING’, it is defined as the ability to:

    • Position the Kofax Solution
    • Understand the components that make each the solution and why
    • Define target markets
    • Explain the business value/value proposition
    • Describe sample use cases
    • Describe reference customers
    • Position and differentiate each solution from the other Kofax technologies
    • Identify and Qualify potential opportunities
    • Understand the applicability of the technology i.e. where the solution is a good fit and where it is a bad fit
    • Deliver high-level presentation and associated conceptual demonstration
    • Understanding of the underlying technology concepts.
    • Differentiate new product from current product
    • General Architecture – understanding of how all of the components fit together technically as well as how they integrate and work with external technologies. This includes an understanding of:
      • Foundation technologies including but not limited to J2EE, XML, IIS, .NET, OCR, ICR, Web Services
      • Kofax Networking Constraints
      • Kofax Components and Services
  • Locations
    San Diego, CA • Hartford, CT • Tyrone, GA • Addison, TX