Research Technician, Microbiology

Change your career, change lives

The Open University is the UK’s largest university, a world leader in flexible part-time education combining a mission to widen access to higher education with research excellence, transforming lives through education.

The role

The Open University is recruiting for a microbiology research technician based in the STEM faculty. The postholder will carry out various microbiology and molecular biology duties to support the ongoing research across the Ecosystems and Geobiology and Gass Laboratories.

Skills and experience

You will have an undergraduate degree in a STEM subject (preferably microbiology, molecular biology, environmental or biological sciences with a strong element of microbiology), with proven laboratory experience. You will have good organisational skills in order to support our culture collection, sample curation, and lab users.

If you would like to discuss the application or recruitment process before making an application, please contact Paula Haycock at Resourcing Hub on 01908 655544 or Resourcing-hub@open.ac.uk quoting the reference VRF20920.

If you have any questions regarding this vacancy, please contact Ceri Gwyther (ceri.gwyther@open.ac.uk)

What you get in return

We have a strong commitment to providing training and development in and beyond your current role. This includes thorough induction into the organisation and regular reviews of your training and development needs.

We also offer a great range of benefits that support our employees and their families for the long term. Staff Benefits include an attractive pension proposition and 30 days holiday per annum pro rata, plus Bank Holidays and Christmas closure days.

To apply for this role please submit the following.

Unless otherwise stated in the advert, all applications are completed online via the OU Job’s page and following the instructions below and clicking the “APPLY NOW” link below. Applications submitted via 3rd party websites will not be considered.

Access details for disabled applicants are available from the Resourcing Hub, telephone: 01908 655544, quoting the vacancy reference above.

To apply for this role please submit the following.

• CV
• Personal statement, up to 1,000 words, you should set out in your statement why you’re interested in this role and provide examples of where your skills and experience meet the required competencies for this role as detailed in the job and person specification.

The above documents will need to be submitted as one attachment during the application process, please include the personal statement followed by the CV in this document.

To ensure your file is uploaded to our system correctly, please make sure your document is saved with the following file name as appropriate to the vacancy you are applying for: reference, surname, first initial.

You will need to have your documents ready ahead of submitting the electronic application.

You will receive updates regarding your application from resourcing-applications@open.ac.uk. Please ensure this email address is added to your list of trusted senders. Please also keep an eye on your junk folder to ensure you do not miss any important updates regarding this role.

You can view your application communications on the Candidate portal.

Please note: If you have not heard from us within 2 weeks of the application closing date, please assume that on this occasion you have not been selected for interview, however we thank you for your interest in The Open University and encourage you to apply for future positions.

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Closing date: 8 June 2023 noon

The Open University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion which is reflected in our mission to be open to people, places, methods, and ideas. We aim to foster a diverse and inclusive environment so that all in our OU community can reach their potential. We recognise that different people bring different perspectives, ideas, knowledge, and culture, and that this difference brings great strength. We strive to recruit, retain and develop the careers of a diverse pool of students and staff, and particularly encourage applications from all underrepresented groups. We also aspire to make The Open University a supportive workplace for all through our policies, services, and staff networks.