Job Description:
Location: Wooster, OH Category: Staff Job Type: Part-time Non-Exempt Posted On: Mon Jul 6 2026 Job Description:
Summary:
The Instrument and Laboratory Technician/Machinist plays a vital role in supporting academic instruction and research within the natural sciences. This position applies advanced machining and fabrication skills to design, build, modify, and maintain specialized tools, instruments, and experimental apparatus for faculty- and student-led research projects. The incumbent ensures the safe operation and maintenance of machine shop equipment while providing technical expertise to support laboratory and research activities.
Essential Departmental Duties and Responsibilities:
- Provides machining services, as needed, for student and faculty research and teaching in all science departments, this includes repair of existing scientific equipment and the design and construction of novel equipment.
- Maintains the machine shop equipment and ensures its safe functioning and operation.
- Works closely with the Electronics and Instrument Tech position to provide backup support for the following shared duties.
- Maintains the NMR on a weekly basis, by performing liquid nitrogen fills and shimming.
- Maintains the spectrometers (GC-MS, LC-MS/MS, HPLCs, FPLCs), centrifuges and autoclave on a routine basis.
- Provides training and guidance, in coordination with faculty, on the safe and effective operation of laboratory equipment, instruments, and specialized research tools used in academic and research laboratories.
- Carries out minor repairs and coordinates major repairs with external service contract providers to the following major pieces of equipment and instruments: nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer (NMR), gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GCMS), liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometers (LC-MS/MS), high pressure liquid chromatographs (HPLCs), fast protein liquid chromatographs (FPLCs), an assortment of UV-Vis and IR spectrophotometers, centrifuges, electrophoretic apparatuses and autoclaves.
- Maintains software, by performing updates and upgrades that operate instruments.
- Has operational proficiency of the software and hardware associated with each major instrument.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
Job Requirements:
Education and/or Experience:
Bachelor’s degree (B. A.) from four-year college or university; or one to two years related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Knowledge Skills and Abilities:
Skills:
- Ability to read, analyze, and interpret common scientific and technical journals.
- Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from customers.
- Ability to apply advanced mathematical concepts as needed for precision machining.
- Ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to a wide range of practical problems, as needed for machining and instrument repair.
- Ability to deal with nonverbal symbolism (formulas, scientific equations, graphs, etc.).
- Ability to deal with a variety of abstract and concrete variables.
Knowledge:
- General machining and equipment repair skills.
Abilities:
- Ability to effectively enforce safety procedures
Additional Information:
The College of Wooster does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex/gender, gender identity, gender expression, medical condition, political affiliation, religion, creed, ethnicity, national origin (including ancestry), citizenship status, disability, age, marital status, family responsibilities, sexual orientation, veteran or military status, predisposing genetic characteristics, domestic violence victim status, or any other characteristic protected by institutional policy, or by state, local, or federal law. All offers of employment are subject to verification of the legal right to work in the United States as required by federal law. For more information see our nondiscrimination policy. For more information see our nondiscrimination policy.