Education - Grade 8 (Specialist Pathway)

Experiences

Activities and responsibilities likely to be required when working at this level

Health & Safety responsibilities

• Advise and oversee all equipment purchases relevant to the specialism ensuring compliance and alignment to facility priorities, while ensuring that resources and equipment remain current and relevant
• Plan and oversee all maintenance and repair activities including the completion of in-house, highly skilled repairs and maintenance
• Ensure that all equipment linked to the specialism is appropriately maintained
• Lead investigations into new equipment purchases/modifications
• Hold specific safety responsibilities relevant to the specialism e.g., laser safety advisor
• Ensure all safety paperwork relevant to the specialism is completed/reviewed 
• Maintain relevant up-to-date health and safety knowledge providing expert support/advice

Core responsibilities

• Provide direct line-management support, schedule, prioritise and monitor work and performance in line with demands and deadlines
• Supervise other staff and students working within the specialism, providing support which ensures that staff and students knowledge remains current to fulfil the future needs of teaching
• Organise and facilitate meetings as necessary and attend and present at School/Department meetings and forums e.g., academic and teaching meetings
• Lead the introduction and development of new and cutting-edge equipment and techniques
• Contribute to and support local change
• Manage budgets relating to the specialism, monitoring resource usage 
• Contribute data to influence budget setting processes
• Hold overall responsibility for ensuring that the specialist area delivers against the needs of teaching and research, and that all assets relating to the specialism are utilised
• Provide highly skilled and highly-specialised teaching, research and taught course support.  This will include the development of new techniques or new practical class activities 
• Ensure that the management of facilities relating to the specialism is robust and compliant
• Assess, develop, and implement training and development arrangements relating to the specialism 
• Maintain in-depth specialist knowledge, sharing with others e.g.  presenting at conferences
• Mentor/coach junior staff
• Contribute to module and course planning meetings
• Undertake recruitment responsibilities. This will include the creation of job descriptions and conducting interviews
• Line manage junior technical staff
   

Personal and professional development

Development options to consider when working towards this level

Learning on the job

• Take on secondary support for other instruments and spaces
• Undertake training e.g. introduction to  financial/budget awareness
• Undertake training on managing internal processes
• Develop new health and safety protocols
• Train junior members of the team to retain expertise and knowledge within the team

Learning from others  

• Work shadow colleagues to learn more about different roles and responsibilities
• Join a Community of Practice

Formal learning

• Formal and/or industrial qualifications related to role and area of work
• Accreditation/certification from a recognised professional body
• Apply for training through a mid-career apprenticeship programme
• UCL Leadership and/or Management training 
• Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy – Advance HE via UCL Arena Centre

Transferable skills and competencies

UCL uses the Universal Competency Framework (UCF) to discuss transferable skills. Find out more details on the framework.

Deciding and initiating action

• Take on secondary support for other instruments and spaces
• Undertake training e.g. introduction to  financial/budget awareness
• Undertake training on managing internal processes
• Develop new health and safety protocols
• Train junior members of the team to retain expertise and knowledge within the team

Leading and supervising

• Providing direction and co-ordinating action
• Supervising and monitoring behaviour
• Coaching
• Delegating
• Empowering staff
• Motivating others
• Developing staff
• Identifying and recruiting talent

Coping with pressure and setbacks

• Coping with pressures
• Showing emotional self-control
• Balancing work and personal life
• Maintaining a positive outlook
• Handling criticism

UCL Ways of Working

These describe expected behaviours in line with UCL culture and values.  For Ways of Working indicators and steps to development please refer to the Ways of Working website.