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Associate Director - Parnassus Flow Cytometry Core (PFCC) Facility

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Position description

DESCRIPTION

The Parnassus Flow Cytometry Core (PFCC) Facility offers state of the art instrumentation in the area of flow and mass cytometry to the entire UCSF research community, affiliated hospitals, research foundations, and local biotechnology companies. The Core provides administration of the flow and mass cytometers and the technical support needed to make use of these instruments through the following; delivering exceptional customer service, educating and providing expert advice to UCSF students, staff, and faculty in cytometry technology and applications; developing new cytometric methods and applications; managing all operational aspects of the facility. The cytometers are complex pieces of equipment requiring educational training and experience.

The Associate Director will be responsible for assisting the Director in the research, development, and management operations of the Parnassus Flow Cytometry Core, comprising of a staff of 8 employees, with an annual operation budget over $1,000,000. The Core provides consultation, teaching, support, and data interpretation to over 200 labs providing services to the education and research mission of UCSF. The Core staff members are engaged with various labs to aid in experiments involving the use of flow and mass cytometry. The procurement and deployment of new equipment is managed in a manner to result in significant cost savings, and reduce operating expenditures. The Associate Director assists the Director in exploring new methods and technologies that would result in enhanced data resolution for researchers as well as improved work flows to help users save time and money. The Associate Director assists the Director in forming partnerships with vendors and will test instruments and new reagents for potential benefits to UCSF researchers. One long standing goal is to work with other flow cytometry cores within UCSF to attempt a consolidation effort to standardize operational and training procedures which the Associate Director will lead.

One key component is education, and the Associate Director will be responsible for assisting the Director in the development, implementation, and review of the education program. This is to ensure users go through a basic training, to get the most out of the technology, and are prepared to use the instruments for their experiments and use best practices. In addition, the Associate Director will offer a higher-level training for intermediate to advanced users, for those that would like to further their knowledge more, as if they were to work in the facility.

The Associate Director will also assist the Director with the budget to make sure numbers are in line with projections, communicate with appropriate groups, and make adjustments when necessary. They will also need to identify potential funding sources, as well as aid in grant writing. They will also be responsible for reviewing website development and content, as well as marketing and communication with users on services to make sure the community is well versed and knowledgeable on services available.

The Associate Director may need to cover absences and will be required to know in addition to administration, general maintenance, QC/QA following documented SOPs, generate new SOPs and protocols if needed, insure on time setup, inform users of instrument scheduling issues, as well as train and educate users on how best to use the instruments. Attendance at work is of the utmost importance and is directly related to job performance as the broad base of users and team members rely and depend on their timely, predictable, and scheduled support. For researchers who would prefer to have a flow cytometrist sort for them, the Core provides key services known as Operator Assisted Cell Sorting and Assistance. They will provide these services through excellent customer service as well as advice and education to users requiring them to be scheduled in a consistent and predictable manner. They will also participate in research, development, and testing of new instruments, reagents, and techniques, as well as provide assistance and training to other research projects as needed and perform other job duties as assigned.

Responsibilities:

Administrative Tasks: Assist Director to balance budget, communicate with appropriate groups and make adjustments if necessary. Assist Director in HR matters such as staffing schedules and new hires. Develop and review education and training program. Train researchers in the proper and safe use of the instruments in the Facility including training on flow analysis, flow sorting, mass cytometry analysis, as well as sample preparation techniques and data analysis. Operational logistics of the facilities ensuring the appropriate supplies are available and overseeing scheduling the instruments. Maintain accurate records of the work performed. Assist users with data analysis and presentation of results, and ensure users understand the concepts behind the instrumentation they are using. Be aware of funding sources and grants. May need to assist Director in writing grants for instrumentation funding.

Scientific Tasks: Assist Director in providing consultation to users on the appropriate instruments, tools, and preparation techniques to use as well as in the experimental design. Oversee and assist in the execution of analysis and FACS sorting experiments. Work closely with researchers to devise and implement highly complex experiments on the instruments that are beyond basic operation. Participate in development of new flow and mass cytometry strategies, evaluate new software for image or flow/mass data analysis, test out new imaging/flow/mass cytometry hardware, etc.

Oversight of instrumentation: Assist Director in applying in depth scientific and engineering concepts in overseeing QC/QA for all instruments, cleaning and alignment, regular diagnostics and calibration of complex scientific instrumentation. Use professional concepts and technical knowledge to provide resolutions to complex problems. Act as a primary contact with the vendors providing preventative maintenance and repairs. Setup and Operation of all instruments in the Core. Provide assistance and guidance services for all instruments. Provide excellent customer service. Showing up to work, and being able to keep appointments scheduled with clients as well as perform required daily tasks on the schedule to ensure instrumentation is working properly for the users. Cater to the customer’s needs as well as going above and beyond to help. Provide technical support with regard to experimental analysis on all instruments. Be available on-call to help users with problems on instrumentation. Assist Director in determining instrumentation needs as well as service contract/insurance requirements.

Research and Development: Provide support on various projects assigned by the Director to help make the Core run more efficiently with the goal to provide benefits to all users.

Requirements: BS Degree with 10 years’ experience in flow and mass cytometry experience or Master’s Degree with 6 years’ experience in flow and mass cytometry experience or PhD with 4 years’ experience in flow and mass cytometry experience. Must also be SCYM(ASCP)CM certified. Demonstrated ability to operate various flow and mass cytometers such as Beckman Coulter XDP MoFlo, BD FACS Calibur, FacsArias1-3, FACSAria Fusion, SH800, BD LSRII/Fortessa/X20, Accuri C6, FACSymphony, CyTOF2, and Luminex. Demonstrated knowledge of analysis software systems such as Summit, Kaluza, CellQuest, FACSDiVA, CyTOF, Cytobank, and FlowJo flow cytometry software. Experience developing formal education training program and SOPs.

Preferred Qualifications: Balance budget and be able to pull up and generate reports on usage. Experience with hiring, evaluating skill sets. Experience with marketing, communication, and website development. Experience with grant writing. Knowledge of safety procedures in a laboratory environment. Ability to perform calculations and statistics, understanding complex laboratory protocols, methods and interpreting results. Excellent logistical, organizational, record keeping and time management skills. Must be flexible and able to prioritize tasks. Careful attention to details. Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills. Ability to work with a diverse group of people and interact with all levels; work independently and within a team environment. Proficiency with MS operations, including advanced skills in Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, along with Google drive apps. Demonstrated ability to work independently to a high standard of accuracy and ability to follow and operate in compliance with standard operating procedures. Previous IT/system administrator experience with various operating systems, network management, web design, programming.

Salary and rank will be commensurate with the applicants experience and training.

UC San Francisco seeks candidates whose experience, teaching, research, or community service has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to diversity and excellence. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status.

Please apply online at https://aprecruit.ucsf.edu/apply/JPF01766.

Please contact Michael Lee, Michael.Lee@ucsf.edu for any questions.

Application Requirements

Document requirements
  • Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.

  • Cover Letter (Optional)

  • Statement of Research (Optional)

  • Statement of Teaching (Optional)

  • Statement of Contributions to Diversity (Optional)

  • Misc / Additional (Optional)

Job location

San Francisco, CA