Technical Director, Physics Job at Colorado College in Colorado Springs

Job Title: Technical Director, Physics

Department: Physics

Campus Location: Main Campus

Position Type/ Work Schedule:

2080 Hours per year
12 Months per year
40 Hours per week (Estimated)

About Us:

At Colorado College, 2,300 students learn and live on our beautiful 99-acre campus in downtown Colorado Springs. We attract top students seeking new perspectives with an array of experiential learning opportunities possible only in an immersive learning environment. Here students take only one class at a time to facilitate deep exploration of a topic. We call this the Block Plan. This unique approach allows members of our campus community to share a rhythm of experience as we work together to fulfill our mission.

Job Summary:

Maintains and supports all laboratory equipment, provides instructional support for laboratory courses, assists in training and supporting students involved in faculty research projects; manages department inventory, including classroom supplies, demos, and electronics materials; maintains and manages Phipps Observatory, our 16" telescope on the roof of Barnes Science Center.

Responsibilities:

1. Assist in the design and execution of classroom and lab experiments; provide technical instruction and supervision for students working in labs, workshops, and the field.
2. See to the well-being of the facilities and equipment of the Physics Department; maintain all equipment, computers, materials, and laboratory facilities; be responsible for the routine maintenance of lab instrumentation, as well as instructional instrumentation.
3. Provide instructional support for students in classroom and research laboratories, including safety trainings and procedures for proper equipment usage.
4. Support ongoing faculty-student collaborative research projects by providing technical, hands-on, and electronics laboratory expertise.
5. Manage departmental inventory, including laboratory consumables, equipment, and classroom demos.
6. Maintain up-to-date knowledge of physics techniques and effective classroom demos, collaborate with faculty on integration into courses, provide technical support for such techniques, and attend scientific conferences to learn about new techniques and their applications.
7. Serve as a computer resource person, including for upper-level laboratory courses, maintaining and updating departmental hardware and software on PC/Windows and Macintosh systems; provide instructional support for laboratory software applications in data analysis and graphics.

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in Physics or a related field plus a minimum of 3 years of experience in laboratory instrumentation and electronics OR a graduate degree in Physics or a related field with research experience in laboratory instrumentation and electronics; a demonstrated experience with wood and metal shop work and computer support applications; a demonstrated mechanical aptitude, and supervisory and leadership ability. Leading candidates will be familiar with science within higher education and appreciate the value of studying Physics within the liberal arts curriculum. Other important characteristics include the ability to work effectively with both faculty and students, personal integrity, strong organizational and interpersonal skills, creativity, and a commitment to equity and inclusion.

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience as a laboratory supervisor, laboratory manager, instrumentation specialist, instrumentation technician, or similar position in Physics or a related field within a higher education setting.

Applicants are welcome to apply even if you do not meet the preferred qualifications. We value diverse perspectives and encourage individuals with a genuine interest in the role to submit their applications.