Chief Technical Officer

Department Description/Departement Beskrywing

The Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics in the Departement of Biomedical Sciences at Stellenbosch University (SU) is a strong research-focused division, which primarily conducts infectious diseases research (mainly on tuberculosis), spanning from host genetics to epidemiology, mycobacteriology to animal research, as well as research into various inherited genetic disorders. The Division boasts a robust research environment, comprising several large research groups led by experienced principal investigators at professorial level, contributing significantly to the research output of the Faculty.

Furthermore, technical staff play a crucial role in ensuring the efficient functioning of the principal investigators and their research groups. Currently, the Division is seeking to fill a vacancy for a Chief Technical Officer (Post Level
8) following the retirement of the previous incumbent.

• Duties/Pligte
• Responsible for overseeing laboratory equipment and experimental installations and assisting with servicing and maintaining said equipment.
• Coordinating laboratory tasks between principle investigators, laboratory managers, technical assistants, research assistants, postdoctoral fellows and students.
• Comprehensive asset and waste management for assigned laboratories.
• Ensuring health and safety, Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and other regulatory compliance for assigned laboratories.
• Line management of the technical assistants in the Division.
• Ensuring shared items are ordered and stocked (for example, cleaning supplies, etc.).
• Assisting the divisional procurement officer with procurement processes when required.
• Supporting academic staff in technical matters related to the operations in assigned laboratories.
• Applying good knowledge of local and international trends, best practices, and requirements for well-functioning technical aspects of the laboratory system.
• Liaising with Facilities Management on technical and infrastructure matters affecting the laboratory and office environments.
• Ensuring that staff and students working in laboratories are informed of, and complying with, all technical requirements for a well-functioning laboratory system and that they are trained in the use of equipment where applicable.
• Job Requirements/Pos Vereistes
• MSc in biomedical sciences, or a closely related field in laboratory sciences.
• At least five years' experience working in a research laboratory.
• Training and/or experience in Good Laboratory Practice.
• Knowledge, experience and skills in the use of laboratory equipment, its functioning and maintenance.
• Good computer literacy and proficiency in at least the Microsoft Office suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc.).
• Good interpersonal skills, the ability to work in a team, and strong written and verbal communication skills in at least English.
• Experience in staff management.
• Experience in writing / reviewing laboratory standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• The ability to function in a multicultural and multilingual environment, as well as the ability to work independently and to take initiative.
• A willingness to learn new skills and take on new challenges.
• Recommendation/Aanbeveling
• PhD and/or postdoctoral experience.
• Track record of own research outputs.
• Training and/or experience in health and safety and compliance.
• Experience and skills in mentorship/training in the field of biomedical sciences.

#PSS

The University is committed to employment equity (EE), and appointments will be made in line with the institutional EE Plan. Stellenbosch University reserves the right not to make an appointment. Your application, comprising a comprehensive curriculum vitae (including the names and email addresses of at least three references), must reach the University before or on the closing date in the advertisement.

The University reserves the right to investigate qualifications and conduct background checks on all candidates. The Occupational Health and Safety Act requires people in occupations that entail potential exposure to certain hazards (such as noise, hazardous chemical substances and hazardous biological agents) to undergo medical screening to determine whether they be fit to work in those occupations. If you have received no feedback from the University after four to six weeks of the closing date, kindly accept that your application was unsuccessful.

Enquiries/Navrae Enquiries about this post:
Prof NC Gey van Pittius on , or  Enquiries about remuneration/benefits and technical assistance with the electronic application process:
Human Resources Client Services Centre, on  (Stellenbosch), or  (Tygerberg), or at sun-e-hr.za CurrencyZAR Commencement Date
01-Oct-2026 Closing Date
14-Aug-2026 Amount of Travel Work At Home