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Form of workWELCOME TO SANTA MONICA COLLEGE! We have an exciting new employment opportunity in the collegiate Aquaculture program. In collaboration with Heal the Bay, the College is seeking a Laboratory Technician-Life Science to provide laboratory support and assist aquaculture instructors in Life Science laboratories and lab-work study students. This position is scheduled to work Tuesday through Saturday, 8 am to 5 pm,40 hours per week, 12 months per year at the Heal the Bay Aquarium and Santa Monica College Main Campus. This position will receive an additional 5% weekend differential in addition to the posted salary.
Please Note: This position is grant funded through June 30, 2026. Ongoing permanency of this position is dependent upon availability of ongoing funding.Please click the link below to learn more about Aquaculture at SMC:
https://youtu.be/JhY_LdqitiY?si=MPb0V9pIqfD-3LwX
All candidates must have authorization to work in the United States; the District does not have the ability to provide sponsorship.
What You Will Bring to the College
The ideal candidate for this position will have experience working in an aquatics laboratory. They will have a demonstrated understanding of aquarium science and sustainable aquaculture techniques. They will have experience with husbandry maintenance, life support maintenance, maintaining live food cultures for larval grow-out, water quality, nutrition and overall animal welfare. The candidate should exhibit behaviors that demonstrate a commitment to student success, conservation and environmental sustainability as well as an interest in supporting lab work-study students and the ability to lead projects.
Why Work at SMC?
At SMC, you will work beside a diverse group of colleagues who leverage their combined talents and passions to accomplish something great. No matter what department you are in, or what job you have, your contributions will be critical to helping our students fulfill their dreams.
Some details about us:
- We are the number one transfer college to UCLA, USC, the University of California system, and Loyola Marymount University.
- We are dedicated to sustainable practices and are accessible via environmentally-friendly transportation options, including the E Line and Big Blue Bus.
- We are one of the select community colleges in California approved to award a Bachelor's degree. SMC currently awards a Bachelor's degree in Interaction Design.
Benefits
We value our employees as people, and recognize the value of work-life balance, the health of you and your family and professional development. We offer a variety of benefits and perks to support new members of our team, including:
- 18 paid holidays*
- 12 paid vacation days*
- 12 paid illness days*
- Fully paid medical, dental, and vision-care coverage (including eligible dependents)
- Free mental health assistance through the Employee Assistance Service for Education (EASE) program.
- Membership in the California Public Employee Retirement System (CALPERS).
- 5% increase in base pay for every 5 years worked with SMC, up to 40 years of service.
- Waived tuition fees for classes taken at Santa Monica College.
- Reimbursement for related classes, conferences or workshops to empower your professional development.
- Free Big Blue Bus access and monthly incentives for eligible employees through the Sustainable Transportation Incentive Program.
- CSEA Chapter 36 Union Membership Option.
*Benefits, holidays, vacation, and illness days listed above assume a 40-hour per week, 12 month per year schedule. Benefits, vacation and illness days are prorated for other work schedules.
Salary PlacementNew Employees: Generally, new employees start at the first step on the salary schedule. A new permanent classified employee may request a higher salary placement based on recruitment issues and/or additional training and experience which greatly exceeds the minimum requirements. Please note that salary placement above the third step requires additional approvals by Santa Monica College executive staff.
Current Employees: Upon promotion, the new salary for a current, permanent employee is based on Merit Rule 12.2.7. In accordance with this rule, employees are entitled to at least a one-step (5%) salary increase, and may be eligible for advanced step placement in accordance with established criteria.
About the Selection Process
The selection process tentatively consists of a Qualifications Appraisal Interview (weighted 100%), which will be preceded by a Training & Experience Evaluation (pass/fail). Candidates must be successful on all test parts to be placed on the eligibility list. The eligibility list created from this recruitment will be used to fill any vacancies that occur during the one year life of the eligibility list, including full-time and/or part-time, permanent and/or temporary positions.Santa Monica College reserves the right to modify the stated test components and weights prior to the administration of any test.
Certain positions within this classification may require employees to routinely and consistently read, speak, and/or write using a language other than English. Testing of eligible candidates' bilingual proficiency will occur, as needed, as the District identifies positions that require this skill.
Communication for this recruitment will be via e-mail.You must check your e-mail on a regular basis to be informed of your status for this recruitment.
Test Retake Policy
Based on the District's hiring needs, we may administer multiple recruitments for this job classification (or a related job classification that uses the same test(s)) within the next several months. Candidates must wait a period of 90 calendar days between testing appointments before retesting. Candidates who are ineligible to participate in an upcoming test or interview due to the provided retake period will be notified via email, and will have their highest valid score(s) on any non-weighted (pass/fail) test parts applied toward that recruitment.
The Santa Monica Community College District is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity. All qualified applicants for employment, as well as District employees, shall have full and equal access to employment opportunity. No person shall be subjected to unlawful discrimination in any program or activity of the District. The District's Board Policy 3120 (Equal Employment Opportunity and Nondiscrimination in Employment) may be accessed at: https://www.smc.edu/administration/governance/documents/administrative-regulations/AR_3000_Human-Resources.pdf
Equity Statement
"Santa Monica College encourages candidates that are equity-minded to apply. SMC is a minority-serving, Hispanic-serving institution. We actively seek to attract candidates from minority groups that value equity, diversity, and inclusion. Equity, diversity, and inclusion are built into the culture at SMC, and are an essential component of the work that we do. SMC is committed to racial and socioeconomic diversity as it is a reflection of our student population and we strive to hire candidates that share this commitment." Examples of Duties
Perform daily operations of live foods and larval rearing tanks, including: husbandry, life support system maintenance, water quality, nutrition, and overall animal welfare.
Follows and ensures strict safety procedures and safety checks.
Prepares and arranges equipment for experiments in laboratory and classroom demonstrations.
Plans and organizes work related to assigned classes to prepare for upcoming laboratory experiments and demonstrations.
Prepares reagents and chemical solutions for classroom use.
Consults and plans with faculty on specific needs of their assignments throughout the academic calendar.
Inspects, maintains, calibrates, and performs minor repairs on a variety of laboratory equipment, and instruments.
Demonstrates proper use and care of laboratory materials, equipment, chemicals, and supplies to students.
Maintains laboratories and stock room in a clean and orderly condition; informs the Lead Laboratory Technician of ongoing inventory needs.
Documents standard operating protocols regarding equipment use and setup of experiments.
Trains and oversees the work of student workers.
May provide daily care of the greenhouse plants and garden, including watering, fertilizing, weeding, and pest control.
May maintain live animal collections, including feeding and care.
Performs other related duties as requested or assigned.
Examples of essential duties are descriptive and not restrictive in nature and are generally listed in descending order of importance.
Minimum Qualifications
Education Requirement:
Associate's degree with a major in a Life Science, including the completion of coursework in general Biology and Microbiology. A bachelor's degree in Life Science is desirable.
Experience Requirement:
One year (1) of work experience in a scientific laboratory including preparing chemicals and solutions and setting up equipment for laboratory experiments and/or demonstrations.
Education/Experience Equivalency:
Experience and/or education of the same kind, level or amount as required in the minimum qualifications may be substituted on a year-for-year basis.
Supplemental InformationFor additional information about our employment process, please visit our FAQ page and click on "current employees" (for existing, permanent SMC employees) or "job applicants" (for external applicants).
