Job Summary

JILA seeks an experienced and collaborative Research Instrumentation Team and Safety Manager to oversee and support its research production shops, which include the Electronics Shop, Instrument Shop, and the Keck Metrology Lab and Clean Room. This position plays a critical role in supporting world-class experimental research by ensuring these shops operate efficiently, safely, and in alignment with JILA’s scientific mission. As JILA’s safety manager, this role guides program development, monitors safety practices, and supports implementation of safety initiatives.

The position will provide leadership, coordination, and strategic oversight for the technical staff who support JILA’s instrumentation, fabrication, and research infrastructure needs. A key strategic role will be to connect the shops to the broader Boulder scientific communities to enhance efficiency and make improvements that maintain our leading edge.

The position further serves as JILA’s Safety Manager, providing leadership and resources for the institute’s safety program, and guiding the development and implementation of JILA’s Safety Plan. The role will include chairing the Safety Committee (a committee of mainly JILA fellows that oversee the JILA culture of safety) and aiding compliance with university and federal safety requirements through collaboration with CU EH&S and NIST safety partners. In shared resource spaces of the Scientific Shops, the JILA Safety Manager will oversee all aspects of safety. In the context of individual PI laboratories, the JILA Safety Manager will assist and coordinate to provide knowledge and support for PIs and student safety proctors.

The position will partner with the JILA finance team and shop Fellow advisors to ensure accountable and sustainable shops operations, including budget monitoring, equipment repair and acquisition cost options, and staffing coverage and costs.

This is not a hands-on design or fabrication role; rather, it focuses on management, communication, prioritization, and support for highly skilled technical personnel and the researchers they support.

The Instrument Shop offers JILA researchers and staff a variety of services, including precision machining, welding, as well as the design and fabrication of custom laboratory devices and equipment. JILA’s secret to making custom equipment is one-on-one communication between scientists and instrument makers. This communication strategy makes it possible for Instrument Shop staff to create just about anything scientists need for their research.

The JILA Electronics Shop provides a full suite of electronics engineering expertise in support of JILA’s scientific mission. Their services are available to all JILA personnel, including fellows, students, and faculty. We are available for quick on-site consulting, repairs, troubleshooting, as well as world class instrumentation and circuit design.

The Keck Lab and Clean Room Shop is an optical metrology laboratory with advanced capabilities for (1) precision measurement, (2) micro and nano fabrication in a Class 1000 clean room, and (3) atomic force and optical microscopy. Keck Lab staff offers tutorials on using the lab measuring instruments and software, including instruction on photolithography, ellipsometry, E-beam lithography, and spectrophotometry.

Supervision: This position supervises the Instrument Shop (5 employees), the Electronics Shop (3 employees), and the Keck lab (1 employee), responsible directly and indirectly for 9 FTE total.

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.
Who We Are

JILA is a joint institute of the University of Colorado Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) located on the beautiful CU Boulder main campus at the base of the Rocky Mountains. Led by the roughly 30 research Fellows, JILA supports eclectic and innovative research programs that foster creative collaborations. The wide-ranging interests of our scientists have made JILA one of the nation's leading physical sciences research institutes. JILA has a total annual budget of $50 million, with 297 members (including faculty, staff, students, and postdoctoral researchers).

JILA offers a uniquely collaborative and mission-driven environment. The institute has a strong culture of intellectual curiosity, community, and inclusiveness, which provides a meaningful and engaging workplace.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

Operational Management and Outreach

• Provide leadership, guidance, and coordination across the Electronics Shop, Instrument Shop, and Keck Lab/Clean Room; undertake performance evaluations; and facilitate professional development for shop staff.

Job Summary

JILA seeks an experienced and collaborative Research Instrumentation Team and Safety Manager to oversee and support its research production shops, which include the Electronics Shop, Instrument Shop, and the Keck Metrology Lab and Clean Room. This position plays a critical role in supporting world-class experimental research by ensuring these shops operate efficiently, safely, and in alignment with JILA’s scientific mission. As JILA’s safety manager, this role guides program development, monitors safety practices, and supports implementation of safety initiatives.

The position will provide leadership, coordination, and strategic oversight for the technical staff who support JILA’s instrumentation, fabrication, and research infrastructure needs. A key strategic role will be to connect the shops to the broader Boulder scientific communities to enhance efficiency and make improvements that maintain our leading edge.

The position further serves as JILA’s Safety Manager, providing leadership and resources for the institute’s safety program, and guiding the development and implementation of JILA’s Safety Plan. The role will include chairing the Safety Committee (a committee of mainly JILA fellows that oversee the JILA culture of safety) and aiding compliance with university and federal safety requirements through collaboration with CU EH&S and NIST safety partners. In shared resource spaces of the Scientific Shops, the JILA Safety Manager will oversee all aspects of safety. In the context of individual PI laboratories, the JILA Safety Manager will assist and coordinate to provide knowledge and support for PIs and student safety proctors.

The position will partner with the JILA finance team and shop Fellow advisors to ensure accountable and sustainable shops operations, including budget monitoring, equipment repair and acquisition cost options, and staffing coverage and costs.

This is not a hands-on design or fabrication role; rather, it focuses on management, communication, prioritization, and support for highly skilled technical personnel and the researchers they support.

The Instrument Shop offers JILA researchers and staff a variety of services, including precision machining, welding, as well as the design and fabrication of custom laboratory devices and equipment. JILA’s secret to making custom equipment is one-on-one communication between scientists and instrument makers. This communication strategy makes it possible for Instrument Shop staff to create just about anything scientists need for their research.

The JILA Electronics Shop provides a full suite of electronics engineering expertise in support of JILA’s scientific mission. Their services are available to all JILA personnel, including fellows, students, and faculty. We are available for quick on-site consulting, repairs, troubleshooting, as well as world class instrumentation and circuit design.

The Keck Lab and Clean Room Shop is an optical metrology laboratory with advanced capabilities for (1) precision measurement, (2) micro and nano fabrication in a Class 1000 clean room, and (3) atomic force and optical microscopy. Keck Lab staff offers tutorials on using the lab measuring instruments and software, including instruction on photolithography, ellipsometry, E-beam lithography, and spectrophotometry.

Supervision: This position supervises the Instrument Shop (5 employees), the Electronics Shop (3 employees), and the Keck lab (1 employee), responsible directly and indirectly for 9 FTE total.

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.
Who We Are

JILA is a joint institute of the University of Colorado Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) located on the beautiful CU Boulder main campus at the base of the Rocky Mountains. Led by the roughly 30 research Fellows, JILA supports eclectic and innovative research programs that foster creative collaborations. The wide-ranging interests of our scientists have made JILA one of the nation's leading physical sciences research institutes. JILA has a total annual budget of $50 million, with 297 members (including faculty, staff, students, and postdoctoral researchers).

JILA offers a uniquely collaborative and mission-driven environment. The institute has a strong culture of intellectual curiosity, community, and inclusiveness, which provides a meaningful and engaging workplace.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

Operational Management and Outreach

• Provide leadership, guidance, and coordination across the Electronics Shop, Instrument Shop, and Keck Lab/Clean Room; undertake performance evaluations; and facilitate professional development for shop staff.