Technical Officer (Post Level 10) at Stellenbosch University

Duties/Pligte        

Management of the Mechatronic laboratory:

• Setting up and running practicals, including training student assistants.
• Assisting with tutorial (PLC) software, practicals, and lab work for mechatronic projects.
• Designing and constructing new equipment and practicals.
• Maintaining laboratory, equipment and computers and software.
• Managing laboratory and workspace to accommodate practicals, projects and Capstone projects.

General laboratory areas:

• Keeping a safe environment in the laboratories and acting on potential hazards,
• Maintaining the instrumentation store and maintaining the equipment in the store.
• Willingness to be appointed as safety officer 8(2)(i), H&S officer, first aider and firefighter for laboratories.
• Willingness to work with undergraduate students in workshop practicals, if needed.
• Multi-axis robot programming and commissioning.

Administration:

• Obtaining quotations and purchasing consumables and equipment from local and international suppliers.
• Managing equipment and consumables booked out from the lab and store.
• Creating guides/notes for the use of specialised equipment.
• Managing laboratory computers, their software and their respective licences.
• Creating engineering drawings of components and equipment for manufacturing.

Assisting undergraduate students, postgraduate students and staff:

• Setting up experimental facilities, including computers and data acquisition units.
• Checking designs and obtaining quotes from manufactures and suppliers for final-year and postgraduate students.
• Providing technical support and advice to students and staff.

Job Requirements/Pos Vereistes

• Qualification: An ECSA-accredited Bachelor of engineering technology in mechatronic engineering or higher, OR an ECSA-accredited advanced diploma in mechatronic engineering or higher, OR an ECSA-accredited bachelor of engineering degree in mechatronic engineering, or equivalent.
• Sound computer hardware skills, including configuring microprocessors and PLCs.
• Computer software skills, including Excel, Outlook, CAD and programming languages like Python and C.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• The ability to work within a team, but also to work independently.
• A record of being dutiful and reliable, as well as being accurate and neat in completing tasks.
• Willingness to work in a multilingual environment.
• Willingness to work after hours occasionally.

Recommendation/Aanbeveling        

• Two to five years' experience within a tertiary mechatronic or mechanical engineering environment or similar.

Specific knowledge of instrumentation and tools used in the Department, and knowledge of the materials used in the Department's workshop, as well as their costing - these would  include (but not be limited to)

• Siemens PLC, Siemens TIA Portal, 3D printing, configuring and wiring variable frequency drives, and experience with Keysight and HBM/HBK data  acquisition systems.
• First aid training.