About us

A manager position is available at the KU Leuven Flow and Mass Cytometry facility to overlook the daily operations, finances and staff as well as to actively shape and realise the future vision of the facility. The manager is directly supported and advised by the technical operations manager, the director and the steering committee.

The facility provides comprehensive flow cytometric analysis and cell sorting services as one of the largest core facilities on the KU Leuven campus in Leuven, Belgium. As such we require the general operations manager to have experience in managing personnel and budgets as well as extensive background and practical experience in flow cytometry.

The KU Leuven Flow and Mass Cytometry facility provides trainings, services, and expertise to fundamental, translational, and clinical researchers. The flow cytometry community at KU Leuven and UZ Leuven, Belgium’s largest university and hospital respectively, comprises >100 labs across all domains and departments within the KUL/UZL Biomedical Sciences group including but not limited to Immunology, Oncology or Neurosciences (https://gbiomed.kuleuven.be/english). Given the size of the user base, a strong focus of the facility is the training of users for independent (but supported as required) use of flow cytometric analysers and cell sorters. This state-of-the-art facility includes most of the latest technology in cytometry including instruments for high-parameter analyses such as Helios CyTOF, BD Symphony or SONY ID7000, various low-parameter analysers, cell sorters such as BD Influx and SONY MA900 or ancillary equipment e.g. to support downstream single cell omics or to perform multiplexed functional analyses (F.Sight II, BD Rhapsody, MSD, IsoPlexis) representing the most modern flow cytometry facility in Belgium. Besides high-quality user training and service provision, a central aim of the facility is to offer state-of-the-art technologies to researchers at KUL/UZL (and beyond) alongside with the expertise to realise related applications. Hence, the profile of the general operations manager requires extensive background and practical experience in flow cytometry, specialized knowledge of a number of cytometric applications such as high-parameter immunophenotyping, (establishing of) analysis pipelines, and experience in managing personnel and budgets.

The facility team is currently composed of three staff (technical operations manager and flow cytometry expert lab technicians). Candidates successful in the first interview round will have the opportunity to contact our staff for further insight into the team composition and the day-to-day facility operation. The manager is supported and advised by the technical operations manager, the director and the steering committee as well as the purchasing and HR departments, financial administration, ICT amongst others.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities include tasks performed in cooperation with the technical operations manager/expert staff as well as dedicated responsibilities. The position requires demonstrated expertise in applying flow cytometry/cell sorting techniques across a wide array of instruments from different manufacturers as well as expertise in personnel management.

Shared responsibilities and expertise

• Operate,maintain, and trouble-shoot the equipment
• Assist core users with technical aspects of instrument use, optimal experimental design and data analysis
• Support user trainings (theoretical and practical) and services as required, develop new training material and user manuals
• Assist users with analyses
• Train new staff
• Support grant writing with technical expertise, facility statistics ,layout, figures, etc.
• Keep up to speed on new trends, software, technologies, consumables, etc.
• Scan for / keep up-to-date with grant opportunities
• Facility space and BSL management
• Assure all SOPs are up to date (update, write SOPs as necessary)
• Organize on-site demos, evaluation placements, etc.
• Assure uninterrupted facility functioning (maintain supply inventory, manage holiday schedules, etc.)
• Communication with user base
• Maintaining the facility website and online booking system

Dedicated responsibilities and expertise

• Budgeting (monitoring of incoming/outgoing budgets, budget planning, billing)
• Core performance stats for e.g. steerco meetings or other presentations (user distributions, instrument usages, incoming/outgoing finances, splits per instrument/technology/service, etc)
• Plan and lead steerco meetings (agenda, meeting summary, etc)
• Lead facility accreditation process (with support from KUL)
• Lead efforts for establishing immune-monitoring services (involve and coordinate companies and collaborating labs)
• Hold regular team meetings, individual evaluation/feedback meetings, perform SWOT analyses and implement adaptations/changes to staff management as required
• Build/keep good relationships with vendors, lead negotiations for instruments, service contracts, other consumables

Requirements

Beyond technical qualifications the function as general operations manager of our facility requires the candidate to be an excellent team player maintaining flat hierarchies coupled with a collaborative attitude, to be dedicated to high-quality service provision, to be approachable for staff and facility users, and to be the receiving antenna of needs of principle investigators and labs.

A dedication to continued professional development is inherent to this position and a long-term commitment to the facility is greatly appreciated.

Qualifications

• You have a master degree with a background in biomedical or engineering field) that includes at least 3 to 5 years of direct flow cytometry experience, or you are equivalent through experience. It's a plus if you have experience in a PhD-context.
• At least 1-2 years supervisory experience
• Strong technical background across an array of complex flow cytometric equipment and assays highly preferred

Profile

• Previous experience in managing a multi-user flow cytometry facility is an asset
• Proven leadership skills based on previous roles and/or supervisory experience
• Complete fluency with current flow data analysis software (such as FCS Express, pathfinder,FlowSOM, FlowJo etc)
• Excellent organizational (self- and project-related) and interpersonal skills
• Strong didactic skills
• Excellent oral and written communication skills with adaptability to the audience.
• Highly motivated individual, who adapts to new situations and wants to be part of a dynamic team; collaborative attitude.
• Excellent spoken and written English
• Excellent social and diplomatic skills

Offer

We offer you a multi-faceted job in an international and multidisciplinary work environment, the ability to strengthen your expertise using state-of-the-art instrumentation and to grow into a managerial position overseeing all aspects of a flow cytometry service facility.

We offer a full-time contract for a period of 1 year, with the possibility of extension. If you are immediately employable in all assignments of this position, you will start in grade 7. Promising candidates who cannot yet take up all assignments immediately or who still have to go through a specific training program start in grade 6. Grade 8 is exceptionally reserved for candidates who already can take on extra responsibilities because of extensive knowledge and experience.

For more information, please contact Prof. Susan Schlenner (Director, susan.schlenner@kuleuven.be).

Interested?

Please complete the online application procedure and include a detailed CV, a motivation letter describing previous relevant experience, soft skills and technical expertise. Please provide the names and contact information of 2-3 references.

Interested candidates are invited to apply for this job via the online application tool.

KU Leuven seeks to foster an environment where all talents can flourish, regardless of gender, age, cultural background, nationality or impairments. If you have any questions relating to accessibility or support, please contact us at diversiteit.HR@kuleuven.be.

You can apply for this job no later than June 10, 2022 via the online application tool