Middle and High School Laboratory Technician - Starts August 2025

Our School

The International School of San Francisco is a bilingual, multicultural learning community where students in grades learn to navigate the complexities of the world with confidence, empathy, and joy. Our vibrant urban campus is situated in the heart of the city and serves nearly 1,100 students beginning at age 2 and continuing through grade 12. 

Mission

Guided by the principles of academic rigor and diversity, The International School of San Francisco offers programs of study in French and English to prepare its graduates for a world in which the ability to think critically and to communicate across cultures is of paramount importance. 

Opportunity

Working at The International School of San Francisco opens up a myriad of opportunities both personal and professional. When minds and cultures from around the world come together, boundless curiosity takes hold; faculty and staff benefit from that deep intellectual engagement and joyful discovery as we live out our values of respect, integrity, inclusion, collaboration, and curiosity. Each employee is both teacher and learner in our vibrant, multicultural, multilingual school community.

Position: 

The Middle and High School Laboratory Technician is responsible for providing support to members of the Science Department faculty in delivering high-quality science education across Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Earth Science, and Design Technology courses and co-curricular activities. Our IB Middle Years Program, Diploma Program, and French curricula provide students with the opportunity to participate in high-level hands-on science, including independent research in grades 11 and 12, and the Laboratory Technician supports all aspects of that work. The Laboratory Technician takes primary responsibility for safely procuring, preparing, storing, and transferring laboratory reagents and equipment and for fostering safe use of materials and equipment by students in grades 6-12. Additionally, the Laboratory Technician collaborates with faculty to develop and test new experiments and activities for use with students. 

Focus and  Responsibilities: 

Laboratory Preparation & Support

• Prepare, set up, and organize materials and equipment for biology, chemistry, physics, and earth science lessons
• Assist teachers during practical classes, demonstrations, and student experiments

• Develop and maintain an efficient system for managing use of laboratory equipment to ensure availability for planned activities
• Carry out risk assessments for laboratory activities and provide teachers with appropriate safety protocols
• Support the Design Technology faculty with equipment maintenance and troubleshooting

Equipment & Inventory Management

• Maintain and clean science laboratory equipment, ensuring all apparatus is functional and safe for use
• Manage repairs, calibration, and periodic maintenance of science laboratory equipment as needed
• Organize and store chemicals, consumables, organisms, biological specimens, and equipment for all science classes to ensure ease of use and according to lab safety best practices
• Assist with procuring of materials for Design Technology classes
• Monitor and manage stock levels, ordering new supplies as needed
• Maintain up-to-date inventory records of chemicals and consumables

Safety & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with health and safety regulations for handling hazardous materials and waste disposal
• Keep up to date with best practices in school lab safety, maintain faculty records of safety training, and collaborate with the Head of Department and others to organize safety training for faculty as needed.
• Maintain Materials Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for chemicals and materials used in the Science and Design Technology courses and update records
• Collaborate with the facilities team to ensure compliance with regulations regarding testing and maintenance of safety equipment such as fire extinguishers, chemical spill materials, eye wash and chemical showers, etc.
• Monitor and replace consumables in first aid kits
• Assist faculty in ensuring appropriate safety protocols for independent student projects such as Internal Assessments (IA) and Extended Essays (EE)
• Monitor fume cupboards and biosafety cabinets for effective functioning and arrange maintenance as needed

End-of-Year & New School Year Preparation

• Complete end-of-year lab maintenance, including restocking, equipment checks, and deep cleaning
• Set up classrooms and laboratory spaces at the start of the new academic year
• Summer support for course scheduling and database maintenance
• Summer support for furniture and equipment inventories and preparations for the next school year

Key qualities:

• Strong knowledge of laboratory safety protocols and hazardous material handling, including flammables, acids/bases, and other materials
• Ability to prepare solutions used in chemistry, biology, and biotechnology safely and accurately
• Comfort with a wide range of laboratory equipment 
• Excellent organizational skills to manage multiple labs and keep equipment ready for use
• Strong communication skills to work with teachers, students, and administrative staff
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team in a diverse, fast-paced, multilingual educational environment
• Attention to detail to ensure safe and effective laboratory operations
• Flexibility and adaptability to support different science disciplines (Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Earth Science, and Design Technology)
• Curiosity and problem-solving skills to troubleshoot protocols and repair lab equipment
• A forward-thinking, exploratory approach to support innovation 
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a laboratory science is required
• Knowledge of French is a plus

This is a full-time, hourly position reporting to the Middle and High School Principals. Responsibilities will run from August 1 through one week after the last day of school for students, typically about June 20. Hourly rate for this position is $40-50/hr depending on experience.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY POLICY  

The International School of San Francisco is committed to providing an open, fair, inclusive, non-discriminatory environment for all individuals across differences of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, socio-economic status, ethnicity, age, physical ability, or medical condition. We seek to increase the presence, representation, and inclusion of U.S. historically under-represented people of color, international, bilingual, and bicultural students, faculty, and staff; and, to provide an environment that will attract and retain individuals identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning and intersex