LABORATORY / TECHNICAL SERVICES SUPERVISOR

Position Information

Posting NumberSRGV9172

Working TitleLABORATORY / TECHNICAL SERVICES SUPERVISOR

Number of Vacancies1

LocationEdinburg, Texas

DepartmentCollege of Health Professions / Nutrition & Dietetics

FTE1.0

FLSAExempt

Scope of Job

To provide responsible supervisory and technical support for the safe and effective operation of the Nutrition Assessment Laboratory and Culinary Nutrition Laboratory. Oversees laboratory set-up, food supply procurement, inventory, equipment, sanitation, and support for faculty and students during laboratory sessions, cooking demonstrations, workshops, and related activities.

Description of Duties

• Ensures all established laboratory food safety standards, sanitation regulations and procedures are followed in accordance with U.S. FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) Food Code for local, state, university and departmental requirements.

• Establishes, posts, models, and enforces guidelines for the safe food handling, sanitation, food allergen management, and the operation of culinary and nutritional assessment equipment.

• Monitors the organization, cleanliness, and sanitation of the Culinary Nutrition Laboratory and other assigned areas.

• Opens, supervises, and closes laboratories or assigned areas at specified times and maintains a calendar of classes, laboratory sessions, cooking demonstrations, workshops, shopping trips, and ordering deadlines.

• Instructs and supervises students in the safe food handling, sanitation, and application of all applicable culinary and nutritional assessment equipment; reinforces established laboratory procedures during instructional activities.

• Manages and coordinates, with appropriate vendors, the maintenance and repairs of all necessary nutritional assessment tools and kitchen equipment utilized in the laboratory or assigned areas.

• Prepares ingredients, materials, equipment, recipes, handouts, and instrumentation for use in research and educational laboratories or areas.

• Assists faculty and students by setting out ingredients and supplies, restocking stations, answering operational questions, troubleshooting equipment, and overseeing cleanup and return of items to assigned locations.

• Maintains current inventories of food, laboratory supplies, cleaning and sanitizing products, small equipment, linens, and assessment supplies; orders and receives items in accordance with university purchasing procedures and maintains receipts and purchase records.

• Develops grocery lists in coordination with faculty; shops for, picks up, and safely transports groceries and laboratory supplies while maintaining appropriate temperatures for perishable foods.

• Organizes, labels, and stocks student workstations and shared ingredient areas; launders, folds, and restocks laboratory towels, aprons, and other linens.

• Assists with departmental safety and facilities compliance, including appropriate storage and disposal of food, chemicals, allergens, and other laboratory materials, and promptly reports refrigerator, freezer, equipment, or facilities problems.

• Documents student incidents and/or accidents and reports damage or breakage of laboratory equipment and materials.

• Trains and supervises assigned laboratory and storeroom aides.

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Supervision Received

General direction from the assigned supervisor.

Supervision Given

Direct supervision of all assigned staff.

Required Education

Bachelors Degree from an accredited university.

Preferred Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Nutrition, Dietetics, Food Science, Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management, Foodservice Management, or a related field from an accredited university.

Licenses/Certifications

UTRGV Food Handler certification or ability to obtain within 30 days of employment and ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification or ability to obtain within six (6) months of hire.

Required Experience

• One (1) year of directly related experience in foodservice, culinary operations, teaching kitchens, nutrition laboratories, or comparable work involving food procurement, inventory, equipment, and food safety. Knowledge of applicable food safety, sanitation, and equipment safety requirements, or

• Five (5) years of directly related foodservice, culinary, or laboratory experience with an Associate’s Degree.

Preferred Experience

Supervisory or shift-lead experience in foodservice, culinary operations, or laboratory settings.

Equipment

Use of standard office equipment. Thorough working knowledge of commercial or instructional kitchen equipment, food storage and sanitation equipment, and nutrition assessment equipment used in the assigned laboratories.

Working Conditions

Needs to be able to successfully perform all required duties. Culinary and nutrition laboratory conditions include work around heat, sharp tools, cleaning chemicals, food allergens, and equipment. Requires frequent standing, walking, bending, and reaching and the ability to lift and carry up to 50 pounds. Some travel and weekend/evening work is required. UTRGV is a distributed institution, which requires presence at multiple locations throughout the Rio Grande Valley.

As part of their essential duties, employees in these roles are expected to maintain a consistent, in-person presence on campus at their assigned locations. Limited exceptions may apply for positions that are approved as hybrid or fully remote in accordance with UTRGV policies.

Other

Ability to work independently and coordinate multiple laboratory schedules, perform grocery purchasing trips, and ability to order supplies within established deadlines. Ability to read and interpret food safety regulations, recipes, equipment instructions, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedures manuals. Strong customer service orientation and written, oral and interpersonal communication skills. Ability to prioritize and execute tasks in a variety of environments.

Physical Capabilities

N/A

Employment CategoryFull-Time

Minimum SalaryCommensurate with Experience

Posted SalaryCommensurate with Experience

Position Available Date10/05/2026

Grant Funded PositionNo

If Yes, Provide Grant Expiration Date

Posting Detail Information

EEO Statement

It is the policy of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley to promote and ensure equal employment opportunities for all individuals without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information or protected veteran status. In accordance with the requirements of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, our University is committed to comply with all government requirements and ensures non-discrimination in its education programs and activities, including employment. We encourage women, minorities and differently abled persons to apply for employment positions of interest.

Special Instructions to Applicants

Dear Applicant, Human Resources will not be held responsible for redacting any confidential information from the documents you attach with your application. The confidential information includes the following: *Date of Birth *Gender *Ethnicity/Race Please make sure that you omit this information prior to submission. We are advising that Human Resources will be forwarding your application to the department as per your submission. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley reserves the right to discontinue accepting applications prior to the stated close date of this position, after meeting the posting requirement of three (3) calendar days. If you have any questions, please visit our Careers site at https://careers.utrgv.edu for detailed contact information.

Additional Information

UTRGV is a distributed location institution and working location is subject to change based on need.

All UTRGV employees are required to have a criminal background check ( CBC ). Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Substitutions to the above requirements must have prior approval from the VP of Human Resources.

Quick Linkhttps://careers.utrgv.edu/postings/52712

Posting Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

• • Are you a current UTRGV employee?

• Yes

• No

• • Are you now, or previously, employed by The University of Texas System or any of its institutions?

• Yes - I currently am employed by the UT System or its institutions

• Yes - I have previously been employed by the UT System or its institutions

• No - I have never been employed by the UT System or its institutions

• • Please select your highest level of completed education.

• 6th grade education

• 10th grade education

• High School Diploma or GED

• Associates Degree, Technical, or Trade School Degree/Certification or 60 Hours of College Hours

• Bachelors Degree from an accredited university

• Masters Degree from an accredited university

• Ph. D. or other terminal degree from an accredited university

• None of the above

• • Please provide the field of study for your education:

(Open Ended Question)

• • Please indicate the number of years of work experience you have directly related to the position in which you are applying for:

• Less than 1 year

• 1 year

• 2 years

• 3 years

• 4 years

• 5 years

• 6 years

• 7 years

• 8 years

• 9 years

• 10 years

• Over 10 years

• • Do you meet the minimum requirements for this position?

• Yes

• No

Applicant Documents

Required Documents

• Resume

• Unofficial Transcripts

Optional Documents

• Cover Letter/Letter of Application

• Reference Letter 1

• Reference Letter 2

• Reference Letter 3

• Certifications and Licenses

• Training Certificates

• Other Document

• List of 3 References

• Unofficial Transcripts 2

• Unofficial Transcripts 3

• Letter of Interest

• Unofficial Graduate Transcripts

• Additional Document