Summary
Yokogawa is hiring a Lab Technician in Al-Khobar. The role involves preparing, packing, conditioning, and recording gas chromatography columns, as well as assembling GC hardware and making pneumatic and electrical connections. The technician will carry out leak checks, maintain clean assembly areas, organize tools, and monitor laboratory materials. Applicants should have a technical diploma or vocational certification and 2–5 years of relevant hands-on experience.
The posting
As published on yokogawa.com. Pulled from the employer's site and shown as they wrote it.
Not just a job, but a career
Yokogawa, award winner for ‘Best Asset Monitoring Technology’ and ‘Best Digital Twin Technology’ at the HP Awards, is a leading provider of industrial automation, test and measurement, information systems and industrial services in several industries.
Our aim is to shape a better future for our planet through supporting the energy transition, (bio)technology, artificial intelligence, industrial cybersecurity, etc. We are committed to the United Nations sustainable development goals by utilizing our ability to measure and connect.
About the Team
Our 18,000 employees work in over 60 countries with one corporate mission, to "co-innovate tomorrow". We are looking for dynamic colleagues who share our passion for technology and care for our planet. In return, we offer you great career opportunities to grow yourself in a truly global culture where respect, value creation, collaboration, integrity, and gratitude are highly valued and exhibited in everything we do.
Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities
- GC Column Preparation & Fabrication
- Fabricate, pack, and wind custom packed columns (using stainless steel, SilcoSteel or Sulfinert tubing) according to specified stationary phase/solid support recipes and mesh sizes.
- Operate column packing equipment (liquid/gas packing rigs, vacuum systems, and mechanical vibrators) to ensure uniform bed density and zero channel formation.
- Prepare, cut, end-cap, and perform initial thermal bake-out/conditioning of packed and capillary column sets in dedicated conditioning ovens.
- Maintain precise records of column batches, packing materials, lot numbers, baseline pressure drops, and phase bleed characteristics.
- Hardware, Electrical & Pneumatic Assembly
- Unpack GC Hardware and mount on Testing Racks.
- Make the necessary Pnuematic and Electrical connections.
- Move Calibration and/or carrier gases next to the GCs and make the necessary connections.
- Mount, position, and secure GC columns, analytical valves, and detector units into GC ovens and sub-assemblies according to engineering drawings and schematics.
- Measure, bend, cut, deburr, and route high-precision stainless steel, SilcoSteel, and fused-silica tubing (1/16", capillary) with ultra-clean handling practices.
- Make leak-free pneumatic connections using specialized fittings for carrier, fuel, reference, and sample gases.
- Perform leak testing on all internal flow paths prior to system energization.
- Assist Tuning Engineers during initial power-up and tuning activities
- Laboratory Maintenance & Inventory Support
- Maintain clean-room/assembly bench housekeeping standards, ensuring zero particulate contamination in pneumatic lines and packing media.
- Maintain and organize shop tools, tube benders, torque wrenches, crimpers, leak detectors, and column packing rigs.
- Monitor stock levels of raw column tubing, packing materials (stationary phases, supports), ferrules, fittings, nuts, and septa, notifying Lab Administration for reordering.
Qualification and Experience
- Education: Technical Diploma or Vocational Certification in Mechanical, Instrumentation, Electrical, Industrial Technology, or Applied Chemistry.
- Experience: 2–5 years of hands-on experience in GC column preparation/packing, mechanical assembly, tube-fitting, or technician duties in an analyzer manufacturing/integration, chromatography consumables lab, or precision instrumentation facility.
Competencies
- High Manual skills & Cleanliness: Precision handling skills for working with delicate valves, fine packing materials, and ultra-clean gas paths where contamination causes separation failure.
- Methodical Execution: Rigorous adherence to column packing parameters and conditioning temperature profiles to achieve reproducible separation performance.
- Safety First Mindset: Strict adherence to laboratory safety practices when handling chemical stationary phases, solvent flushes, high-pressure packing rigs, and elevated oven temperatures.
Skills
- Direct experience in GC column preparation, packing techniques, and thermal conditioning procedures.
- Demonstrated proficiency in small-diameter stainless steel tubing fabrication, fine micro-fitting assembly, and leak checking techniques.
- Ability to read and interpret mechanical assembly drawings, pneumatic flow diagrams (P&IDs), and column fabrication recipes.
- Familiarity with high-purity carrier gas systems (Helium, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Argon) and safety protocols for pressurized gas cylinders and packing rigs.
Yokogawa is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Yokogawa wants a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture. We will actively recruit, develop, and promote people from a variety of backgrounds who differ in terms of experience, knowledge, thinking styles, perspective, cultural background, and socioeconomic status. We will not discriminate based on race, skin color, age, sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, belief, political opinion, nationality, ethnicity, place of origin, disability, family relations or any other circumstances. Yokogawa values differences and enables everyone to belong, contribute, succeed, and demonstrate their full potential.
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