Day in the Life of a shift technician
Mark Monks plays a vital role in keeping York Biotech Campus (YBC) running smoothly. As a Shift Technician, he’s responsible for maintaining and monitoring the engineering infrastructure that supports the cutting-edge science and research happening across our site.
After years of self-employment in various engineering roles, Mark recently made the leap into a full-time, shift based role and hasn’t looked back since.
Here, in his own words, is what a typical day (or night) looks like on shift.
From self-employed to science park
Before joining YBC, I was self-employed, working on everything from shop fitting to air conditioning. Now, I’m doing the same kind of work, just on a much bigger scale. My main job is looking after the plant room, from gas valves and water pumps to boilers. If something goes wrong, the Building Management System (BMS) alerts us, and we’re straight on it. We’re the first, and often last line of defence.
What I love most is the challenge. If something breaks and we don’t fix it quickly, it can jeopardise the experiments being carried out by the organisations onsite, which is both serious, and costly. I enjoy the pressure and the problem-solving. I thrive in a crisis and love rising to the challenge. Every day is different and can include alarms, leaks and gas failures. Us engineers are a bit different in that when something breaks, we love it as it means we get to spend time fixing it!
Shift work that works for me
I work a 4-on, 4-off shift pattern, and honestly, it’s the best work-life balance I’ve ever had, and I get loads of time with my five kids. I really enjoy the night shifts as the site is quiet, and I can really get stuck into the work without worrying about disrupting lab techs and their work.
I’m part of a great team of three, which includes me, Faycal, and Russ. We start each shift with a 45-minute walk around the plant room to catch up and plan the work ahead and see if any of us needs support. We take our breaks together too, usually walking around the beautiful lake we have here at YBC. Every fourth night, we have a pizza night. It’s a little tradition that keeps us close as a team and is something we all look forward to.
People, purpose and perfect hash browns!
One of the best parts of the job is the people. Each block onsite focuses on a different area of science, and I love chatting with the tenants and learning about what they do. You’ve got everything from insect research to skin science. It’s amazing to spend your time around some of the best scientists in the north. I make a point of getting to know them because I want them to feel confident that the job will be done properly, and that they can call me if there’s ever a crisis.
I love the food on offer at the Lakeside Restaurant for a treat. And yes, I’m the one who got hash browns back on the menu. They are delicious!
An engineered marvel
Some of the systems here are huge, we’ve got boilers the size of trucks! Others have been around a bit longer and need a more hands-on approach but figuring out how they work and getting them running again is something I really enjoy. They often require different engineering procedures when issues come up, and that’s a challenge I genuinely look forward to. There’s nothing more satisfying than tracking down the cause of an alarm and fixing it properly.
I even introduced a LED upgrade method that saved the site a lot of time and money. It’s a great feeling when your ideas make a real difference. I love seeing how our work helps make life easier for everyone on site.
YBC is like nowhere else. It’s an engineered marvel and genuinely fun to work in. If you can get your head around how everything works here, you can fix just about anything, anywhere.
This is, without a doubt, the best job I’ve ever had.
To learn more about the work of our facilities teams, take a look at Rob Read’s blog.