Assistant Microbiologist

Heluna Health•Richmond, CA

1d•$24 - $30•Onsite

About The Position

The position is funded by CDC’s Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) cooperative agreement. It is administered by Heluna Health which is a non-profit public health research organization. ELC supports state, local, and territorial health departments to improve laboratory capacity which supports public health laboratory testing, surveillance and reporting. Under the general supervision of the Public Health Microbiologist Supervisor, the Assistant Microbiologist works within the Mycology Unit of the Mycobacterial, Mycotic & Parasitic Diseases Section, Microbial Diseases Laboratory. The Assistant Microbiologist is responsible for the regular shipments of the Candida auris isolates to the ARLN laboratory regional laboratory as a part of Antibiotic Resistance Laboratory Network (ARLN) surveillance activities and performs all duties associated with this function. The Assistant Microbiologist will provide support for shipping patient swab collection kits to healthcare facilities, receiving specimens from submitters, freezing C. auris isolates, and shipping cultures for reference testing to a Regional ARLN laboratory. The Assistant Microbiologist may perform supervised quality control for reagents and media, equipment monitoring and maintenance, as well as assist in the tasks pertaining to fungal detection and identification. The hourly range for this position is $24.12 to $30.17 per hour depending on experience/qualifications. If hired for this position, you will be required to provide proof that you are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 prior to your start date or have a valid religious or medical reason qualifying you for an exemption (that may or may not require an accommodation).

Requirements

Experience working with infectious agents in a microbiology laboratory setting.
Experience with routine molecular and culture methods.
Ability to perform micromanipulations such as pipetting small volumes and other fine measurements using laboratory instrumentation and equipment.
Knowledge of sterile techniques and universal precautions for working with bacterial pathogens.
Computer skills (Microsoft Word, Access, Excel, email)
Ability to effectively communicate verbally and in writing
Ability to work independently and adapt to varied work settings
Ability to complete projects in a timely manner
Ability to work effectively with a team of diverse individuals
Demonstrated attention to detail
Possession of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university with course work in chemistry, microbiology, medical microbiology and molecular biology is required.
Experience using a PC and a working knowledge of Microsoft Office.
Good communication and interpersonal skills.
Capacity to work independently or in a team environment.
Ability to complete projects in a timely manner and multitask.
Demonstrated attention to detail.

Responsibilities

Coordination with submitters on shipping of collection swab kits to the collection facilities and receiving patient specimens for testing.
Maintaining inventory, preparation, and shipment of collection kits to submitters.
Specimen receipt and data entry for laboratory information management systems (LIMS) and other databases.
Preparation of specimens and isolates for storage, maintenance of culture collection and database.
Shipping of confirmed auris cultures to a reference laboratory for testing.
Preparation and quality control testing of media and reagents.
Autoclaves, disinfects, and disposes of contaminated materials and infectious agents.
Maintains inventory and accurate records of laboratory supplies.
Equipment monitoring and maintenance.
Assist with fungal detection and characterization.
Assists in the preparation of purchase requests and tracks orders.
Performs other related duties as assigned.