Microbiologist II - III

Element Materials Technology • North Liberty, IA

1d • Onsite

About The Position

Element has a current opening for a Microbiologist II-III at our North Liberty, IA location. Under general direction, the Microbiologist II-III performs moderate to highly complex laboratory testing and analysis on bacterial and fungal isolates to provide information to the SENTRY program, new drug development protocols and clinical trial protocols. Utilizes professional skill and judgment to perform a variety of microbiology procedures within the laboratory.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in a laboratory science field from an accredited college or university or an equivalent combination of EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE is required.
• 3-5 years of clinical laboratory work in a microbiology laboratory, and experience with MALDI-TOF for organism identification is required
• Good communication and organizational skills
• Work well in a team environment

Nice To Haves

• Certification by the American Society of Clinical Pathologists or National Certifying Agency is desirable.
• Previous experience conducting antimicrobial susceptibility testing of bacteria and fungi (yeasts and molds) using broth microdilution, agar dilution, and disk/test strips is preferred
• Familiarity with organism morphology (bacteria and/or fungi)

Responsibilities

• Processes incoming bacterial and fungal isolates following safety guidelines and using required PPE, selects and labels appropriate media and properly streaks for isolation.
• Assesses isolates that are received using professional judgment, knowledge of organism characteristics, MALDI-TOF and biochemical tests to properly identify organisms prior to banking.
• Performs MALDI-TOP isolate identifications and interprets results.
• Properly pulls frozen isolates from the bank for SENTRY, drug development protocol testing, and clinical trials.
• Prepares for susceptibility runs by performing purity checks, removing MIC panels from freezers, labeling of panels and tubes, and loosening caps on media tubes.
• Participates in all aspects of MIC testing including subbing isolates, preparing inoculums, pipetting, and running inoculating instruments.
• Interprets MICs results from broth microdilution, agar dilution, disk diffusion and Etest® methodologies.
• Observes and ensures coworkers are following safety guidelines and brings issues to the safety committee, as necessary.
• Participates on the clinical trial team or alternatively, is a member of the fungal team and is deemed proficient in two or more areas (fungal processing, yeast or mould susceptibility testing, etc.), as dictated by business needs.
• Performs highly complex quantitative and qualitative analysis on microbiological clinical trial and/or research isolates.
• Participates in new drug development protocols and/or clinical trial protocols which includes an array of susceptibility testing techniques such as broth microdilution + disks and/or Etest®, agar dilution, time-kills, PAEs.
• Follows GCP and CLIA regulations and guidelines for processing of clinical trial isolates, including chain of custody procedures.
• Participates in the overall quality assurance program by performing QC testing and documenting results appropriately.
• Monitors QC within the laboratory and implements effective corrective action.
• Investigates and resolves problems related to testing procedures.
• Serves as a subject matter expert in two or more areas in the laboratory, as deemed appropriate by managers.
• Supplies a reliable source of information and leadership to coworkers.
• Provides technical direction and oversight to Microbiologists for complex testing and analysis of microbiological isolates.
• Participates in training of Laboratory Assistants and Microbiologists on testing techniques and result interpretation, as requested by Lab Coordinator or Laboratory Manager.
• Assists with writing, revising and implementation of laboratory procedures according to CLSI and regulatory guidelines.
• Looks for ways to enhance operational efficiencies, increase productivity and decrease costs.
• Demonstrates professional development.
• Demonstrates strong communication skills and communicates appropriately and effectively to coworkers and management.
• Communicates effectively with vendors and service providers, as needed.
• Demonstrates ability to coordinate testing for multiple protocols simultaneously without compromising quality.

Benefits

• Element is one of the fastest growing testing, inspection and certification businesses in the world.
• Globally we have more than 9,000 brilliant minds operating from 270 sites across 30 countries.
• Together we share an ambitious purpose to ‘Make tomorrow safer than today’.
• When failure in use is not an option, we help customers make certain that their products, materials, processes and services are safe, compliant and fit for purpose.
• From early R&D, through complex regulatory approvals and into production, our global laboratory network of scientists, engineers, and technologists support customers to achieve assurance over product quality, sustainable outcomes, and market access.
• While we are proud of our global reach, working at Element feels like being part of a smaller company.
• We empower you to take charge of your career, and reward excellence and integrity with growth and development.
• Industries across the world depend on our care, attention to detail and the absolute accuracy of our work.
• The role we have to play in creating a safer world is much bigger than our organization.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level