Microbiologist II

Tanaq Management Services•Atlanta, GA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Tanaq Management Services (TMS), a subsidiary of St. George Tanaq Corporation, provides professional, scientific, technical, and IT services to federal agencies. TMS is seeking a Microbiologist II to support public health laboratory projects involving post-vaccine monitoring, clinical sample evaluation, infectious disease research, molecular epidemiology, and surveillance. The role works with professionals from varied backgrounds and collaborates with agencies and internal and external partners on research that contributes to the fight against disease. The Microbiologist II performs laboratory-based work, develops and implements complex laboratory procedures, completes quality-control training, troubleshoots problems, and provides programmatic guidance to the team. The position supports pathogen isolation, identification, and subtyping; molecular diagnostics; sequencing and metagenomic analyses; and scientific project data analysis. It also contributes to project documentation, reporting, protocol development, and communication with clients and project teams. This is a fully onsite position at the customer’s location in Atlanta, Georgia.

Requirements

At least 2–3 years of laboratory experience with molecular biological laboratory procedures and methods.
Research experience involving preparation and handling of nucleic acid samples, real-time PCR, ELISA, or similar methods.
Extensive knowledge of laboratory principles and standard methods.
Experience analyzing scientific project and program data using appropriate programs, such as Excel and BLAST.
Experience assisting with specimen accessioning, scanning, and uploading documents into an electronic laboratory management system (ELIMS).
Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Excel.
Strong attention to detail.
Ability to work independently and as part of a team in a fast-paced setting.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Effective organizational skills.
Ability to obtain necessary immunizations, including Hepatitis B and other relevant immunizations.
Ability to obtain a government clearance.
Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship now or in the future.
Bachelor’s degree in molecular biology, microbiology, life sciences, or a closely related field.
Ability to obtain respiratory clearance and undergo fit testing if required.
Ability to sit for prolonged periods and work at a computer.
May need to lift 25 pounds regularly.
Ability to work with hazardous chemicals and potentially infectious biological agents.
Physical ability to perform repetitive motions, including pipetting and operating cell counters.

Nice To Haves

Experience with next-generation sequencing (NGS).
Experience in laboratory diagnosis of viral infections.
Experience writing project reports, research protocols, and manuscripts, and synthesizing new research ideas.
Experience working at CDC or in a public health setting.
Master’s degree.

Responsibilities

Oversee laboratory project aims.
Assist with the development and implementation of new laboratory procedures.
Train and mentor junior team members.
Ensure quality-control measures are followed accurately.
Communicate effectively with technical and non-technical audiences.
Stay familiar with scientific advances and ensure program alignment with them.
Support conventional and molecular microbiologic techniques for pathogen isolation, identification, and subtyping.
Ensure samples for sequencing and metagenomic analysis, including extraction and library preparation, are handled according to SOPs.
Develop and/or validate experimental procedures.
Meet with staff and subject matter experts or project leads at least bi-weekly to discuss testing results and plans.
Ensure experiments and equipment maintenance comply with CLIA and QMS requirements.
Ensure molecular diagnostic reagents for PCR and sequencing, and QA/QC activities such as proficiency testing, are developed.
Collaborate on genetic analysis projects and studies with internal and external partners.
Analyze assay results and maintain quality controls during testing.
Validate project experimental results.
Ensure projects remain within the scope of work.
Assist with drafting, editing, and/or reviewing scientific project and program documents, reports, and analyses.
Verify incoming specimen processing, inventory, and chain-of-custody requirements as determined by Lab Coordinators.
Prepare written protocols and documents according to QMS guidelines.
Analyze scientific project and program data using appropriate programs such as Excel and BLAST.
Provide a weekly project update to the client and/or program management.