Quality Assurance Officer

Battelle•WASHINGTON, DC

10d•$98,000 - $139,000•Hybrid

About The Position

As a Quality Assurance Officer, you will be joining a dynamic team providing invaluable support to a large government contract performing applied laboratory research across a diverse range of biological and chemical biological disciplines. Operating in a collaborative environment, this position supports quality and facility operations for a CBRNE laboratory environment by helping oversee maintenance coordination, hazardous and biomedical waste handling, and issue resolution for specialized equipment in controlled settings. This role tracks maintenance work orders through closeout, interfaces with facility support providers, assists with troubleshooting, and contributes to configuration management activities and audits. The position helps ensure operational reliability, compliance, and safe execution of laboratory support activities. The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong organizational and communication skills, responsiveness to operational issues, and the ability to work effectively with government sponsors, technical teams, and other key stakeholders in support of complex national security and laboratory operations. This position offers an exhilarating opportunity to collaborate with a dynamic, multidisciplinary team committed to advancing scientific knowledge and solving our customer’s toughest challenges. This full-time position is contingent upon contract award and will be in Washington DC.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in a related field; 5 years of experience in a quality assurance program applied to laboratory operations, and proven leadership skills; or an equivalent combination of education and/or experience in a related field.
Experience with ISO 9001, ISO 17025, or other quality standard.
Ability to work in a secure environment and Secret security clearance, with experience supporting laboratory, biodefense, CBRNE, or other high-consequence operational environments strongly preferred.
Hold a valid driver's license and have a working knowledge of Microsoft (MS) Office products including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
Sole U.S. citizenship, with the ability to obtain and maintain required government security clearances as a condition of employment.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of Battelle policies and procedures.
Experience participating on committees both internal and external to the organization to provide a quality perspective on continual improvement processes.
Certified auditor (i.e. ASQ Certified Quality Auditor, ISO 9001:2015 Certified Auditor, etc).
Experience supporting a variety of quality programs.

Responsibilities

Reviews and determines the appropriate corrective action for areas of noncompliance, and either implements these actions or makes recommendations to management for complex issues that require extensive knowledge and experience.
Facilitates causal analysis to identify root causes, develops action plans, oversees the implementation of corrective and preventive actions, and verifies the effectiveness of these corrective measures.
Collaborates with management to develop research proposals, ensuring a thorough understanding of interested party requirements and execution risks.
Identifies gaps in quality management system controls and drives process development and improvement to meet applicable requirements.
Provides quality assurance cost estimates for planned work.
Collaborates with management to develops quality assurance policies and procedures to reflect changes in industry- or government-related regulations and Battelle policy.
Develops and executes quality assurance plans, applying appropriate measures, metrics, and management controls with the goal of guiding flawless project execution and delivery.
Provides mentoring to junior quality assurance staff and may develop and conduct quality assurance training programs.
Maintains comprehensive knowledge of all relevant regulations, as well as current Battelle and department policies.
In coordination with Quality management, assigns new studies to auditors, ensuring workloads are balanced and that inspections are completed at their respective sites.
Conducts work within prescribed budgets or consults with management before proceeding with tasks.
Oversee junior staff on projects ensuring budgets are met.
Performs validation audits of equipment and systems, conducts internal facility inspections for compliance with all stated requirements, and completes peer reviews of audits.
Provides guidance to auditors and conducts routine, non-routine, or focused internal quality assurance audits or inspections as necessary or required.
Performs or assists Manager on inspections/audits performed by clients and/or regulatory agencies.
Reviews subcontracted services on site to ensure experimental procedures are being followed.
Reviews project operations to confirm adherence to experimental procedures.
Prepares written reports of audit and inspection findings for management and ensures that appropriate corrective actions are taken.
May represent Quality Assurance and/or management on key committees such as Computer Software Validation Committee and SOP Committee.