Senior Scientist (Weekend) - CL504

Virginia Information Technologies Agency • Richmond, VA

3d • $69,000 - $83,000 • Onsite

About The Position

DGS is seeking a Senior Scientist for our Newborn Screening Laboratory at
the Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services (DCLS)
[https://dgs.virginia.gov/division-of-consolidated-laboratory-services/about/about-dcls/].
This position serves as a permanent Weekend Senior Scientist (Tuesday-Saturday
schedule). This position will perform and oversee filter paper blood spot
analysis for a variety of genetic and metabolic disorders as required by the
Code of Virginia.

Virginia’s Newborn Screening Program is a partnership between DCLS and the
Virginia Department of Health to screen each baby born in Virginia for certain
rare yet serious metabolic and genetic disorders. Babies with these disorders
may look healthy at birth but can suffer devastating consequences, even death,
if the disorder goes untreated. The Newborn Screening Group works with various
platforms including mass spectrometry, electrophoresis, microfluidics, automated
immunoassays, and molecular techniques including polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
and sequencing.

As a member of the Newborn Screening laboratory team, the Senior Scientist will
support customer service and quality assurance efforts, review analytical
results, write, review and update SOPs, train staff, act as a technical
specialist and prioritize, schedule and coordinate testing performed by other
staff members, as needed. This position will also participate in product
evaluations, method validations, and maintain competency according to the agency
accreditation requirements. These duties are performed independently with
minimal supervision from the Group Manager.

This position will be in Richmond, Virginia and must report on-site.

This Weekend Senior Scientist is required to work a permanent Tuesday - Saturday
schedule. Dedicated established NBS Weekend Senior Scientists are required to
achieve competence and remain competent in multiple time sensitive testing
benches to meet weekend testing requirements.

Weekend Senior Scientists are required to achieve time sensitive testing
competencies within 6 months of their effective hire date and begin the weekend
schedule for which they were hired.  After competencies have been achieved and
the incumbent is placed on the weekend shift, the NBS Weekend Scientist’s salary
will be adjusted to reflect the additional competencies they are required to
maintain in adherence to their assigned dedicated weekend schedule.

Hours of work for this position are typically 8 hours per day/5 days per week
with a set schedule of Tuesday through Saturday. The initial training period
will be Monday through Friday.

In addition, some holiday work and on-call coverage are required.

Requirements

• Meet the requirements for technical supervisor in a high complexity testing laboratory as defined by 42 CFR 493.1449. [https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/section-493.1449]
• Candidate must demonstrate significant knowledge and experience in clinical laboratory testing.
• Experience with safe laboratory practices.
• Experience with quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) procedures and ability to document and interpret QC data.
• Experience training staff.
• Experience operating and troubleshooting laboratory instrumentation.
• Ability to communicate effectively and work in a team environment.
• Ability to work a set schedule of Tuesday through Saturday, with some holiday work as well as on-call coverage.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with high complexity, high volume clinical laboratory testing using automated laboratory equipment.
• Experience with Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS).
• Work-related experience serving as a team leader and experience with prioritizing, scheduling and coordinating laboratory testing of others.
• Work-related experience with mass spectrometry, including LC-MS/MS.
• Work-related experience with immunoassays, molecular biology assays, enzyme activity assays, and/or HPLC.

Responsibilities

• Serves as a Senior Scientist on the Saturday team.
• Performs assigned testing and approvals for all time-critical disorders.
• Independently provides oversight of all NBS weekend workflow including collection card management, bench testing workflow, troubleshooting, test results release/approval, and critical reporting communication.
• Performs and oversees high complexity testing.
• Schedules and prioritizes workflow for assigned group or work area to ensure turnaround times are met.
• Reviews and approves the work of others and documents approval of data using LIMS.

Benefits

• DGS offers excellent health benefits at affordable pricing, pre-tax spending accounts, paid life insurance, paid Short- and Long-Term Disability benefits, paid holidays, vacation, and other leave benefits, wellness programs, and a state retirement plan with options for tax-deferred retirement savings including employer matching.
• Additionally, supplemental bus passes, ride share, or parking are available, and DGS is a qualifying employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program [https://studentaid.gov/pslf/].

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed