JC-490993 – Wastewater Senior Microbiologist

Overview

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) works to protect the public’s health in California, and helps shape positive health outcomes for individuals, families, and communities.

The Center for Laboratory Sciences (CLS) is based on the Richmond Campus which employs more than 1,200 people. The Richmond Campus is a flat, 29-acre property located in Richmond’s Marina Bay. The CLS serves to protect and promote the health of all Californians through innovative and collaborative infectious disease and environmental testing, including provision of investigation and surveillance activities which form the basis of disease response and prevention. The CLS works to bring together emerging scientific capabilities in testing, analytics, and communications reflecting a new level of coordination, support, and leadership for the public health laboratory system at the state, local and national level. In addition, the Center relies on a continuous improvement infrastructure as a core value in developing solutions that emphasize a culture of quality and performance through performance management success.

The Drinking Water & Radiation Laboratory Branch (DWRLB) is staffed with approximately 35 professional scientists, technicians, and admin support personnel who support a variety of Public Health programs by conducting special studies and by providing scientific expertise and laboratory services.  DWRLB provides environmental radiation/radiochemistry measurements, testing marine biotoxins in shellfish, researching emerging chemical contaminants of public health concerns, testing of opioids and illicit drug residues, and is an accredited clinical laboratory for testing toxic substances and their metabolites in human specimens.  DWRLB conducts wastewater surveillance to detect viral and bacterial pathogens to protect, maintain and advance public health readiness against known and emerging infectious disease threats and does water testing for microbial pathogens and indicator organisms.  DWRLB is located in a state-of-the-art, 500,000 square foot facility located a few blocks from the San Francisco Bay at the CDPH Richmond Campus.

*The salary information listed on this advertisement may not reflect recent salary increases from salary adjustments or changes in the fiscal year.

*The CDPH is not currently an E-Verify employer.

Department Website: https://www.cdph.ca.gov

Candidates in one of these classifications, where a Master’s Degree is required to meet the minimum qualifications, shall receive an educational pay differential equivalent to 2% of their monthly base pay. Those where a Doctoral Degree is required to meet the minimum qualifications, shall receive an educational pay differential equivalent to 3% of their monthly base pay. Individuals with both a Master’s and Doctoral Degree will be given the best benefit in relation to salary shall only be eligible for only one amount.

This position supports the California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) mission and strategic plan by coordinating sample collection and receipt from wastewater utilities across the state, processing the samples, performing laboratory testing, reporting the detected pathogen results, and evaluating results for trends and correlating wastewater results to reported case numbers.

The Research Scientist (RS) IV (Microbiological Sciences) , acting as the Wastewater Senior Microbiologist in the Wastewater Surveillance Section (WWSS) of the Drinking Water and Radiation Laboratory Branch (DWRLB), serves as a technical lead and subject matter expert for wastewater sample testing, genomic sequencing and data analyses, design and development of laboratory protocols of new assays and methods, including bioinformatics to target variants and pathogens of concern, troubleshooting and providing technical assistance to Research Scientists II / III and to outside partners, preparing technical reports, overseeing data integrity and reporting processes.

Minimum Requirements

You will find the Minimum Requirements in the Class Specification.

RESEARCH SCIENTIST IV (MICROBIOLOGICAL SCIENCES)
How To Apply

Complete Application Packages (including your Examination/Employment Application (STD 678) and applicable or required documents) must be submitted to apply for this Job Posting. Application Packages may be submitted electronically through your CalCareer Account at www.CalCareers.ca.gov. When submitting your application in hard copy, a completed copy of the Application Package listing must be included.

https://calcareers.ca.gov/CalHrPublic/Jobs/JobPosting.aspx?JobControlId=490993

At the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), equity, diversity, and inclusion are at the core of our mission to advance the health and well-being of California’s diverse people and communities. We are genuinely and strongly committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of inclusion and connectedness where we can grow and learn together with a diverse team of employees. In recruiting for team members, we welcome the unique contributions that you can bring to us and the work we do.