About the role
This role is for a microbiologist who can move between bench work, method performance, data review, SOPs, validation and verification design, analyst training, and technical decision-making.
The work may include culture-based microbiology, qPCR or other molecular methods, and endotoxin testing, depending on the lab’s active scope.
Responsibilities
- Own technical oversight for microbiology testing workflows, including quantitative enumeration, qualitative detection, qPCR-based assays, and endotoxin methods.
- Support methods such as Total Aerobic Plate Count, Total Yeast and Mold, Total Coliform, E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria, STEC, Staphylococcus, qPCR detection and confirmation workflows, and endotoxin testing as applicable.
- Develop, verify, validate, transfer, and troubleshoot microbiology methods for food, dietary supplement, botanical, hemp and cannabis, kratom, consumer product, environmental, and other relevant matrices.
- Design verification and validation studies with appropriate matrix grouping, inclusivity and exclusivity, detection capability, precision, recovery, probability of detection, false positive and false negative risk, inhibition controls, spike recovery, and routine-use controls.
- Own qPCR assay performance, including extraction suitability, inhibition assessment, amplification controls, standard curves where applicable, Ct or Cq review, contamination control, and interpretation logic.
- Own endotoxin method performance, including product interference, enhancement and inhibition testing, spike recovery, dilution strategy, MVD logic, reagent controls, and defensible reporting.
- Write and maintain SOPs, validation and verification protocols, uncertainty procedures, worksheets, controlled forms, and technical justifications.
- Review plates, colony counts, confirmations, raw data, qPCR runs, endotoxin runs, dilution records, incubator records, media and reagent records, QC results, deviations, and final result packages.
- Investigate contamination, inhibition, unexpected positives and negatives, high variance, media and reagent issues, incubation failures, analyst technique issues, and proficiency testing problems.
- Train analysts and document competency for routine and non-routine microbiology, qPCR, and endotoxin methods.
Required qualifications
- BS, MS, or PhD in microbiology, biology, molecular biology, food science, or a related field, or equivalent industry experience.
- 5+ years of hands-on microbiology laboratory experience in testing, method validation, technical review, or lab supervision.
- Strong understanding of culture-based microbiology methods, aseptic technique, sample preparation, dilution schemes, incubation, colony counting, confirmation, and reporting.
- Hands-on experience with qPCR or other molecular microbiology workflows.
- Working knowledge of endotoxin testing or willingness to own endotoxin method qualification quickly.
- Experience writing technical documents that analysts can actually use.
- Comfortable working under a quality system with traceable records and controlled procedures.
- Practical bench judgment around contamination control, inhibition, matrix effects, sample heterogeneity, analyst variability, and reporting risk.
Preferred qualifications
- Experience with LAL, recombinant Factor C, kinetic chromogenic, kinetic turbidimetric, or gel-clot endotoxin methods.
- Familiarity with USP <85>, USP <1223>, ISO/IEC 17025, ISO 19036, ISO 16140-3, AOAC, FDA BAM, cGMP, proficiency testing, or measurement uncertainty.
- Experience with food, dietary supplement, botanical, cannabis and hemp, kratom, consumer product, environmental, or pharmaceutical-adjacent microbiology.
- Experience leading analysts, reviewing production data, managing technical investigations, or supporting audits.
First 90 days
- You understand the current microbiology scope, sample types, workflows, quality expectations, and recurring failure modes.
- You have taken ownership of at least one culture-based, qPCR, or endotoxin method package.
- Analysts are getting clearer instructions, better review feedback, and fewer avoidable reruns.
- qPCR inhibition and interpretation logic and endotoxin interference controls are documented more defensibly.
- Leadership trusts your judgment on method readiness, data quality, and operational risk.
Who this role is not for
- Someone who only wants research and does not want production responsibility.
- Someone who treats documentation as clerical work.
- Someone who is loose with aseptic technique, molecular contamination control, raw data, or traceability.
- Someone who cannot explain microbiology risk plainly.
- Someone who needs every method to be textbook-clean before making practical progress.
Apply
Use the application form below. Include your resume and, if you have one handy, a short technical writing sample.
Benefits: Paid time off and flexible sick leave