E00519 – R&D Technician

Position Overview:

The ideal candidate should enjoy working in a fast-paced environment where she/he will have the opportunity to work in all aspects of the laboratory and contribute to the growth of the company, as well as develop his/her career. The Research & Development (R&D) Technician position is directly under the supervision of the Senior Scientist. R&D technicians work within the development and research efforts of the organization and oversee conducting research on a variety of topics and writing extensive reports. Areas of pipeline research will include infectious disease, inherited and somatic cancers, pathobiology, and genomics among others. The position of R&D Technician is broad in scope encompassing a strong background in basic sciences and one to three years of experience in technical writing, research analysis and project management. All test systems in the lab are molecular based and require strong attention to detail to perform DNA/RNA extractions and assays with specialized molecular techniques and analysis instrumentation.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Performs complex molecular diagnostic DNA based tests in a high complexity laboratory.
• The main responsibilities of R&D technicians focus on managing development programs and modifying specific features to improve efficiency.
• Ensures the laboratory is kept in a safe working environment and in compliance with OSHA and other laboratory safety standards.
• Participates in all Out of Specification (OOS) and Out of Trend (OOT) investigations within the Molecular Lab.
• Analyze products or schematics to detect process or material improvements for old and new products.
• Evaluate products and packaging to determine improvements.
• Create strong business relationships with vendors and often gain experience by working alongside suppliers.
• Analyze processing and other packaging options and identify flaws during their creation processes to make them more efficient and require less company resources.
• Extensively document process and materials for creation of old and new products, including quality control.
• Performs testing and analyzing the feasibility of products and service launches, so organizational skills and close attention to detail are important.
• Capable of leading other team members and assuming additional responsibilities to the company.
• Participate in CAP and Alternate Proficiency testing programs.
• Potential for travel on company assignments for the purpose of training and implementation.

Education and Experience

• Must meet CLIA requirements for testing personnel — moderate to high complexity.
• A bachelor’s degree in research analysis, development management, engineering, or a related field is generally required for this position, and prior experience in a relevant work capacity is highly beneficial.
• Industry certifications are also helpful.
• One to three years of clinical laboratory work experience — Molecular (DNA based) analysis is desired.
• Knowledge of PCR based procedures and PCR contamination control required.
• Expert knowledge of science principles through years of training.

Competencies:

• Possess ability to develop and lead team members in the workflow according to shift goals
• Knowledge of clinical laboratory quality and safety regulations
• Experience operating PCR instrumentation, including maintenance, troubleshooting, and data review
• Familiarity preparing and reading manual differentials preferred
• Experience using and creating general documents using MS Office Suite and/or Google documents
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent written and oral communication
• Advanced technical and communication skills
• Oversight of workflow and competencies
• Strong problem-solving skills

Work Environment: May work in a variety of laboratory environments at Biosafety Levels I or II. They spend much of their time on their feet, actively working with patient samples on complex equipment.

Physical Demands: While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to use hands to finger, handle or feel objects, tools or controls. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move objects up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision and the ability to adjust focus.

Travel: Work related travel will be minimal (see responsibilities).