Research Associate

Overview

DRT Strategies delivers expert management consulting and IT solutions to large federal agencies, state and local government, and commercial clients in health care, technology, and financial services industries. The company's name, DRT, stands for Driving Resolution Together, reflecting its collaborative approach to solving clients' challenges.

Job Summary

Serve as the go-to clinical microbiology expert for a national VA public health program. Provide authoritative guidance on complex and emerging tests, validate new techniques, and advance the quality of specialized testing in support of patient care.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a subject-matter expert providing authoritative advice and consultation on difficult, complex, or unique tests using specialized knowledge (e.g., PCR, specialized tests, microbiology automation).
• Apply recent, hands-on clinical microbiology experience to work with patient specimens and instrumentation typically found in a hospital laboratory.
• Perform method validations, including assessment of accuracy, precision, sensitivity, specificity, normal ranges, and interfering substances.
• Advise on test selection, troubleshooting, workflow, and instrumentation, and contribute to standard operating procedures.

Requirements

• Recent hands-on experience in a Clinical Microbiology laboratory (hospital, clinic, or reference lab) working with patient specimens and instrumentation typically found in a hospital laboratory.
• Expert-level/specialized knowledge in PCR, specialized tests, and/or microbiology automation.
• Experience providing authoritative advice and troubleshooting for markedly difficult, unique, or emerging tests, such as molecular testing on the Cepheid Infinity, bacterial identification and susceptibility testing on bioMérieux VITEK, and blood-culture detection on BacT/ALERT.
• Experience performing method validations (accuracy, precision, sensitivity, specificity, normal ranges, interfering substances).
• Experience applying laws, policies, and clinical laboratory accrediting requirements to establish, monitor, and maintain specialized testing; experience authoring SOPs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in clinical laboratory science, microbiology, medical technology, or a related life science required; advanced degree preferred.
• ASCP certification (e.g., MLS, or microbiology specialist M(ASCP)/SM) strongly preferred.

Benefits

Salary range: $90,000 - $115,000. Salary commensurate with experience.

Pay

Salary range: $90,000 - $115,000. Salary commensurate with experience.

Schedule

This is an onsite role based in Northern California, with occasional travel to affiliated medical facilities in the surrounding region.