Microbiology Supervisor

Job Description and Duties

Incumbents 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 protecting the public’s health by enhancing California’s resilience to current and emerging health threats, promoting health and wellness by advancing protective measures and reducing risk, and by strengthening the Public Health workforce through recruitment and development and talent acquisition. All of these contribute to CDPH’s Mission to advance the health and well-being of California’s diverse people and communities.

The Research Scientist Supervisor I (Microbiological Sciences) (RSS I (MS)) acts as a working level supervisor for the Microbiology and Program Support Unit to oversee the wastewater surveillance testing for infectious diseases, the environmental microbiology outbreak response testing, and water and wastewater testing for microbial pathogens. The RSS I (MS) independently conceive and develops novel research projects and supervises, coordinates, guides implementation of major laboratory research on microorganisms and pathogens related to environmental health, and plans research studies requiring interdisciplinary direction, supervision, and coordination. RSS I (MS) acts as a technical lead in environmental microbiology related to infectious diseases monitoring and outbreak response, microbiological contamination in water, harmful algal blooms toxins, recreation water quality and related areas of importance to public health. Manages laboratory accreditation and quality control and quality assurance programs for laboratory inspections and documentation control. Assists in managing and maintaining cooperative agreements and completion of deliverables and progress reports with internal and external stakeholders and collaborators on research programs. Assists in drafting workplans, grant proposals and budgets to oversee grant deliverables. Serves as a subject matter expert and represents research programs with partners and collaborators, and present findings and provide program updates at State and Federal conferences and meetings. Provides training and guidance on laboratory programs with key stakeholders and collaborators, including development of environmental metrics for regulations and infectious disease monitoring.

The incumbent works under the general supervision of the Research Scientist Supervisor II (RSS II) in the Microbiology & Biomonitoring Section of the Drinking Water and Radiation Laboratory Branch (DWRLB).

The attached duty statement indicates whether this position is eligible for telework. All employees who telework are required to be California residents in accordance with Government Code 14200, and may be required to report to a CDPH office, when needed. Candidates who reside outside of the state of California may be interviewed; however, the selected candidate must have a primary residency in the state of California prior to appointment (and continue to maintain California residency) as a condition of employment. Failure to meet this requirement may result in the job offer being rescinded.

Please let us know how you heard about our position by taking this brief survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CDPHRecruitment

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

You will find additional information about the job in the Duty Statement.

Minimum Requirements

You will find the Minimum Requirements in the Class Specification.

• RESEARCH SCIENTIST SUPERVISOR I (MICROBIOLOGICAL SCIENCES)

Additional Documents

• Job Application Package Checklist
• Duty Statement

Position Details

Job Code #:

JC-420974

Position #(s):

580-722-5645-001

Working Title:

Microbiology Supervisor

Classification:

RESEARCH SCIENTIST SUPERVISOR I (MICROBIOLOGICAL SCIENCES)

$8,984.00 – $11,196.00

# of Positions:

1

Work Location:

Contra Costa County

Telework:

In Office

Job Type:

Permanent, Full Time

Department Information

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.

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 (DWRL) has two Sections, Microbiology & Biomonitoring Section (MBS) and Chemistry & Radiochemistry Section (CRS). DWRL 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. DWRL 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. DWRL conducts surveillance of wastewater to detect viral and bacterial diseases 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. DWRL 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.

Special Requirements

In order to be considered for this position, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts official or un-official and/or Degree for education verification.

For experience/education to qualify during the application screening process, and to ensure that minimum qualifications can be determined, applicants should include all employment history on the Employment Application (STD 678) and/or Resume, including detailed job descriptions, hours worked per week, and start/end dates (MM/DD/YYYY). Application packages without this information will experience delayed processing times and your eligibility for this position may be impacted.

A completed State application (STD. 678) and any other relevant documents (e.g. unofficial transcript, copy of degree, resume, etc.) should be submitted electronically via your CalCareers Account. Please reference Job Control # (420974) and indicate the basis of your eligibility in the Examination(s) or Job Title(s) section. SROA and surplus candidates should submit a copy of their letter with their application. Please remove any confidential information (i.e. social security number, date of birth) from your documents prior to submission.

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 CalCareers Account at www.CalCareers.ca.gov. Submitting an electronic application through your CalCareers account is strongly recommended since electronic applications will be received/processed faster than other methods of filing. Please submit only one application.

If you are unable to submit your application electronically through your CalCareers account, please email [email protected] for assistance and a CDPH Human Resources Division staff member will contact you to assist with the online application process or, a hard copy application package may be submitted through an alternative method as explained in the How to Apply section below. When submitting your application in hard copy, a completed copy of the Application Package listing must be included.

Application Instructions

Completed applications and all required documents must be received or postmarked by the Final Filing Date in order to be considered. Dates printed on Mobile Bar Codes, such as the Quick Response (QR) Codes available at the USPS, are not considered Postmark dates for the purpose of determining timely filing of an application.

Final Filing Date: 3/27/2024

Who May Apply

Individuals who are currently in the classification, eligible for lateral transfer, eligible for reinstatement, have list eligibility, are in the process of obtaining list eligibility, or have SROA and/or Surplus eligibility (please attach your letter, if available). SROA and Surplus candidates are given priority; therefore, individuals with other eligibility may be considered in the event no SROA or Surplus candidates apply. Individuals who are eligible for a Training and Development assignment may also be considered for this position(s).

Applications will be screened and only the most qualified applicants will be selected to move forward in the selection process.Applicants must meet the Minimum Qualifications stated in the Classification Specification(s).

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. If you choose to not apply electronically, a hard copy application package may be submitted through an alternative method listed below:

Address for Mailing Application Packages

You may submit your application and any applicable or required documents to:

Department of Public Health

Attn: Classification & Certification Unit

P.O. Box 997378

MS 1700-1702

Sacramento, CA95899-7378

Address for Drop-Off Application Packages

You may drop off your application and any applicable or required documents at:

Department of Public Health

Classification & Certification Unit

1615 Capitol Avenue Suite 73.430

Sacramento, CA95814

08:00 AM – 05:00 PM

Required Application Package Documents

The following items are required to be submitted with your application. Applicants who do not submit the required items timely may not be considered for this job:

• Current version of the State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678 (when not applying electronically), or the Electronic State Employment Application through your Applicant Account at www.CalCareers.ca.gov. All Experience and Education relating to the Minimum Qualifications listed on the Classification Specification should be included to demonstrate how you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the position.
• Resume is required and must be included.
• Other –
• Please see Supplemental Questionnaire instructions below at end of Posting. Any applications received that do not provide a written response to the SQ will not be scored/reviewed. 

Applicants requiring reasonable accommodations for the hiring interview process must request the necessary accommodations if scheduled for a hiring interview. The request should be made at the time of contact to schedule the interview. Questions regarding reasonable accommodations may be directed to the EEO contact listed on this job posting.

Desirable Qualifications

In addition to evaluating each candidate’s relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate:

The successful candidate must have excellent communication skills and broad technical knowledge of laboratory operations, procedures, problem solving, and instrument procurement, maintenance, and repair as well as working knowledge of laboratory quality systems. The incumbent should possess hands-on laboratory experience, experience training laboratory staff in complex laboratory techniques and instrumentation, the ability to manage a complex portfolio of public health laboratory services for multiple clients, and experience in efficient delivery of reliable laboratory services. The individual will ensure the successful functioning of the Unit by promoting a positive work environment and by effective direction of supervised employees, and through regular communication with the Section Chief (RSS II).

Benefits

Benefit information can be found on the CalHR website and the CalPERS website.

Contact Information

The Human Resources Contact is available to answer questions regarding the application process. The Hiring Unit Contact is available to answer questions regarding the position.

Human Resources Contact:

Human Resources Division

(916) 445-0983

[email protected]

Hiring Unit Contact:

Thomas Maldonado

(510) 620-2914

[email protected]

Please direct requests for Reasonable Accommodations to the interview scheduler at the time the interview is being scheduled. You may direct any additional questions regarding Reasonable Accommodations or Equal Employment Opportunity for this position(s) to the Department’s EEO Office.

EEO Contact:

EEO Office

(916) 445-0938

California Relay Service: 1-800-735-2929 (TTY), 1-800-735-2922 (Voice) TTY is a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf, and is reachable only from phones equipped with a TTY Device.

Supplemental Questionnaire (SQ) Instructions

Please provide a response to the Supplemental Questionnaire below. Limit your response to one (1) page or less per question (font: Arial, size 11).

(1) Lab supervisor: Describe your supervisory or scientific experience in providing leadership and guidance to scientific staff. Include your role in training and serving as advisor or consultant to other lower-level scientists.

(2) Scientific SME: Describe your experience in acting as a scientific subject matter expert and in presenting scientific research or investigations. Include the type of research or investigation planned and independence of action.

(3) Ensuring reliability of data: Describe your role in the quality systems, level of responsibility for data quality, review of data packages& example(s) of corrective actions implemented.

(4) Improving efficiency and timeliness of public health lab services: Give examples of workload issues you faced; how did you solve backlogs; ideas you have about additional mitigations.

PLEASE NOTE: Resumes, letters, Statement of Qualifications, transcripts, degrees, your state application, cover letters and other materials will not take the place of the Supplemental Questionnaire. Simply copying and pasting your resume will also not be accepted. Applications received without an SQ may be rejected.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The State of California is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

It is an objective of the State of California to achieve a drug-free work place. Any applicant for state employment will be expected to behave in accordance with this objective because the use of illegal drugs is inconsistent with the law of the State, the rules governing Civil Service, and the special trust placed in public servants.

Read Full Description