Lab Quality Assurance Support - ORAU

The EPA National Student Services Contract has an immediate opening for a full time Lab Quality Assurance Support position with the Office of Research and Development at the EPA facility in Cincinnati, OH.

The Office of Research and Development at the EPA supports high-quality research to improve the scientific basis for decisions on national environmental issues and help EPA achieve its environmental goals. Research is conducted in a broad range of environmental areas by scientists in EPA laboratories and at universities across the country.

What the EPA project is about

The Office of Research and Development (ORD), Center for Environmental Measurements and Modeling (CEMM) is a scientific organization responsible for carrying out EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment by developing and applying innovations in exposure science. 

What experience and skills will you gain?

As a team member, you will assist the CEMM Quality Assurance Managers (QAMs) with the technical and administrative duties required to fulfill its obligations to CEMM, including scientific and technical support, database and records management, and communication of CEMM’s research and quality assurance (QA) program.

Scientific and Technical Support responsibilities will include:

• Assisting in planning, executing, and following up on meetings associated with activities of the CEMM Quality Assurance Managers (QAMs);
• Assisting in identifying opportunities for improvement in quality assurance activities and recommending solutions;
• Assisting the CEMM QAMs with review of QA documentation, procedures, and policies;
• Assisting in the development of quality assurance standard operating procedures, training materials, QA summary reports, or other materials necessary to support the quality program;
• Assisting the CEMM QAMs in the coordination, planning, and implementation of equipment calibrations, technical systems and audits of data quality, QA training, and distribution of QA documentation;
• Assisting the CEMM QAMs in conducting in-house lab equipment verifications at the facility, including (but not limited to) annual weight and thermometer verifications for all the working weights and thermometers in the lab;
• Assisting the Cincinnati Metrology Lab in performing lab equipment calibrations including, but not limited, to analytical balances and pipettes;
• Assisting the CEMM QAMs with the issuance, distribution and review of research notebooks; and
• Assisting the CEMM Director of Quality Assurance (DQA) or other CEMM Division QAMs with any of the above scientific and technical support responsibilities.

Database and Records Management responsibilities (for both administrative and scientific and technical support) will include:

• Assisting the CEMM QAMs in developing, maintaining and updating laboratory supporting research equipment inventories;
• Providing support to establish, maintain, and update several QA information databases and systems including, but not limited to, shared drives, SharePoint sites, quality assurance databases, tracking spreadsheets, training records, QA websites, etc.; and
• Assisting the CEMM DQA or other CEMM Division QAMs with any of the above database and records management responsibilities.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Work Experience, and Education

• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office applications including Excel, PowerPoint, and Word;
• Experience in administration support functions (i.e., recordkeeping, filing) and managing electronic and hardcopy records and/or databases;
• Strong communication skills (i.e., written, oral, telephone etiquette, presentation abilities), including effective multi-media technical communications; and
• Strong organizational skills, including demonstrated ability to handle multiple assignments with competing deadlines.

Desired Knowledge, Skills, Work Experience, and Education

• Experience with Microsoft Outlook, SharePoint, OneNote, and desktop publishing applications such as Visio.

Location:  This job will be located EPA’s facility in Cincinnati, OH.

Salary: Selected applicant will become a temporary employee of ORAU and will receive an hourly wage of $24.01 for hours worked.

Hours: Full-time.

Travel: Occasional overnight travel is not anticipated.

Expected start date: The position is full time and expected to begin November 2024. The selected applicant will become a temporary employee of ORAU working as a contractor to EPA. 

For more information, contact EPANSSC@orau.org. Do not contact EPA directly.

• Be at least 18 years of age and
• Have earned at least a Bachelor’s degree in biology, toxicology, chemistry, bioinformatics, statistics, computational biology, math, physics, information science or a closely related field of study and
• Be a citizen of the United States of America or a Legal Permanent Resident.

EPA ORD employees, their spouses, and children are not eligible to participate in this program.