DRUG CHEMISTRY SECTION TECHNICAL LEAD - Medical Examiner

Tarrant County; Fort Worth (TX); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Tarrant County’s Medical Examiner’s Office seeks an experienced advanced laboratory professional to lead specialized units (Drug Chemistry, Firearms & Toolmarks, Trace Evidence) and act as a technical advisor. You will perform analyses, prepare reports, and testify in court, while maintaining equipment, inventory, and procedural manuals.

The role requires staying current with forensic science advancements, supporting audits, and ensuring compliance with accreditation standards in a demanding

Qualifications

• Attends regularly and is punctual
• Works well with others and meets essential functions
• Open to accommodations for hours and schedules as needed
• Maintains health and safety with respect to hazardous materials

Responsibilities

• Performs advanced collection, analysis, and evaluation of evidence using standard techniques.
• Prepares written reports and provides results to law enforcement, pathologists, and attorneys; testifies in court.
• Maintains inventory of supplies and manages laboratory resources.
• Conducts validation studies and implements validated procedures; may participate in independent research.
• Provides technical assistance to law enforcement regarding testing decisions.
• Develops, updates, and maintains manuals and training materials; reviews laboratory procedures.
• Performs technical reviews and verifications of casework; supports accreditation efforts.
• Acts as lead scientific advisor for the laboratory section and SME for discipline.
• Evaluates validation and method approvals; documents deviations and ensures protocol compliance.
• Performs routine preventive maintenance and QC logging; coordinates service calls.
• Updates section protocols and may generate monthly laboratory statistics.
• Assists Laboratory Director with audits and responses for nonconformances.
• Maintains waste handling documentation.
• Performs other duties to support the Medical Examiner’s Office.

Skills

Lab leadership

Court testimony

Technical reporting

Instruction & training

Quality control

Inventory management

Analytical techniques

Evidence interpretation

Tools

Laboratory instrumentation

Job description

Performs advanced-level laboratory professional duties on a daily basis to achieve short- and long-term goals of the Medical Examiner’s Office and serves as the technical leader of the specialized unit. These units include Drug Chemistry, Firearms & Toolmarks, and Trace Evidence.

1. Performs advanced sophisticated collection, analysis, and evaluation of evidence utilizing standardized and industry acceptable techniques.


2. Prepares written reports and provides results to law enforcement agencies, pathologists, and attorneys. Testifies to reported results in court proceedings.


3. Stays updated in technological advancements and trends in the forensic scientific community.


4. Ensures completion of quotes for supplies and reagents, maintains sufficient inventory of supplies needed for workload, and manages the allocated supply resources for the laboratory section.


5. Conducts educational instruction on lab procedures.


6. Conducts validation studies and implements procedures that incorporate the validation results approved by the Technical Leader and Laboratory Director. May participate in independent research.


7. Provides technical assistance to law enforcement agencies regarding the appropriate testing course of action.


8. Develops, modifies, and maintains manuals for training, quality, section-specific documents, controlled forms, and lab procedures with supervisor approval.


9. Performs technical reviews and verifications of casework.


10. Serves as lead scientific technical advisor of the operations of the laboratory section and as a subject matter expert for discipline.


11. Evaluates and documents approval of validations, performance verifications, and methods used by the laboratory and proposes new or modified analytical procedures to be used by analysts.


12. Evaluates requests for deviation from procedure within the section and determines that a requested deviation from protocol is technically justified before approval.


13. Performs routine preventative maintenance on equipment and quality control procedures; initiates service calls for repair of instrumentation and equipment; ensures completion of quality logs for calibrations, repairs, and daily maintenance; ensures completion of logbooks for reagent prep and QC standards and controls; approves critical items affecting the quality of testing; and verifies any items received are appropriate and suitable for use.


14. Updates section protocols.


15. May generate laboratory statistics and monthly billing summaries to Business Office.


16. Assists the Laboratory Director in producing internal and external audit responses for any nonconformances. Works with Laboratory Director to comply with laboratory accreditation requirements.


17. Maintains section waste handling and required documentation.


18. Performs other related duties involved in the operation of the Medical Examiner’s Office as assigned or required.

• Regular attendance is essential.


• Incumbent must arrive at work on time, prepared to perform assigned duties and work assigned schedule. Incumbent must have the ability to work well with others.


• Incumbent must be able to perform the essential functions of the position without posing a direct threat to the health or safety of themselves or others.


• Requested accommodations to work hours and schedules are considered on an individual basis.


• Tarrant County will conduct background checks that will include a criminal background check and may include credit reports, motor vehicle records, employment records, educational attainment, or additional State or Federal legal requirements.

While performing the duties of this position, the incumbent is regularly required to bend, carry, use hand tools, use hazardous machinery, keyboard, kneel, lift below the waist, pull, push, reach, perform repetitive tasks, sit, be exposed to solvents, stand, talk, and walk. The hazards associated with this position may include handling physical evidence from evaluating loaded firearms and explosives to dealing with dangerous chemicals and bloodborne pathogens associated with biological evidence and human remains. There is routine exposure to decomposition with odorous specimens and graphic visual situations.