Microbiologist III

Curia; United States; On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous benefit options

Paid training, vacation and holidays

Career advancement opportunities

Education reimbursement

401K program with matching

Job summary

Curia Aalborg ApS in Albuquerque, NM is seeking a Microbiologist III to perform advanced microbiology testing and quality activities supporting production, environmental monitoring, and product release in a pharmaceutical manufacturing setting.

The role ensures regulatory compliance by conducting microbiological assays, trend analyses, and accurate documentation, while collaborating across cross-functional teams to drive continuous improvement and uphold patient safety.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a scientific discipline and minimum five years related work experience.
• Minimum of three years industry experience in GMP/GLP environments preferred.
• Experience with pharmaceutical cleanrooms and FDA cGMPs (21 CFR 211) preferred.
• Experience with validation/qualification of lab microbiological techniques preferred.
• Proficient in trend analysis, SOPs, CAPA initiation, and quality documentation.

Responsibilities

• Perform microbiological testing (endotoxin, sterility, bioburden) for materials and products.
• Conduct environmental monitoring of cleanrooms in USP/EU contexts.
• Review and trend results; report environmental and product testing outcomes.
• Lead OOS investigations and support CAPA effectiveness checks.
• Maintain documents, SOPs, risk assessments, and controlled records.

Skills

Microbiology knowledge

Regulatory compliance

Documentation

Education

Bachelor's degree in microbiology or related field

Job description

Microbiologist III in Albuquerque, NM

Build your future at Curia, where our work has the power to save lives

Curia is a global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) with over 30 years of experience partnering with pharmaceutical and biotech companies to provide life‑saving treatments to patients. At Curia, we are on a mission to advance our customers' therapies from curiosity to cure and ultimately to improve patients' lives.

We proudly offer

• Generous benefit options (eligible first day of employment)
• Paid training, vacation and holidays (vacation accrual begins on first day of employment)
• Career advancement opportunities
• Education reimbursement
• 401K program with matching contributions
• Learning platform
• And more!

Summary:

The Quality Control Microbiologist III is responsible for performing advanced microbiological testing and quality activities to support product production, environmental monitoring, and product release in a pharmaceutical manufacturing environment. This role ensures compliance with regulatory requirements and company standards by conducting microbiological assays, analyzing trends, and accurately documenting and reporting results. Additionally, the QC Microbiologist III plays a key role in conducting QC risk assessments, identifying potential microbiological risks, and troubleshooting deviations. This position collaborates with cross-functional teams to drive continuous improvement initiatives, maintain product quality, and uphold patient safety.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Perform microbiological testing (endotoxin, sterility, and bioburden) for raw materials, in-process materials, intermediates, and final products.
• Conduct microbiological testing (endotoxin, bioburden) for utilities such as water, steam, nitrogen, etc.
• Perform environmental monitoring of cleanrooms in compliance with USP and EU specifications.
• Review, trend, and report results for environmental, personnel, in-process, raw material, finished product, and utilities testing.
• Conduct microbial characterization (gram stain, catalase, oxidase, and coagulase tests) and prepare and send out samples for microbiological identification.
• Maintain historical files for organisms found in classified areas, including microbial identification and trending.
• Perform line clearances and line start verifications, as well as inspections of media fills.
• Serve as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) for microbiological assays such as sterility (including biological indicator testing) and growth promotion testing for all incoming media used in the microbiology laboratory.
• Perform microbial limits/enumeration testing and handle QC microbiological sample receipt, including internal testing, logging, processing, tracking, distribution of test results, and closure.
• Author and revise controlled documents, including Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Investigational Protocols, Risk Assessments, and others as needed.
• Initiate Out of Specification (OOS) or Environmental Monitoring Excursion investigations, recommend appropriate Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPAs), and complete effectiveness checks.
• Oversee equipment cleaning and maintenance, including managing supplies and inventory.
• Act as a liaison with vendors for maintenance, preventive maintenance (PM), and calibration of equipment.
• Ensure general laboratory housekeeping and maintain a clean, organized workspace.
• Facilitate the revision and release of all controlled documents in a timely manner.
• Coordinate mandatory reviews of SOPs and month-end reports, ensuring they are completed on schedule.
• Read/interpret SOPs to ensure compliance
• Maintain up to date trainings
• Other duties as assigned

Education and/or Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in a scientific discipline, preferably microbiology or related field
• Minimum of five (5) years related work experience
• Minimum of three (3) years industry experience in a GMP or GLP environment, preferred
• Previous experience with pharmaceutical cleanroom environments, preferred
• Knowledgeable in FDA cGMPs (21 CFR 211); ISO 9001, 13485, and 17025, preferred
• Experienced and proficient in the validation/qualification of lab microbiological techniques, preferred

Supervisory Responsibilities:

This role does not have supervisory responsibilities, yet it may involve mentoring, guiding, and advising.

Language Skills:

The ideal candidate should have the ability to read and interpret various documents, such as safety instructions, standard operating procedures, technical procedures, and governmental regulations. Additionally, they should possess strong written and verbal communication sk