Public Health Microbiologist I – Pathogen Detection

Washington State Department of Health; Shoreline (WA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Washington State Department of Health’s Public Health Laboratories in Shoreline, WA, seeks Microbiologist 1 or 2 (full‑time onsite) for temporary and permanent roles. Responsibilities include preparing specimens, performing DNA/RNA extraction, culture methods, qPCR, and toxin detection.

QA/QC support and staff training are also part of the role. The position offers exposure to emerging pathogens and outbreak response, with opportunities to work across high‑throughput environments and various

Qualifications

• Two or more years of microbiology/molecular lab experience for Microbiologist 1.
• Bachelor's degree in Microbiology or related field for Microbiologist 2 eligibility.
• Laboratory training that meets accredited program criteria or documented high‑complexity testing training.

Responsibilities

• Prepare environmental and clinical specimens for analysis.
• Perform DNA/RNA extraction and specimen log‑in.
• Survey suspicious packages as part of emergency response testing.
• Perform culture‑based methods to detect bacterial pathogens and use qPCR.
• Operate Time Resolved Fluorescence and MALDI‑TOF for toxin detection and identification.
• Support QA/QC activities and maintain lab equipment.
• Enter results into StarLIMS and other databases.
• Assist in training other microbiologists and participate in process improvements.

Skills

Microbiology lab experience

Molecular biology basics

Analytical thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree in Microbiology or related

Clinical laboratory training accreditation

Tools

qPCR

MALDI-TOF

StarLIMS

PCR machines

Job description

Washington State Department of Health’s Public Health Laboratories in Shoreline, WA, seeks Microbiologist 1 or 2 (full‑time onsite) for temporary and permanent roles. Responsibilities include preparing specimens, performing DNA/RNA extraction, culture methods, qPCR, and toxin detection.

QA/QC support and staff training are also part of the role. The position offers exposure to emerging pathogens and outbreak response, with opportunities to work across high‑throughput environments and various