Quality Control Microbiologist

Dexian; Berkeley (CA); On-site; USD 69,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

Dexian is seeking a Sterility Assurance specialist to provide microbiology expertise for Berkeley's contamination control program. Focus areas include environmental monitoring, organism trends, and aseptic processing support, with an emphasis on data interpretation and CAPA effectiveness.

The role is an individual contributor, reporting to the Site Contamination Control/ Sterility Assurance Lead, with a 12–18 month contract and potential extension based on program needs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in microbiology or related field.
• 5+ years in QC microbiology and contamination control.
• Strong lab knowledge: environmental monitoring and aseptic processing.
• Experience with GMP deviations, CAPAs, root-cause analysis.
• Ability to interpret microbial data and advise containment.
• Strong technical writing and cross-functional communication.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical support for microbial contamination events, EM excursions, personnel monitoring recoveries, and recurring organism patterns.
• Perform microbiological risk assessments related to aseptic processing, cleanroom operations, and contamination control gaps.
• Review microbial identification results and interpret organism source plausibility.
• Support investigations of contamination events, EM data, personnel monitoring, and facility conditions.
• Partner with QC Microbiology and related teams to identify adverse trends and escalation needs.
• Support APS/media fill assessments by evaluating contamination events and CAPA effectiveness.
• Assist development of escalation criteria for EM and contamination trends.
• Review deviations and CAPAs to provide microbiological rationale and risk input.
• Contribute to Sterility Assurance health summaries by assessing risk signals and CAPA effectiveness.
• Support development of site standards and technical guidance for microbial contamination control.

Skills

Microbiology

Environmental monitoring

Aseptic processing

Quality systems

CAPA

Education

Bachelor's degree in microbiology

Job description

Job Title: Quality Specialist (Microbiology) #1018607

Duration: 6+ Months Contract

Pay Rate: $50-52/hr on W2

Position Summary

The Sterility Assurance Specialist will provide senior individual contributor microbiology and aseptic processing expertise to support the Berkeley Site Sterility Assurance and Contamination Control Program. This contract role will focus on environmental monitoring reports, personnel monitoring, organism trends, microbial contamination investigations, APS/media fill support, microbial risk assessments, and contamination control effectiveness.

The role will help ensure that microbial data and contamination events are interpreted as part of an integrated sterility assurance and contamination control strategy. This position is an individual contributor specialist role and does not include people management responsibilities.

Reporting Relationship

Reports to the Site Contamination Control / Sterility Assurance Lead.

Contract Duration

12-18 months, with potential extension based on program needs and deliverables.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide technical support for assessment of microbial contamination events, EM excursions, personnel monitoring recoveries, bioburden events, sterility assurance signals, and recurring organism patterns.
• Perform microbiological risk assessments related to aseptic processing, cleanroom operations, material transfer, cleaning/disinfection, utilities, interventions, personnel practices, and contamination control gaps.
• Review microbial identification results and support interpretation of organism source plausibility, including human flora, water-associated organisms, spore-formers, environmental organisms, objectionable organisms, and recurring isolates.
• Support investigation of Grade A/B/C/D contamination events, including review of EM data, personnel monitoring, process observations, cleaning history, maintenance activities, material flow, intervention records, and facility/utility conditions.
• Partner with QC Microbiology and QC EMO to identify adverse trends, recurring locations, recurring operators, recurring organisms, and cross-area contamination signals that may require escalation to CCS, QRM, or Site Quality governance.
• Support APS/media fill assessments by evaluating contamination events, intervention representativeness, personnel participation, recurring failure modes, and CAPA effectiveness.
• Assist with development of risk-based escalation criteria for EM/personnel monitoring trends, microbial IDs, contamination-related deviations, and repeat events.
• Review contamination-related deviations and CAPAs, as assigned, to provide microbiological rationale, root cause assessment input, risk impact assessment, and effectiveness-check recommendations.
• Contribute to periodic Sterility Assurance health summaries by assessing microbial risk signals, repeat contamination patterns, investigation quality, and CAPA effectiveness.
• Support development of site standards, decision trees, training content, and technical guidance related to microbial contamination control.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in microbiology, biology, biotechnology, pharmaceutical sciences, or a related scientific discipline.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in QC Microbiology, environmental monitoring, sterile manufacturing support, aseptic processing, contamination control, sterility assurance, or biologics/cell therapy manufacturing.
• Strong understanding of environmental monitoring, personnel monitoring, microbial identification, bioburden, aseptic technique, cleanroom controls, and contamination investigations.
• Experience supporting GMP deviations, CAPAs, root cause analysis, risk assessments, and technical documentation.
• Ability to interpret microbial data and translate findings into practical contamination control recommendations.
• Strong technical writing and cross-functional communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Grade A/B aseptic processing, biologics, cell therapy, sterile drug product, or sterile manufacturing operations.
• Experience with APS/media fills, gowning qualification, operator monitoring, aseptic behavior observations, disinfectant efficacy, cleaning/disinfection programs, or contamination recovery investigations.
• Familiarity with EU GMP Annex 1, FDA aseptic processing guidance, USP microbiology chapters, PDA technical reports, and ICH Q9/Q10.
• Experience with microbial source tracking, recurring organism assessments, objectionable organism rationale, or biofilm-related investigations.
• Experience working with QC Microbiology, Manufacturing, QA, Engineering, and Validation teams.

Core Competencies

• Microbiological risk interpretation.
• Aseptic processing awareness.
• Pattern recognition and trend assessment.
• Root cause thinking.
• Technical writing.
• Quality risk management.
• Practical contamination control judgment.