Quality Assurance Officer Health & Environmental Testing Laboratory

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Department ofHealth and Human Services (DHHS)

Quality Assurance Officer

Opening Date:August 18 2026

Closing Date:August 31 2026

Job Class Code:9248

Grade:26 (Pro/Tech)

Salary:$56264.00 - $78998.40

Position Number:02000-2952

Location:Augusta

Currently this position is not eligible for visa sponsorship or STEM OPT extensions.

This position allows for partial telework with management approval.

Core Responsibilities:

In this position you will be responsible for assisting in the continuing development of the laboratory quality assurance program for the Clinical Microbiology Department providing training performing audits investigating and documenting performance issues and evaluating the effectiveness of corrective actions to improve testing services as required by Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) federal CDC Maine CDC and the Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory (HETL).

You will carry out the duties as the U.S CDCs Laboratory Response Network (LRN) Laboratory Program Advisor. This is a leadership position requiring extensive interactions with private and federal entities such as hospital laboratories and the U.S CDC. General duties include but are not limited to conducting periodic state-wide visits to hospital laboratories and performing assessments of testing capability and capacity. This ensures that hospital laboratories are up to date on the most recent analytical methods used in the isolation and identification of agents of bioterrorism. You will also ensure that the HETL possesses the analytical capability to test for agents of bioterrorism to interact with the CDC and LRN laboratories and to ensure compliance with responsible sections of the Federal Select Agent Rules 7 C.F.R. Part 331: Agriculture 9 C.F.R. Part 121: Animals and Animal Products 42 C.F.R. Part 73: Public Health.

Responsibilities include:

Oversight of quality assurance and quality control measures in the Clinical Microbiology section within HETL

Review of CLIA guidelines to assure laboratory compliance

Review of IQCP/QA/QC metrics for all standard operating procedures (SOPs)

Oversight of CLIA competencies and proficiencies to assure annual completion

Preparation of all documents for CLIA inspections

Developing and coordinating monthly QA Committee meetings with clinical and LRN Staff

Developing and coordinating quarterly meetings with the Epi-Lab Work Group

Managing non-conformance programs using quality notification forms and corrective action reports

Coordination with the Laboratory Safety Officer and Biosafety Officer

Partnering with the Maine CDC and state groups on emergency preparedness

Managing and coordinating an outreach program with all Sentinel laboratories for sample submissions workflows and post-analytical processes for all patient testing

Providing assessment and evaluation of Sentinel laboratory capability and capacity to facilitate LRN response

Managing proficiency testing for CDC assessment of Maines capability to monitor for biological agents of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Minimum Qualifications:

A Bachelors Degree in Medical Technology or chemical physical or directly related life science and six (6) years of clinical laboratory experience. Comparable experience may be substituted for education on a year-for-year basis.

Preferred candidates will also have:

Professional certifications such as ASCP MLT or MT

Knowledge or experience with federal laboratory accreditation programs such as CLIA or CAP

Extensive technical knowledge of serology bacteriology virology molecular biology and histology laboratory methods

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a diverse group of internal and external partners

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Agency information:

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is dedicated to promoting health safety resilience and opportunity for Maine people. The Department provides health and social services to approximately a third of the States population including children families older Mainers and individuals with disabilities mental illness and substance use disorders. The Department also promotes public health operates two state psychiatric hospitals and provides oversight to health care providers.

The mission for the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) within which this position is located is to develop and deliver services to preserve protect and promote the health and well-being of the citizens of Maine.

Application Information:

For questions about this position please contact Samson Omole Chief of Laboratory Operations at or

Please submit all documents or files in PDF or Word format.

To request a paper application please contact

Benefits of working for the State of Maine:

No matter where you work across Maine state government you find employees who embody our state mottoDirigo or I leadas they provide essential services to Mainers every day. We believe in supporting our workforces health and wellbeing with a valuable total compensation package including:

• Work-Life Fit Rest is essential. Take time for yourself using 13 paid holidays and 3 weeks of vacation leave annually. Vacation leave accrual increases with years of service and overtime-exempt employees receive personal leave. When you or immediate members of your family are ill utilize 12 days of sick leave per year.
• Health Insurance Coverage The State of Maine pays85%-95% of employee-only premiums ($12213.60 - $13650.48 annual value) depending on salary. Use this chart to find thepremium costsfor you and your family including the percentage of dependent coverage paid by the State.
• Health Insurance Premium Credit Participation decreases employee-only premiums by 5%. Visit the Office of Employee Health and Wellness for more information aboutprogram requirements.
• Dental Insurance The State of Maine pays 100% of employee-only dental premiums ($365.28 annual value).
• Retirement Plan The State contributes the equivalent of 14.06% of the employees pay towards the Maine Public Employees Retirement System (MainePERS) on behalf of the employee.
• Gym Membership Reimbursement Improve overall health with regular exercise and receive up to $40 per month to offset this expense.
• Health and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts Set aside money pre-tax to help pay for out-of-pocket health care expenses and/or daycare expenses.
• Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness The State of Maine is a qualified employer for this federal program. For more information visit the Federal Student Aid office.
• Living Resources Program Navigate challenging work and life situations with our employee assistance program.
• Parental leaveis one of the most important benefits for any working parent. All employees who are welcoming a childincluding non-birthing and adoptive parentsreceivesix weeks of fully paid parental leave. Additional unpaid leave may also be available under theFamily and Medical Leave Act.
• Voluntary Deferred Compensation Save additional pre-tax funds for retirement in a MaineSaves 457(b) account through payroll deductions.

State employees are eligible for anextensive and highly competitive benefits package covering many aspects of wellness. Learn about additional wellness benefits for State employees from the Office of Employee Health and Wellness.

Note: Benefits may vary somewhat according to specific collective bargaining agreements and are prorated foranything less than full-time.

Theres a job and then theres purposeful transformative work. Our aim is to create a workplace where you can learn grow and continuously refine your skills. Applicants demonstrate job requirements in differing ways and we appreciate that many skills and backgrounds can make people successful in this role.

As an Equal Opportunity employer Maine State Government embraces a culture of respect and awareness. We are committed to creating a strong sense of belonging for all team members and our process ensures an inclusive environment to applicants of all backgrounds including diverse race color sex sexual orientation or gender identity physical or mental disability religion age ancestry national origin familial status or genetics.

If youre looking for a great next step and want to feel good about what you do wed love to hear from you. Please note reasonable accommodations are provided to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request.

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If you are unable to complete the online application please contact the Human Resources representative listed on the job opening you are interested in applying for. They will work with you for an alternative method of submitting.