Forensic Scientist 2 - Quality Assurance Officer

SNA International seeks a bright, collaborative Quality Assurance Officer with a strong work ethic to join our team. SNA International’s team works together in pursuit of the same cause: build a safe and just world by empowering organizations in the use of forensics, biometrics and identity intelligence.

The Quality Assurance Officer works under the direction of the Quality Manager and administers the quality assurance program. Acts as a subject matter expert for auditing and accreditation activities and assists with standard operating procedure review as well as training and education in support of the Quality Management Section. Individual may testify as an expert witness as required; provide technical assistance in bioinformatics, information technology and laboratory automation; and support the logistical or resource management activities of the DoD DNA Operations. Individual will participate in the organization and presentation of educational activities. Individual may perform casework duties in support of mission goals of individual casework sections.

The successful candidate will perform DNA analysis on a wide range of complex samples in support of the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) in Dover, DE. 

Critical Work Responsibilities:

• Act as lead assessor, unless otherwise assigned by Quality Manager, during internal audits of the laboratory against accreditation standards, annually and as needed.
• Hold certifications as an FBI QAS Auditor as well as certified auditor or assessor training from a national accrediting body such as ANAB.
• Act as subject matter expert for the laboratory Quality Manual, Management System, and laboratory accreditation.
• Aid in the organization and tracking of the annual review of SOPs and other Quality Manual documents to assess the status and effectiveness of the process and to identify improvement opportunities; create and maintain user-friendly electronic databases and archives for the same; maintain hardcopy archives for reference purposes.
• Assist in the writing, reviewing, and editing of laboratory documents as needed, particularly with regards to compliance with accreditation standards.
• Perform external audits of other laboratories as a volunteer representative of a national accrediting body in coordination with work priorities at AFDIL.
• Participate in Management System meetings and chair as appropriate; present research and findings on topics specified by the Quality Manager or required for maintenance and improvement of the Management System of AFDIL.
• Track laboratory compliance with accreditation standards, and annually update conformance files.
• Create and maintain Quality Assurance database in electronic, user-friendly format.
• Initiate, track, and administratively review quality assurance folders.
• Act as subject matter expert for all Quality Assurance matters.
• Analyze quality assurance data for trends and present a detailed analysis to the Quality Manager at least quarterly and as needed.
• Prepare presentations and reports of such data to be presented to Key Management as needed and/or included in the Quality Manual.
• Lead or assist with special projects, including information boards for casework and Quality Management Section
• Act as Quality Management Section Records Coordinator for Defense Health Agency records maintenance schedule.
• Ability to maintain minimum standards of technical proficiency as demonstrated by acceptable performance on internal and external proficiency testing programs.
• Perform mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) or nuclear–based typing services to assist casework sections in identifying the remains of military individuals killed during military conflicts to the degree required by those sections and as QMS priorities allow.
• Receive and accession physical evidence while maintaining legal chain-of-custody and integrity of submitted specimens.
• Process biological specimens, to include stains, human blood, oral swabs, cadaveric tissues and bone.
• Generate, analyze, and interpret technical data, and produce technical reports
• Give lectures and participate in courses, symposia, workshops, and conferences on matters relating to DNA typing, forensic science and molecular pathology.
• Assist in educational and training activities.
• Provide lectures and training to technical staff, students, and guests of the laboratory.
• Aid Laboratory Support Section as needed by coordinating lab cleaning, lab safety inspections and weekly water collections.

Minimum Requirements:

• A graduate degree or equivalent in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology or a forensic science related area with three years of work experience or an undergraduate degree in the same fields with five years of experience.
• Must meet the FBI Quality Assurance Standards for analyst.  Documents must show that at least 9 cumulative semester hours or equivalent (graduate or undergraduate level) course work in biology- or chemistry-related areas that provide an understanding of the foundation of DNA analysis, that may include courses titled with terms such as molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry, biological chemistry, population genetics, molecular genetics, cell and molecular biology, genomics, and bioinformatics
• Knowledge of the programs of the DoD DNA Registry and the military services as they relate to the clerical and administrative functions of the organization.
• General knowledge of forensic tissue typing methods, especially nucDNA and mtDNA profiling.
• Ability to maintain minimum standards of technical proficiency as demonstrated by acceptable performance on internal and external proficiency testing programs.
• Willingness to maintain a professional knowledge and understanding of relevant current issues in the scientific and forensic communities.
• Professional knowledge and understanding of the principles and theories of, and the skills to operate and maintain a wide variety of sophisticated analytical instruments.
• Sufficient knowledge and experience to independently initiate and carry through to completion, complex casework involving DNA typing of human biological remains, especially aged, skeletonized remains, using novel methods of nuclear DNA Typing and/or mtDNA sequence analysis.
• Ability to apply practical and theoretical knowledge to independently alter or modify established analytical procedures using scientifically acceptable approaches to resolve unforeseen difficulties arising from analyses of DNA derived from tissues retrieved from unusual or unexpected environmental conditions.
• Knowledge of current military, federal, or local regulations pertaining to rules of evidence and courtroom procedures.
• Knowledge of safety procedures, guidelines, and regulations, and ability to safely handle hazardous materials. Sufficient level of competence in order to argue, reason, and draw inferences and conclusions from technical information, experimental data and scientific theories, and to prepare effective oral and written presentations.
• Personality traits necessary to maintain good team cohesion and to set a good working example.
• Knowledge of various requirements necessary for achieving accreditation by outside inspection agencies to include the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB), the DoD Mitochondrial DNA Quality Assurance Oversight Committee, and the International Standards Organization (ISO 17025 criteria).
• Individual must be able to successfully complete a National Agency Check With Inquiries (NAC-I) background investigation.
• Must be able to understand the capabilities, limitations, and interpretive results from complex technical procedures such as the processing and preparation of various tissue and fluid samples for extraction and purification of DNA, quantitative/qualitative analysis of DNA by various methods, application of PCR procedures to amplify target template DNA for subsequent analysis, separation of DNA fragments, including mtDNA amplification and sequencing products, using vertical, horizontal, capillary, and other electrophoresis systems, and various stationary matrixes such as agarose and polyacrylamide gels.
• Training in statistics and or population genetics for computation of population frequency statistics as it applies to forensic DNA analysis.
• Experience in the analysis and interpretation of DNA typing results as applied to determining the statistical relevancy of DNA profile matches between questioned and reference samples when both are derived from the same individual, or, in the more complex situation, when the reference samples are derived from blood relatives.
• Candidates must be US citizens and able to successfully complete a NAC-I Investigation.

To Apply:

Please submit your resume and a cover letter that outlines why you should be considered for this position and position level. 

SNA International is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.