Assistant Lab Director (0922 Manager I) - City and County of San Francisco

The Department of Public Health prioritizes equitable and inclusive access to quality healthcare for its community and values the importance of diversity in its workforce. All employees at the Department of Public Health work to advance equity, inclusion, and diversity with a specific lens and focus on race, ethnicity, gender, sex, sexuality, disability, and immigration status. 

• Application Opening –  October 18, 2024
• Application Deadline – Application filing will close on or after November 1, 2024
• Salary – 0922 Manager I (Range A Salary between $129,974 and $165,958 annually)
• Appointment Type: Permanent Civil Service
• Recruitment ID: PBT-0922-151595

The Mission of the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) is to protect and promote the health of all San Franciscans. SFDPH strives to achieve its mission through the work of multiple divisions - the San Francisco Health Network, Population Health, Behavioral Health Services, and Administration. The San Francisco Health Network is the City’s only complete system of care and has locations throughout the City, including Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center, and over 15 primary care health centers. The Population Health Division (PHD) provides core public health services for the City and County of San Francisco: health protection, health promotion, disease and injury prevention, and disaster preparedness and response. Behavioral Health Services operates in conjunction with SFHN and provides a range of mental health and substance use treatment services.

San Francisco’s Public Health Laboratory, part of the Department of Public Health’s (DPH) Disease Prevention and Control Branch, Population Health Division, is a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-certified diagnostic testing laboratory and provides infectious disease laboratory testing to over fifty submitters in San Francisco and laboratories across the State of California for diagnostic and public health purposes. The types of testing performed range from diagnostic testing of patient specimens to culture and strain testing for public health surveillance purposes. The laboratory is part of the national public health network (including the California Department of Public Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) which is involved in controlling and preventing the spread of infectious diseases.

Under administrative direction of the Director, Public Health Laboratory, the Manager I will perform the following duties:

1. Supervises quality assurance at the Public Health Laboratory

2. Provides laboratory consultation to other units within the Department of Public Health

3. Serves as a technical supervisor for laboratory testing

4. Performs high complexity laboratory testing

5. Prepares reports, publications, and presentations on behalf of the Public Health Laboratory

6. Designs and implements new testing procedures and experiments

7. Trains and assists with supervision of subordinate laboratory staff

8. Identifies and develops applications for grants and other funding opportunities related to research and development

The Assistant Lab Director (0922 Manager I) may perform other duties as assigned or required.

Education:  

1. Possession of a bachelor’s degree in medical or public health microbiology from an accredited college or university OR

2. Possession of a bachelor’s degree in a biological, chemical, physical or laboratory science with 24 semester / 36 quarter units of coursework in microbiology, cellular or molecular biology, chemistry, biochemistry, genetics, physics, micro technique, instrumentation, epidemiology, or other closely related fields from an accredited college or university AND 

Experience:

Four (4) years of professional experience as a researcher or scientist in a clinical, research, or public health laboratory setting; AND 

License:   

1. A current, valid California Public Health Microbiologist (PHM) certificate OR
2. Approval to train as a Public Health Microbiologist from the California Department of Public Health

Education Substitution: Additional qualifying experience may substitute for the degree requirement on a year-for-year basis for up to two (2) years. One year (2,000 hours) of qualifying experience will be considered equivalent to 30 semester units/45 quarter units. 

Condition of Employment: Possession of a valid California Public Health Microbiologist (PHM) Certificate issued by the California Department of Public Health is required as a condition of employment for all positions.  Eligibles who do not possess such a certification may be appointed to a position but will be required to obtain the certificate within eighteen (18) months of hire date.  A copy of the valid California Public Health Microbiologist (PHM) Certificate must be provided to the supervisor during this period.  Failure to show proof of certification within eighteen (18) months of hire date may result in the dismissal and/or termination of employment.

Applicants must meet the minimum qualification requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.

One-year fulltime employment is equivalent to 2,000 hours (2,000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40-hour work week).

Desirable Qualifications: The stated desirable qualifications may be considered at the end of the selection process when candidates are referred for hiring:

• Experience in developing power points for presentations at professional conferences;
• PhD, DrPH in molecular biology, microbiology, or a closely related field;
• Certification as a High-complexity Clinical Laboratory Director (HCLD) from the American Board of Bioanalysis (ABB), or in the process to be acquired within a year of taking the position;
• Professional experience as a Public Health Microbiologist;
• Experience developing molecular assays, verification/validations and sequencing using automated (Clear Lab) sequencing and data analysis using Terra pipeline;
• Experience in submission of sequences to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)

Important Note: Please make sure it is absolutely clear in your application exactly how you meet the minimum qualifications. Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. Please be aware that any misrepresentation of this information may disqualify you from this recruitment or future job opportunities.

Selection Procedures:

After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following.

Training and Experience Questionnaire (Weight 100%) After this job ad is unpublished, qualified applicants will receive an online exam link. The exam is designed to measure knowledge, skills, and/or abilities in job-related areas.

Candidates must achieve a passing score in order to continue in the selection process. Candidates will be placed on the confidential eligible list/score report in rank order according to their final score.

Additional selection processes may be conducted by the hiring department prior to making final hiring decisions.

Certification
The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this examination will be the Rule of the List.

Eligible List/Score Report:
Once you pass the exam, you will be placed onto an eligible list and given a score and a rank. For more information, visit https://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/process/

The duration of the eligible list resulting from this examination process will be 6 months and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

How to apply:

Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit careers.sf.gov and begin the application process. 

Our e-mail communications may come from more than one department so please make sure your email is set to accept messages from all of us at this link. 

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment therefore, it is their responsibility to contact the Analyst if they update their email address. 

Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights:

This is a Position Based Test (PBT) administered in accordance with Civil Service Rule 111A.

Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations. Clerical errors may be corrected by the posting the correction on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.sf.gov/. The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 111A.35.1. The standard for the review of such appeals is ‘abuse of discretion’ or ‘no rational basis’ for establishing the position description, the minimum qualifications and/or the certification rule. Appeals must include a written statement of the item(s) being contested and the specific reason(s) why the cited item(s) constitute(s) abuse of discretion by the Human Resources Director. Appeals must be submitted directly to the Executive Officer of the Civil Service Commission within five business days of the announcement issuance date. 

DPH Health Critical Requirements and Information: Please review the following policies regarding DPH employment requirements that safeguard yourself and others. 

• COVID-19 Policies 

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

• Medical Examination Prior to Hiring

• Electronic Health Record (EHR)

• Licensure/Certification/Registration

• Note on ICARE 

Additional information regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco: 

• Information about the Hiring Process 

• Conviction History 

• Employee Benefits Overview 

• Equal Employment Opportunity 

• Disaster Service Workers

• Reasonable Accommodation

• Right to Work

• Copies of Application Documents

• Diversity Statement

• Veterans Preference

• Seniority Credit in Promotional Exams 

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the analyst, Steven Scoles at steven.scoles@sfdph.org or 628-271-6828.

We may use text messaging to communicate with you on the phone number provided in your application. The first message will ask you to opt in to text messaging.

CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT:  All City and County of San Francisco employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. Someone is fully vaccinated when 14 days have passed since they received the final dose of a two-shot vaccine or a dose of a one-shot vaccine. Any new hire must present proof of full vaccination status to be appointed. Any new hire who will be routinely assigned or occasionally enter High-Risk Settings, must provide proof of having received a COVID-19 booster vaccine by March 1, 2022, or once eligible.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.