Forensic Scientist V

Seize your opportunity to make a personal impact as a Scientist, Forensic (Level V)” supporting a supporting a compelling health organization. GDIT is your place to make meaningful contributions to challenging projects and grow a rewarding career.

HOW AN SCIENSITST, FORENSIC, (Level  )  WILL MAKE AN IMPACT:

• Write reports and publications and present their findings in meetings.
• May provide consultation on complex projects.
• May serve as a Supervisory DNA Analyst.
• Assist in program maintenance and development at the direction of their designated supervisor.
• Supervise staff performing investigative studies on tissue identification by DNA typing technologies, carry out DNA typing casework. 
• May testify as an expert witness as required; provide technical assistance in the area of bioinformatics, information technology and laboratory automation; and support logistical or resource management activities.
• Participate in the organization and presentation of educational activities. 
• Set up and make operationally ready a wide variety of laboratory instruments and equipment.
• Write, review, and edit experimental protocols, standard operating procedures, and operating instructions for projects of experimental programs, service casework procedures and general laboratory management operations. 
• Assist in quality assurance activities such as standards maintenance, equipment preventive maintenance, reagent testing & validation, proficiency testing, and accreditation and certification. 
• Conduct inspections and provide oversight to the adherence to established quality assurance activities including maintenance of standards and controls, preventive maintenance and equipment calibration, reagent testing and validation, and proficiency testing programs for accreditation or certification.
• Perform general laboratory housekeeping activities such as maintaining appropriate working-stock levels of expendable supplies and maintaining a clean environment within laboratory work areas. 
• Perform investigative studies on tissue identification by DNA typing technologies.
• Maintain documentation of methods development and research activities in accordance with standard practice.
• May supervise/perform service casework involving routine nuclear and mtDNA typing and profiling procedures. Prepare formal written reports of service casework or research reports that contain professional interpretations and conclusions from the test data, and that are suitable for legal presentation in a court of law.
• Review casework and formal written reports.
• May serve as an Assistant Technical leader within casework sections or as a section lead within non-casework sections. 
• Assist in program maintenance and development at the direction of their designated supervisor.
• Supervise staff performing investigative studies on tissue identification by DNA typing technologies and to carry out DNA typing casework. 
• Individual may testify as an expert witness as required; provide technical assistance in the area of bioinformatics, information technology and laboratory automation; and support logistical or resource management activities.
• Participate in the organization and presentation of educational activities.
• May serve as the technical leaders of the Current Day Operations, or the Past Accounting or Family Reference sections, or as the chief of emerging technology, or Laboratory Quality Manager.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO SUCCEED:

EDUCATION: Education: Master's degree in a biology-, chemistry- or forensic science- related area and successfully completed twelve (12) semester or equivalent credit hours from a combination of undergraduate and graduate course work covering the following subject areas: biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, and statistics or population genetics; twelve (12) semester or equivalent credit hours shall include at least one graduate level course registering three (3) or more semester or equivalent credit hours.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE: A total of 8 years of related experience, to include 3 years of forensic DNA laboratory experience obtained at a laboratory where forensic DNA testing was conducted for the identification and evaluation of biological evidence in criminal matters; and a minimum of 3 years of human DNA (current or previous) experience as a qualified analyst on forensic samples.

REQUIRED TECHNICAL SKILLS: FBI QA Accreditation requirements; Technical leaders must have experience in managing a forensic laboratory, including technicians and other scientists.

DESIRED EXPERIENCE: Filing techniques; administrative typing; preparing and editing technical or general documentation using various software packages such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel and Windows; transcription of documents, data entry, and preparing and editing management support documentation, and have analytical, organization, written and oral communication skills.

DESIRED SKILLS AND ABILITIES: Desired experience and knowledge of the capabilities, limitations, and interpretive results from the following complex technical procedures: 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 nuclear and mtDNA amplification and sequencing products.

Use of vertical, horizontal, capillary, and other electrophoresis systems, and various stationary matrixes such as agarose and polyacrylamide gels, chemical synthesis of oligonucleotide probes & primers including incorporation of modified bases using automated DNA synthesizers, dye termination sequence analysis of target areas of the mtDNA genome, analysis of PCR amplified DNA. In addition to using fluorescent STR technologies, operation of automated/robotic instrumentation associated with investigative studies and service casework, training in statistics and or population genetics for computation of population frequency statistics as it applies to forensic DNA analysis, analysis and interpretation of DNA typing results. Applicable 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.

CLEARANCE: Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret Security Clearance.

 GDIT IS YOUR PLACE:

•  401K with company match
• Comprehensive health and wellness packages
• Internal mobility team dedicated to helping you own your career
• Professional growth opportunities including paid education and certifications
• Cutting-edge technology you can learn from
•  Rest and recharge with paid vacation and holidays