Job Description
Join the Department of Health!
We're thrilled to welcome you!
We've made our application process more accessible than ever.
Please take a look at our job announcement below.
If you can see yourself in this role, apply now—your next opportunity awaits!
This position is open to Alaskan Residents only.
Please check out the residency definition to determine if you qualify.
This position will be filled at either the 1 or 2 level, depending on the applicant's qualifications and job experience.
What you will be doing: As the Biosafety Officer, you will ensure biosafety training and practices to avoid potential hazards associated with handling biological materials, the spread of multi-drug resistant pathogens, threats of emerging pathogens, and acts of biological terrorism. You will develop and monitor adherence to laboratory biosafety programs, provide related workforce training for biosafety for the agency and sentinel clinical laboratories, assist public health and clinical laboratories with biosafety risk assessments and risk mitigation plans, and work cohesively with key system partners and public health officials to improve communications and emergency management and response practices.
Our organization, mission, and culture: The mission of the Division of Public Health is to protect and promote the health of Alaskans. As a member of our team, you will contribute every day to the improvement of the health of Alaskans and their families.
The Division of Public Health exemplifies these values: - Accountability- We are committed to responsible use of human, financial, and environmental resources.
- Respect - We provide services without discrimination or judgment.
- Human potential - We are committed to developing each Alaskan's potential as a healthy individual as well as fostering strong, healthy communities.
- I ntegrity - We are honest and ethical in all we do.
- Scientific Excellence - We are committed to adding to and contributing to the body of scientific knowledge and using the best available knowledge and data to set public health policy.
The benefits of joining our team: Join Alaska's public health laboratories and become part of a dynamic, diverse, and high-performing team. You will work in a state-of-the-art laboratory and receive guidance from experienced mentors who will help you develop your skills and network. You will also be able to progress your career within the Public Health Microbiologist class series and take on new roles and responsibilities. We care about your health and well-being and respect your work-life balance. We offer you a stable daytime schedule (M- F, 8:00 am-4:30 pm), breaks, paid holidays and leave, and retirement benefits. You will also love working in a friendly, supportive environment promoting collaboration and innovation.
The working environment you can expect: The Anchorage Laboratory is located at 5455 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, next to Far North Bicentennial Park, where we often see local wildlife. As part of the Anchorage State Public Health Laboratory and the Division of Public Health, you'll work with a dedicated team focused on improving the health of Alaskans. We value our staff's contributions and believe in the importance of public health for homeland security, collaborating with partners across Alaska and the U.S. to protect our community's well-being.
Who we are looking for: We are interested in candidates who possess some or all of the following position-specific competencies:
- Safety Hazards: Knowledge of the concepts, principles, theories, and methods to identify, control, mitigate, and eliminate safety hazards in the design and use of facilities, equipment, operations, and work processes.
- Teaching Others: Helps others learn; identifies training needs; provides constructive reinforcement; coaches others on how to perform tasks; acts as a mentor.
- Analytical Thinking/Problem-Solving: Uses a logical, systematic, sequential approach to address problems or opportunities or manage a situation by drawing on one's knowledge and experience base and calling on other references and resources as necessary.
Special Note: - Biological Safety Professional certification or registration through an approved board or association, such as ABSA International or equivalent, is preferred. If the incumbent is not certified as a biosafety professional upon hire, they may work towards certification within the first two years of the position as a PHM1, which requires completion of college-level microbiology coursework as well as work experience in biosafety program management.
- 42 CFR Subpart M- Personnel for High Complexity Testing42 CFR 493.1449 Standard; Technical Supervisor Qualifications.
- OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Act and all laboratory safety standards (PPE, glove use, etc.)
- 42 CFR 72 & 74: Incumbent may be required to obtain FBI clearance to have access to Select Agents.
- Driver's license (vehicle)
To view the general description and example of duties for this job class, please go to the following link and search for Public Health Microbiologist 1/2 :
Minimum Qualifications
Competency-Based Minimum Qualifications Instructions
This job class uses competency-based minimum qualifications. Please ensure your application (through work history, volunteer experience (duties summary), training, education, licenses, certifications, etc.) supports how you have gained the knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors (competencies) and that you possess the minimum required competencies for the job class.
Competency Description
The competency description(s) listed below have been designed to promote a common understanding of the essential elements of the job class. They highlight the more general and customary knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs), tasks, and behaviors used to describe the competency. They typically list expectations instead of specific tasks and are to be used only as parameters and guidelines. A competency’s description is not intended to exclusively define every KSA, task, and behavior needed to meet the competency successfully but rather to provide the manager/agency with a broad reference of options as to how an applicant can meet the job expectation.
Please ensure your application (through work history, training, education, licenses, certifications, etc.) supports/demonstrates you possess the minimum required competencies for the job class.
Public Health Microbiologist 1
Any combination of education and/or experience that provides the applicant with competencies in:
Biology: Knowledge of the environment, plant and animal living tissue, cells, organisms, and entities, including their functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment. - Chemistry: Knowledge of the concepts, principles, and theories of the composition, structure, and properties of substances, and of the chemical processes and transformations, including uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
- Attention to Detail: Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.
- Evidence-Based Practice: Integrates best research practices with clinical expertise and patient values for optimum care and participates in learning and research activities to the extent feasible.
- Public Health: Applies knowledge of the concepts, principles, theories, methods, and tools associated with protecting and improving the health of people and their communities, including promoting healthy lifestyles, researching disease and injury prevention, and detecting, preventing, and responding to infectious diseases.
Equivalent to those typically gained by:
Bachelor of Science degree or higher from an accredited institution in Medical Technology, Microbiology, Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Biological Science, or Chemistry, with training and/or course work in Medical/Clinical Laboratory Sciences;
AND
Experience conducting, analyzing, and evaluating clinical microbiological tests.
Special Note:
Positions in this class may require a background investigation. Applies only to work covered under the Public Health Security and Bio-terrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 or other relevant state or federal law.
Positions in this class require the incumbent to be immunized against infectious diseases.
“Training” and “education” in this guidance are synonyms for the process of acquiring knowledge and skills through instruction. It includes instruction through formal and informal methods (such as classroom, on-line, self-study, and on-the-job), from accredited and unaccredited sources, and long-duration (such as a post-secondary degree) and short-duration (such as a seminar) programs.
Public Health Microbiologist 2
Any combination of education and/or experience that provides the applicant with competencies in:
Biology: Knowledge of the environment, plant and animal living tissue, cells, organisms, and entities, including their functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment. - Chemistry: Knowledge of the concepts, principles, and theories of the composition, structure, and properties of substances, and of the chemical processes and transformations, including uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
- Evidence-Based Practice: Integrates best research practices with clinical expertise and patient values for optimum care and participates in learning and research activities to the extent feasible.
- Public Health: Applies knowledge of the concepts, principles, theories, methods, and tools associated with protecting and improving the health of people and their communities, including promoting healthy lifestyles, researching disease and injury prevention, and detecting, preventing, and responding to infectious diseases.
- Quality Assurance: Knowledge of the principles, methods, and tools of quality assurance and quality control used to ensure a product fulfills functional requirements and standards.
- Technical Competence: Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on-the-job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues.
- Written Communication: Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.
Equivalent to those typically gained by:
Bachelor of Science degree or higher from an accredited college in Medical Technology, Microbiology, Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Biological Science, or Chemistry, with training and/or course work in Medical/Clinical Laboratory Sciences;
AND
Progressively responsible professional microbiologist experience in a clinical or hospital laboratory.
Special Note:
Positions in this class may require a background investigation. Applies only to work covered under the Public Health Security and Bio-terrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 or other relevant state or federal law.
Positions in this class require the incumbent to be immunized against infectious diseases.
“Training” and “education” in this guidance are synonyms for the process of acquiring knowledge and skills through instruction. It includes instruction through formal and informal methods (such as classroom, on-line, self-study, and on-the-job), from accredited and unaccredited sources, and long-duration (such as a post-secondary degree) and short-duration (such as a seminar) programs.
“Professional experience” means work that is creative, analytical, evaluative, and interpretive; requires a range and depth of specialized knowledge of the profession's principles, concepts, theories, and practices; and is performed with the power or right to decide or act according to one's own judgment.
“Progressively responsible” means indicating growth and/or advancement in complexity, difficulty, or level of responsibility.
Additional Required Information
At the time of the interview, please provide the following:
- Three (3) professional references whom we may contact by phone, one (1) of whom must be your current or most recent supervisor, if not already provided in the application.
- Professional licenses, if available
- A copy of academic transcripts (unofficial are okay; please ensure that the institution name/URL is listed on the transcripts) is used to support that you meet the minimum qualification competencies and to ensure CLIA requirements are met.
If chosen for the position, the candidate will be required to provide the following items before employment: - A copy of your current driver's license.
Please read the below information carefully. This applies to your application submission.
SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONS
For your application to be evaluated, you must answer the Supplemental Questions.
The State of Alaska uses four proficiency levels to measure and describe an applicant's level of competence in applying certain behaviors, knowledge, skills, and abilities to accomplish a specific task. The four proficiency levels are Mastery, Fluency, Literacy, and Discovery. You must rate your proficiency level for each competency listed in the supplemental questions.
FLEXIBLY STAFFED This position is flexibly staffed. Depending on the applicant's training and/or experience, this vacancy may be filled at either the 1 or 2 level. The full range of salaries is listed above. The starting salary will be determined by the position level. If filled at a lower level, promotion to the higher level will only occur upon successful completion of the probationary period and required training, and the applicant meets the minimum qualifications of the higher job class and final approval by the supervisor.
EDUCATION To verify education is being used to meet and/or support the required minimum qualifications/competencies, you must fill in the Education section of the application. If you have not obtained a degree, please indicate the number of units completed. Copies of transcripts are required to verify educational credentials used to meet or support the minimum qualifications/competencies for a position and are required with each application. (Unofficial is okay; please ensure the institution/URL name is listed on the transcripts). Transcripts can be attached at the time of application or provided at the time of interview; if not, transcripts will be required before employment.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR FOREIGN EDUCATION If education is completed in a foreign college or university, it may be used to meet the above requirements, if applicable. If utilizing this education, you must show that the education credentials have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and that such education has been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs or an accredited U.S. state university reports the other institution as one whose transcript is given full value, or full value is given in subject areas applicable to the curricula at the state university.
It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. The omission of the required documentation listed will result in an incomplete application, and you will not receive further consideration.
WORK EXPERIENCE When using work experience not already documented in your application, please provide the employer's name, your job title, employment dates, and whether you were working full-time or part-time. Applications will be reviewed to determine if the responses are supported and if minimum qualifications are met. Work experience needed to meet the minimum qualifications must be documented in the application. If the application does not support minimum qualifications, the applicant may not advance to the interview and selection phase of the recruitment. A resume will not be used to determine that minimum qualifications have been met for the position to which you are applying.
If you have currently or previously been appointed to a flexibly staffed position, please ensure your work experience within a flexibly staffed position indicates the actual dates employed at each level. Ensure your time and any subsequent flex promotion(s) are documented as a separate position. This is required as minimum qualifications require experience at a particular level in which the lower level may not be considered. If this information is not accurately reflected in your application, this may cause the processing of your application for consideration to be delayed.
NOTE: Attaching a resume or curriculum vitae is not an alternative to filling out the application. Noting "see resume or CV" or any similar response on any portion of your application may lead to a determination your application is incomplete and removal from consideration for this job posting.
The State of Alaska does not provide VISA Employer sponsorships.
MULTIPLE VACANCIES
This recruitment may be used for more than one (1) vacancy. The applicant pool acquired during this recruitment may be used for future vacancies for up to ninety (90) days after this recruitment closes. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply to each recruitment notice to ensure consideration for all vacancies.
APPLICATION NOTICE
You can ONLY apply for this position through the Workplace Alaska website or via hardcopy application. If you accessed this recruitment bulletin through a job search portal such as AlaskaJobs or any other database, you MUST use a Workplace Alaska online or hardcopy application to apply successfully. Instructions on how to apply with Workplace Alaska may be found on the Workplace Alaska "How to Apply" webpage, found here:
NOTICE
Questions regarding the application process can be directed to the Workplace Alaska hotline at 800-587-0430 (toll-free) or (907) 465- 4095. If you choose to be contacted by email, please ensure your email address is correct on your application and that the spam filter will permit email from the 'govermentjobs.com' domains. For information on allowing emails from the 'governmentjobs.com' domains, visit the Lost Password Help page at
EEO STATEMENT The State of Alaska complies with Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Individuals with disabilities who require accommodation, auxiliary aides or services, or alternative communication formats, please call 1-800-587-4095 in Juneau or TTY: Alaska Relay 711 or 1-800-770-8973 or correspond with the Division of Personnel & Labor Relations at P. O. Box 110201, Juneau, AK 99811-0201. The State of Alaska is an equal-opportunity employer.
WORKPLACE ALASKA APPLICATION QUESTIONS & ASSISTANCE Questions regarding application submission or system operation errors should be directed to the Workplace Alaska hotline at 1-800-587-0430 (toll-free) or (907) 465-4095 if you are in the Juneau area. Requests for information may also be emailed to recruitment.services@alaska.gov.
For applicant password assistance, please visit
Contact Information
For specific information in reference to the position, feel free to contact the hiring manager at:
Name/ Title: Jayme Parker, Health Program Manager 4, Chief of Public Health Laboratories
Phone: 907-371-1005
Email: jayme.parker@alaska.gov
Careers with the State of Alaska offer MANY benefits
The following information describes
typical benefits available to employees of the State of Alaska. Actual benefits received may differ by bargaining unit or branch of government, position type, or be prorated for other than full time work.
For a quick breakdown of the insurance, health, and retirement benefits available for State Employees you can view an orientation video from Division of Retirement and Benefits. (Please note this video is specifically designed for new State Employees.)
Insurance Benefits - Health insurance, which includes employer contributions toward medical/vision/dental
- The following employee groups are under AlaskaCare Benefits administered by the State: See for additional information.
- AVTEC
- Confidential
- Correctional Officers
- Marine Engineers
- Mt. Edgecumbe Teachers
- Supervisory
- Unlicensed Vessel Personnel/Inland Boatman's Union
- Exempt employees (not covered by collective bargaining)
- The following employee groups are covered by Union health trusts. Contact the appropriate Union for additional information.
- General Government
- Labor, Trades and Crafts
- Public Safety Employees Association
- Masters, Mates & Pilots
- Employer paid Basic Life insurance with additional coverage available (amount depends on Bargaining Unit)
Optional Insurance Benefits
- Group-based insurance premiums for
- Term life (employee, spouse or qualified same sex partner, and dependents)
- Long-term and short-term disability
- Accidental Death and Dismemberment
- Long-term care (self and eligible family members)
- Supplemental Survivor Benefits
- Employee-funded flexible spending accounts for tax savings on eligible health care or dependent care expenses
Retirement Benefits - Membership in the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS)/Teachers' Retirement System (TRS)
- Matching employer contribution into a defined contribution program (new employees)
- Employer contribution into a defined benefit or defined contribution program (current employees)
- Contributions to the Alaska Supplemental Annuity Plan in lieu of contributions to Social Security
- Option to enroll in the Alaska Deferred Compensation Program
- Note: The Defined Contribution Plan, Supplemental Annuity Plan and Deferred Compensation Program offer a variety of investment options
See for additional information
Paid Leave & Other Benefits - Personal leave with an accrual rate increase based on time served
- Twelve (12) paid holidays a year
Job Tags
Holiday work, Full time, Temporary work, Part time, Work experience placement, Local area, Flexible hours,