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Senior GMP Microbiology Laboratory Consultant
VTI Life Sciences is seeking an experienced Senior Microbiologist to support an assessment of an in-house microbiology laboratory supporting product release and environmental monitoring activities for multiple manufacturing sites. The consultant will evaluate laboratory operations, procedures, test methods, documentation, facilities, equipment, and quality systems for compliance with applicable current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) requirements, USP requirements, and recognized pharmaceutical microbiology industry practices.
The successful candidate should have extensive hands-on and/or laboratory leadership experience in a GMP-regulated pharmaceutical microbiology laboratory and be able to independently identify compliance gaps, evaluate microbiological practices from both a regulatory and scientific perspective, and recommend practical corrective and improvement actions.
We offer an opportunity to support our teams of industry subject-matter experts and thought leaders while consulting with leading companies in the Life Sciences industry.
PROJECT OVERVIEW

• Location: Mundelein, IL         
• Start Date: September 2026
• Employment Classification: Contract
• Length of Project: Approximately 4-6 months
• 90% to 100% On-site.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Conduct a comprehensive assessment of microbiology laboratory operations against applicable FDA cGMP requirements, USP requirements, internal procedures, and recognized industry practices.
• Evaluate laboratory organization, staffing, training, analyst qualification, supervision, and quality oversight.
• Review microbiological testing associated with product release, raw materials, utilities, environmental monitoring, and other applicable laboratory programs.
• Assess laboratory practices for microbial enumeration, specified microorganism testing, bioburden testing, microbial identification, and other microbiological methods applicable to the products tested by the laboratory.
• Assess laboratory controls for media preparation, growth-promotion testing, media storage, culture maintenance, reference organisms, reagents, and microbiological supplies.
• Review microbiological method suitability, verification, validation, and method transfer practices, as applicable.
• Evaluate laboratory equipment qualification, calibration, preventive maintenance, and routine controls for equipment such as incubators, autoclaves, refrigerators/freezers, biological safety cabinets, air samplers, colony counters, and other microbiology laboratory equipment.
• Assess sample receipt, handling, storage, chain of custody, testing, retention, and disposition practices.
• Review laboratory data integrity and documentation practices, including raw data, worksheets, electronic systems, audit trails where applicable, calculations, second-person review, and Good Documentation Practices.
• Evaluate procedures for handling atypical results, excursions, deviations, OOS/OOT results, environmental monitoring excursions, microbial identifications, investigations, CAPA, and associated trend analysis.
• Assess laboratory controls intended to prevent contamination and cross-contamination during microbiological testing.
• Evaluate laboratory facility design and workflow, including segregation of activities, personnel/material flow, sample handling, media preparation, incubation, organism handling, and waste management.
• Review the adequacy of SOPs, specifications, test methods, protocols, records, and other controlled laboratory documentation.
• Identify compliance gaps, operational weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement; classify or prioritize findings based on potential product quality, patient, and regulatory risk.
• Develop clear, practical recommendations for remediation and laboratory improvement.
• Prepare and/or contribute to an assessment report summarizing observations, compliance gaps, risks, and recommended corrective actions.
• Discuss findings with laboratory management, Quality, manufacturing-site representatives, and other stakeholders.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Education

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Microbiology, Biology, Biological Sciences, or a related scientific discipline.
• Advanced degree in Microbiology or a related discipline is preferred but not required.

Experience

• Minimum of 10 years of pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or similarly regulated microbiology laboratory experience, preferably including significant experience in a GMP Quality Control microbiology laboratory.
• Strong experience with microbiological testing supporting pharmaceutical product release and/or manufacturing operations.
• Experience with laboratory investigations involving microbial excursions, OOS/OOT results, contamination events, and microbial identification.
• Experience assessing or auditing GMP microbiology laboratories strongly preferred.
• Previous laboratory supervisory, management, technical-lead, or SME experience preferred.
• Experience supporting FDA inspections, regulatory inspections, internal audits, or remediation activities is highly desirable.

Technical & Regulatory Knowledge

• FDA 21 CFR Parts 210 and 211, particularly laboratory control requirements under 21 CFR 211 Subpart I.
• USP General Chapters applicable to pharmaceutical microbiology, including USP <61>, <62>, <1111>, and <1115>, as applicable to the products and testing performed.
• USP <1116> where environmental monitoring principles are applicable.
• Applicable USP requirements for microbiological test methods, media, growth promotion, and method suitability.
• FDA expectations for investigating OOS laboratory results.
• Data integrity principles, including ALCOA+.
• Good Documentation Practices (GDP).
• Microbiological method validation, verification, suitability, and transfer principles.
• Environmental monitoring program design, execution, investigation, and trending.
• Current industry practices for contamination control within microbiology laboratories.

Key Competencies

• Strong technical knowledge of pharmaceutical microbiology and GMP laboratory operations.
• Ability to distinguish between true regulatory requirements and industry best practices when evaluating laboratory operations.
• Strong observational and interviewing skills and the ability to identify systemic issues rather than simply procedural deficiencies.
• Ability to evaluate microbiological practices from both a scientific and GMP compliance perspective.
• Strong understanding of microbiological contamination risks and investigation techniques.
• Excellent technical writing skills with the ability to clearly document observations, risks, and recommendations.
• Ability to communicate findings constructively with laboratory analysts, management, Quality personnel, and senior leadership.
• Ability to independently assess complex laboratory operations and exercise sound professional judgment.
• Practical, risk-based approach to remediation rather than simply identifying deficiencies.

Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is a senior pharmaceutical microbiologist who has previously managed, audited, or served as an SME for a GMP Quality Control microbiology laboratory. The individual should have substantial hands-on familiarity with product-release microbiology and environmental monitoring and understand how these activities are expected to operate within a mature pharmaceutical quality system.
The strongest candidate will have participated in FDA or other regulatory inspections, conducted internal or supplier laboratory audits, investigated significant microbiological excursions or contamination events, and helped remediate laboratory compliance deficiencies.
For this assignment, we are particularly interested in someone who can go beyond checking SOPs against regulations. The consultant should be able to observe actual laboratory practices, interview analysts and management, review representative data and investigations, and determine whether the laboratory is operating in a state of control and whether its microbiological results are scientifically sound, reliable, and suitable for supporting product-release and environmental-monitoring decisions.
VTI Life Sciences strives to maintain and inspire professional excellence by providing Commissioning, Qualification, Quality Engineering, Automation, and Validation Services to the Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, Biologics, and Medical Device industries. VTI offers professional development, training, competitive compensation, excellent benefits, a matching 401K, and a stimulating, collaborative work environment. We are committed to providing exciting career opportunities in a work environment that values trust, respect, openness, teamwork, creative talent, enthusiasm, and diligence.
 

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