Critical Environment Instrumentation Supervisor (Biosafety Labs)

The Mid-Level Critical Environment Instrumentation Supervisor is responsible for the supervision, performance oversight, and technical support of instrumentation systems critical to biosafety laboratory operations. This role involves managing field technicians, ensuring environmental compliance, and maintaining performance standards of key instrumentation associated with HVAC, BSCs, isolation rooms, and containment systems.

This individual plays a vital role in sustaining regulatory compliance (CDC, NIH, WHO), ensuring instrument reliability, and minimizing downtime in clinical and high-containment environments.

Key Responsibilities:

• Supervise, schedule, and coordinate all maintenance, calibration, and repair activities for environmental monitoring and control instrumentation in BSL-2/3/4 labs.

• Lead routine and emergency troubleshooting of instruments associated with:

  • Differential pressure sensors

  • Airflow monitors in biosafety cabinets (BSCs)

  • Room pressurization systems, temperature and humidity sensors

  • Volatile/toxic gas detection systems

• Validate and verify environmental control loops, including integration with BMS (Building Management Systems) and SCADA platforms.

• Ensure calibration records and maintenance logs meet GMP, GLP, and ISO 17025 standards and are inspection-ready.

• Coordinate with QA, EHS, Biosafety Officers, and Facilities to maintain instrumentation uptime and biosafety compliance.

• Supervise external vendors during service visits and oversee installation of new monitoring instruments.

• Assist in training junior technicians and implementing best practices in biosafety and instrumentation protocols.

• Lead small improvement projects aimed at increasing accuracy, reliability, or compliance in critical instrumentation systems.

Key Focus Areas:

1. Advanced Biosafety Compliance & Instrument Management

   • Ensure continuous operation and calibration of containment-critical instrumentation aligned with CDC/NIH/WHO biosafety standards.

   • Maintain risk-assessed preventive maintenance programs for BSL-2/3/4 infrastructure.

2. Team Supervision & Field Oversight

   • Lead and guide junior instrumentation technicians.

   • Review work orders, closeout documentation, and calibration certificates.

3. Environmental Monitoring Systems

   • Operate, validate, and troubleshoot temperature, humidity, differential pressure, and gas monitoring instruments.

   • Interpret alarms and trends from digital monitoring platforms (BMS/EMS/SCADA).

4. Calibration & Documentation Governance

   • Supervise adherence to metrology protocols and calibration schedules for all lab-critical equipment.

   • Ensure compliance with audit trails, change control, and deviation reporting.

5. System Integration & Validation

   • Oversee loop testing, sensor-to-controller calibration, and integration with HVAC and BMS systems.

   • Work closely with automation teams for instrumentation integration into control networks.

6. Emergency Response & Incident Management

   • Serve as first responder for sensor or instrumentation alarms affecting containment.

   • Lead or support investigations and implement corrective actions related to instrumentation failures.

Qualifications:

• Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Instrumentation, Electronics, Biomedical, or Mechanical Engineering.

• Experience:

  • 4–7 years of experience in instrumentation, with at least 2–3 years in biosafety, cleanroom, or critical lab environments.

• Certifications (Preferred):

  • BSL-3 or BSL-4 Entry & Operations Training

  • ISO 17025 Internal Auditor

  • OSHA or CDC-compliant Lab Safety Certifications

Technical Skills:

• Strong working knowledge of:

  • Building Management Systems (BMS)

  • Environmental Monitoring Systems (EMS)

  • Loop tuning and sensor calibration

• Familiarity with SCADA, PLC-based I/O diagnostics, and digital instrumentation in biosafety or clinical applications.