Environmental Monitoring Technician

Environmental Monitoring Technician

Position Status: Auxiliary (This position to last not later than December 31, 2026)

Department: Liquid Waste Services

Employee Group: Teamsters Local 31

Location: 4515 Central Boulevard, Burnaby

Salary Range/ Wage Rate: PG T22 $ 41.93 - $49.35 hourly

Overview: Our Liquid Waste Services Department is seeking an Environmental Monitoring Technician who will work within a small team of environmental monitoring technicians and scientists in a technical role related to collection of environmental samples, and data wrangling, visualization and analysis. Project work will focus on environmental monitoring programs for the region’s five wastewater treatment plants and their receiving environments, and related programs.

You will coordinate field program mobilization, conduct field work at the wastewater treatment plants and in the natural environment from the shore and/or boat. These opportunities could include working with oceanographic equipment on small vessels, sampling from beaches across the region, sampling at wastewater treatment plants, etc. Data wrangling will require quality assurance and quality control data reviews, organization of commercial lab project data for upload into our environmental database, and data analysis will also include comparison of results to water quality guidelines.

You are: a team player, and also able to work well independently; organized with necessary experience to coordinate and undertake the field monitoring and data management aspects of our environmental monitoring programs; you are detail oriented; skilled in the calibration and maintenance of field instruments and equipment, and the necessary script coding to wrangle, visualize and analyze the environmental data collected (e.g., with Python, R, Mat Lab).

You enjoy solving problems and coming up with creative ways to help improve the team’s work product.

• Conduct preliminary evaluation of individual sampling site requirements, determine safe and efficient sampling procedures according to established standards; assist in setting up sampling schedules to ensure that locations are monitored depending upon sensitivity and permit levels and accommodate special requests from other staff.
• Identify, define and measure environmental quality; perform related analyses and calculations; assist in interpreting results and in determining significance of data and quantity of pollutants in terms of accepted tolerances and obtain additional samples for confirmation as required; apply special test procedures to solve difficult or unusual sampling problems and assist in the development of new procedures and techniques for abnormal parameters.
• Maintain work records and testing files, enter data using a computer terminal and report results, alert a superior to violations of applicable requirements and prepare reports and memoranda detailing test results for a superior.
• Monitor consultant sampling projects and/or contracted laboratory data; assist in the review and evaluation of results and procedures and discuss anomalies with a superior; provide consultants with technical advice, guidance and recommendations on appropriate procedures as directed.
• Check, clean, calibrate and maintain all sampling equipment, perform simple repairs of equipment as necessary, and prepare solutions and reagents required for testing.
• Perform scheduled and special request sampling for environmental monitoring programs.
• Perform related work as required.

• Completion of a recognized two year diploma course from an Institute of Technology with emphasis on chemistry, related sciences (i.e. biology) and pollution control. Some experience in environmental and wastewater sampling or an equivalent combination of training and experience.
• Considerable knowledge of environmental monitoring, practices, procedures and equipment.
• Considerable knowledge of wastewater and environmental collection and sampling techniques.
• Sound knowledge of the regulations and bylaws as applicable to the work performed.
• Sound knowledge of computer applications (i.e. MS Excel, SQL, Python, R, etc.) related to the work.
• Working knowledge of special test procedures to solve difficult or unusual sampling problems.
• Some knowledge of environmental pollution potential in a large urban area.
• Ability to determine safe and efficient sampling procedures, to perform environmental monitoring and sampling, to assist in the development and maintenance of a comprehensive testing schedule and in the development of special procedures and techniques as required.
• Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external contacts and to perform duties with tact, efficiency and accuracy.
• Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing.
• Ability to identify, define and measure environmental quality, to perform analyses and calculations, and to assist in interpreting results and significance of data.
• Ability to perform sampling for the…