Environmental Lab Scientist

Environmental Lab Scientist I

Salary $88,927.90 - $ Annually

Location WA 98119, WA

Job Type Career Service (Exec)

Job Number 2026MH26241

Department DNRP-Natural Resources & Parks

Division WLRD - Water & Land Resources

FLSA Non-Exempt

Bargaining Unit Z3 : KC Personnel Guidelines

Full- or Part-Time Full Time

Hours/Week 40 hours/week

In addition to the current opening, this recruitment may be used to establish a pool of qualified candidates to fill future Environmental Laboratory Scientist I career service vacancies within the Water and Land Resources Division over the next 6 months.

Looking for an opportunity to make a meaningful impact on your community and safeguard our region's precious environmental resources? Look no further than the King County Environmental Laboratory (KCEL) - a leading, full-service regional laboratory housing six environmental analytical disciplines!

We are seeking a talented Environmental Laboratory Scientist I to join our well-respected scientific team. As a member of our team, you will have the chance to produce high-quality data sets that support critical functions such as long-term water quality trend analysis, pollution control, and public health. With access to advanced instrumentation and cutting‑edge analytical methods, you'll work under the guidance of seasoned experts who are committed to helping you develop your skills and advance your career.

Challenges for new Conventionals employees in the Environmental Lab Scientist I position include learning several new analyses from their co‑workers while acclimating to working for KCEL and King County. Learning King County processes includes Peoplesoft which encompasses timesheets, training, and benefits.

At KCEL, we foster a supportive and collaborative work environment that welcomes new staff with open arms. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting out in your career, we believe that everyone has something valuable to contribute. So why wait? Join our team today and become part of a dynamic community dedicated to protecting our environment for generations to come!

This is an entry‑level classification for conducting environmental laboratory analyses using a variety of complex analytical methods and advanced instrumentation to characterize environmental samples in the Conventionals Unit. Under supervision, this position performs and interprets a variety of environmental laboratory analyses using accepted Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) methods. Environmental Laboratory Scientist I incumbents develop their skills and perform a variety of analyses with training and progressively decreasing oversight.

KCEL’s supportive, collaborative environment is very welcoming to new staff. We expect to learn new things from each other, no matter how seasoned or new we are as employees and humans.

Once onboarding activities have taken place, including safety and ethics training, the candidate will train with other Environmental Lab Scientists in the Conventionals unit to learn several of the analytical procedures so they can begin contributing to the team in the lab as soon as possible. Over time, the candidate will have the opportunity to learn additional Conventionals analytical procedures and other functions within the unit.

The Conventionals unit is one of six environmental analytical disciplines within KCEL. Conventionals consists of 13 highly qualified technical professionals who analyze nearly 40 inorganic parameters that are indicators of water quality. Many of our tests are based on hands‑on, wet‑bench analytical methods that were developed decades ago. We utilize state‑of‑the‑art instrumentation and computer software that automates many of these analyses.

Our automation has greatly increased our productivity, efficiency, and the quality of the data we produce.

Challenges for the Conventionals unit include maintaining flexibility in handling many different analyses that have vastly different holding times, ranging from 15 minutes to six months. On average, Conventionals performs about 45,000 analyses on about 7,500 samples per year. Effective communication and coordination among…