Laboratory Chemist - Regional Wastewater Reclamation

Job Description Summary

Department - Regional Wastewater Reclamation

Classified

5548 - Laboratory Chemist

11

Hiring Range: $26.39 - $31.67 Per Hour
Pay Range: $26.39 - $36.95 Per Hour

• Hiring Range is an estimate of where you can receive an offer. The actual salary offer will carefully consider a wide range of factors, including your skills, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, training, and internal equity.
• Pay Range is the entire compensation range for the position.

Pima County Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department is seeking talented people with a keen eye for detail to become part of our Compliance and Regulatory Affairs Office (CRAO) Laboratory team. If you care about public health and the environment and have experience in laboratory water analysis, quality review of data, laboratory safety, and instrument calibration, we can use your skills to assist us as a Wastewater Laboratory Chemist.

The Organic Chemistry Unit supports Pima County’s Waste Treatment Facilities through the analysis of volatile, semi-volatile, and pesticide contaminants in Wastewater Effluent and Industrial Discharge Sites. Typical work assignments include the operation of GC and GC-MS instruments using established EPA methods, chemical extractions, and method development.

• Performs sophisticated chemical and microbial analyses;
• Operates complicated analytical instrumentation such as ion chromatography (IC), atomic absorption and atomic fluorescence analyzers, gas chromatograph/mass spectrometers (GC/MS), inductively-coupled plasma/Mass spectrometers (ICP/MS) and inductively-coupled plasma/optical emissions spectra (ICP/OES);
• Obtains water samples, operates field instrumentation, and records results;
• Prepares samples for testing using complex chemical extraction and digestion techniques;
• Maintains manual and automated records and logbooks, enters and interprets data, and prepares reports;
• Monitors laboratory data of technicians and chemists in training to validate the accuracy and precision of analytical results;
• Assists Laboratory Supervisors in writing standardized operating procedures and laboratory audit procedures;
• Assists Laboratory Supervisors in training Laboratory Technicians and new staff;
• Performs routine Quality Assurance/Quality Control procedures and documentations to comply with licensure requirements with the Arizona Department of Health Services;
• Adheres to safety procedures in accordance with the laboratory’s Quality Manual and Chemical Hygiene Plan;
• Prepares, utilizes, and properly disposes of various chemical standards, solvents, reagents, and bacteriological media;
• Maintains manual and automated laboratory records and logbooks for test methods and quality control measures as required by regulatory standards;
• Maintains facilities and equipment in accordance with departmental and professional standards.

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a major in chemistry, microbiology, environmental science, biology, or other closely related science as determined by the department head AND two years of professional-level, paid, non-academic experience performing chemical or microbiological analysis in a laboratory setting.

(Relevant experience and/or education from an accredited college or university may be substituted.)

Two years with Pima County as a Laboratory Technician.

Qualifying education and experience must be clearly documented in the "Education" and "Work Experience" sections of the application. Do not substitute a resume for your application or write "see resume" on your application.

• Experience, within the last five (5) years, performing laboratory analyses on water or wastewater.
• Experience, within the last five (5) years, operating, maintaining, and calibrating sophisticated lab equipment such as Gas Chromatograph, Mass Spectrometer, High Performance Liquid Chromatograph, Ion Chromatograph, and Inductively Coupled Plasma.
• Experience, within the last five (5) years, performing the extractions or digestions on water, wastewater, or soil samples.
• Experienc…