Chemist

Chemist

The City of Richmond's Department of Public Utilities is seeking a Chemist for the Division of Environmental Management (Lab). The incumbent will perform complex analyses on water and wastewater samples to ensure compliance with federal and state requirements regarding public safety and water cleanliness and for operational control at the plants. Incumbents will perform quality assurance analyses related to bacteriological and chemical testing and use advanced analytical instruments. Incumbents also maintain laboratory certification on required analyses, train subordinate lab staff, troubleshoot analytical instruments and keep detailed records of test data. We highly encourage entry level candidates to apply.

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Performs chemical, bacteriological and physical analyses of water and wastewater samples using various equipment in a lab setting, abiding by Standard Operating Procedures (SOP's). Performs calculations based on gathered data.
• Maintains detailed logs and records of testing data. Generates reports for managers, contractors, citizen groups, and state agencies. Consults with other Chemists and/or Public Utilities personnel and makes recommendations based on analytical results.
• Monitors compliance with federal and state regulations in order to maintain certification. Maintain laboratory quality system including: maintain detail logs and records, participate in Proficiency Testing, create, review and adhere to Standard Operating Procedure, take part in internal and external audits and data review.
• Troubleshoots malfunctioning testing equipment. Determines when testing equipment needs servicing.

Incumbent serves as an Essential employee, which means that the incumbent is required to work when the City is closed due to public emergencies, critical or hazardous conditions, or inclement weather. The incumbent in this position is required to serve on-call 24hours/7 days a week to provide leadership for the support and resolution of problems for critical systems and applications within the assigned City of Richmond portfolio.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• EPA/Federal standards regarding clean water (Safe Drinking Water Act)
• Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS)
• VELAP regulations regarding drinking water and wastewater
• Lab safety
• Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, etc.)
• Principles, practices, and techniques of chemistry, microbiology, and laboratory equipment/terminology
• Laboratory Quality System

• Internal/External customer service
• Inventory management
• Written and verbal communication
• Troubleshooting instrumentation
• Maintaining detailed lab records

• Analyze data
• Prioritize daily assignments
• Multi-task
• Problem solve
• Operate lab equipment
• Train subordinate laboratory personnel

Minimum Training and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in chemistry, environmental science, biology or a related field
• An equivalent combination of training and experience (as approved by the department) may be used to meet the minimum qualifications of the classification

Preferred Training and Experience:

• Environmental or Municipal laboratory experience preferred

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. Prospective and current employees are invited to discuss accommodations.

Working conditions may include exposure to travel to other locations within the City of Richmond as well as outside of the City of Richmond; exposure to hazardous physical conditions such as mechanical parts, electrical currents, vibrations, etc.; atmospheric conditions such as fumes, odors, dusts, gases, and poor ventilation; inadequate lighting; intense noise; and environmental hazards such as disruptive people, imminent danger, and a threatening environment.

Due to the nature of work assignments, incumbents must be able to perform detailed work on multiple, concurrent tasks, with frequent interruptions and under time constraint. The essential duties of this classification may require the ability to regularly talk; frequently finger, hear, see, and perform repetitive motions; and occasionally climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, reach, stand, walk, push, pull, lift, feel, and grasp. The working conditions may include environmental hazards. In terms of the physical strength to perform the essential duties, this classification is considered to be light work, exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects.

The City of Richmond provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.