Chemist

City of Richmond•1801 Commerce Road, VA

7d•Onsite

About The Position

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, troubleshoots analytical instruments and keeps detailed records of test data. We highly encourage entry level candidates to apply.

Requirements

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
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

Nice To Haves

Environmental or Municipal laboratory experience preferred

Responsibilities

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.