Environmental Chemical Lab Scientist

State of Oklahoma • Oklahoma City, OK

5d • Onsite

About The Position

This is for two positions in the State Environmental Laboratory Services Division - Field and Laboratory Customer Assistance Section in Oklahoma City. All applicants must be able to pass a background check and must be able to legally work within the United States. DEQ does not allow sponsorship for those on a H1B visa. This position requires in-office work Monday - Friday. The State Environmental Laboratory of the OK Department of Environmental Quality seeks to fill an Environmental Chemical Laboratory Scientist position within the Field and Laboratory Customer Assistance Section. The successful applicant will join a team of dedicated professional scientists focused on providing support for regulated environmental programs and serving the needs of a diverse base of private and public customers. Projects for public health protection could include: Testing for environmental contaminant analysis in soil, waste, water, and drinking water from sources such as wastewater facilities, public water systems, private wells, Superfund sites, criminal investigations, and environmental complaints. Providing analytical support to other state agencies Proving analytical support during environmental and public health emergencies

Requirements

• All applicants must upload a resume, transcript and cover letter to be considered for the position.
• Valid driver’s license
• strong written and verbal communication skills.
• time management and prioritization skillsets.
• dependable and reliable regarding their weekly work schedule.
• excellent customer service skills.
• at least intermediate experience with the Microsoft Office Suite.
• able to read, understand and interpret technical/scientific documents, regulations and methodologies.
• conduct all work in accordance with the Laboratory Quality Assurance Manual, Safety Manual and Ethics & Data Integrity Program.
• consistently follow established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Work Instruction Documents (WIDs).
• Level I - bachelor's degree in chemistry, biological or environmental science.
• Level II - those identified in Level I plus one year of professional level experience in a laboratory; OR a master’s degree in chemistry or biological or environmental science.
• To be considered for this position applicants must be within 60 days of obtaining their degree.
• work under a variety of normal laboratory conditions which include the presence and use of chemicals, energized equipment, non-ionizing radiation (radio frequency, microwave and sound), low-activity radioactive sources, and sources of extreme temperature, pressure and pH
• work under a variety of outdoor conditions including lift 30 pounds independently
• stand several hours per day
• perform repetitive tasks
• wear personal protective equipment to include coats, gloves, and eyewear.
• manual dexterity and visual acuity to perform routine laboratory tasks, such as pipetting, instrument maintenance, accurately reading narrow glassware graduations, distinguishing solvent layers/phase boundaries, etc.

Responsibilities

• Maintain drinking water competency in accordance with the monitoring rules of the Safe Drinking Water Act
• Coordinate drinking water sample schedules to support public water systems in meeting monitoring requirements while aligning with internal and external laboratory capacity restrictions.
• Log projects in our Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) and build/mail kits to customers in a timely manner
• Routinely provide technical expertise and consultations in support of various programs and customer types via phone, email, or on-site consultation. Technical expertise includes but is not limited to interpretation of lab reports and compliance monitoring schedules, diagnosis of private well water issues, sample collection protocol, and water treatment options
• Maintain knowledge of wastewater and stormwater monitoring and rule requirements according to OPDES and NPDES
• Ensure field readiness is maintained to support various program responses by maintaining collection and measurement equipment
• Assisting with the collection of samples for analysis and facilitating sample delivery to the laboratory for analysis
• Assisting with sampling vessel maintenance and repair

Benefits

• Generous leave including 15 days of vacation, 15 days of sick leave and 11 paid holidays annually.
• A comprehensive Benefit Package with a generous benefit allowance to offset the cost of insurance premiums for employees and their eligible dependents.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level