Power Plant Chemistry Technician

City of Gainesville•Gainesville, FL

29d•$18 - $39

About The Position

Join our GRU team as a Chemistry Technician and contribute to the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of our power generation facilities. Safety is a core value at GRU, and this role plays an essential part in protecting plant equipment, the environment, and our workforce through precise chemistry control and strong hazard-recognition practices. This position performs skilled technical work in water, steam, and environmental chemistry within an industrial power plant environment. You will collect and analyze samples, interpret data trends, troubleshoot chemistry and equipment issues, and make process adjustments to protect plant assets and ensure regulatory compliance. The role involves hands-on laboratory work, operation and optimization of water treatment systems, and calibration and maintenance of analytical instruments. You will also support environmental monitoring, prepare accurate compliance documentation, and contribute to continuous improvement efforts across Energy Supply. This position regularly collaborates with operators, maintenance teams, and supervisors to communicate system status and chemistry conditions. It also provides opportunities to train and mentor less experienced personnel as part of building a strong, informed team. Positions allocated to this classification report to a designated supervisor and work under general supervision. Work in this class is distinguished from other classes by its advanced technical skills and requirement to train and instruct personnel.

Requirements

Associate’s Degree from an accredited institution with major course work in chemical, physical, environmental or biological sciences or a related subject with a minimum of sixteen (16) semester hours of college level chemistry or a minimum of three years directly applicable experience.
Or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience which provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities.
Must meet minimum Craft and Safety Training established for designated journey level program within the guidelines established in the Progression-Through-Training program. Power Plant Chemistry Technician is a “must-progress” job.
Valid Florida Driver License required at time of appointment.
Thorough knowledge of occupational hazards, safety rules and regulations, and safety precautions.
Working knowledge of principles and methods of qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis of water treatment and of chemical and physical treatment procedures used in treatment of water suitable for power plant boilers.
Working knowledge of principles and methods of qualitative and quantitative chemical and biological analysis used in environmental monitoring.
Working knowledge and familiarity with Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) standards and procedures.
Working knowledge and familiarity with Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) programs for process and environmental work.
Working knowledge of functions and servicing requirements for lab and power plant equipment.
Working knowledge of occupational hazards and accident prevention methods in assigned area of responsibility.
Working knowledge of principles and operation of demineralizer systems, cooling towers, cooling systems, and chemical feed systems along with principles of brine concentrators.
Working knowledge of potential hazards and procedures for fire and explosion prevention.
Skill in use of laboratory equipment and analytical instruments.
Skill in use of Microsoft Office packages (including Word, Excel and Outlook).
Proven communication skills of an exceptional standard (both written and oral).
Ability to organize, plan and prioritize tasks within a high volume, varied workload while maintaining a high level of accuracy in all work undertaken.
Ability to respond to urgent or emergency conditions by properly applying job skills and knowledge to take or initiate appropriate action.
Ability to support analysis of fuels (coal, oil) for correlating issues.
Ability to perform independent analysis of water and maintain and operate equipment used in treatment of water.
Ability to operate work-related equipment.
Ability to maintain and repair liquid analysis instrumentation.
Ability to read and comprehend technical bulletins, manufacturers’ operating instructions, and information dealing with power plant laboratory principles and practices.
Ability to keep and maintain work records and prepare reports.
Ability to read, understand, and comply with Safety Data Sheets (SDS).
Ability to perform intermediate level mathematical calculations.
Ability to guide and train subordinate personnel in performance of their duties.
Ability to work effectively with coworkers and the general public.
Ability to contribute to a culture of inclusion.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in one of the above disciplines is preferred.
A Master’s degree from an accredited institution in one of the above disciplines may be substituted for the required experience.
Based on Plant Assignment, may be required to obtain Drinking Water Class “C” License within one (1) year of employment.

Responsibilities

Collects, analyzes, and interprets various power plant water and steam samples and takes corrective action as needed.
Ensures conformance to accepted qualitative and quantitative laboratory procedures as well as power plant chemistry guidelines.
Independently makes necessary adjustments to power plant water and chemical systems based on analyses performed and on-line instrumentation by utilizing trending software such as PI Historian and Laboratory Information Management System historical data functions.
Collects, analyzes, and interprets various environmental samples to maintain compliance with environmental permits.
Assists in the preparation of data reports, adherence to and administration of a Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) program, and data entry into the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) computers.
Maintains records and logs in accordance with FDEP standards and prepares detailed records and reports in a timely manner.
Calibrates, adjusts, maintains and repairs as necessary all laboratory instrumentation and on-line continuous analyzers including pH, conductivity, spectrophotometers, sodium, silica, dissolved oxygen, phosphate, and others.
Performs chemical analyses using gravimetric, spectrophotometric, turbidimetric, and titrimetric methods in conformance to Standard Methods.
Assists in developing and evaluating new analytical methods.
Prepares laboratory reagents, as needed, in conformance to Standard Methods, and general laboratory procedures.
Operates, controls, and troubleshoots water treatment systems such as demineralizers, reverse osmosis, and electro-deionization equipment.
Based on area of assignment, operates, controls and troubleshoots Zero-Liquid-Discharge System including Brine Concentrator, Crystallizer, and Belt Press.
Complies with information provided on Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for all products.
Handles and stores items properly.
Observes and adheres to proper LockOut/Tag Out of plant equipment and systems in accordance with clearance procedures, policies, and practices.
Attends training courses and studies independently to learn operation and maintenance requirements of power plant laboratory facilities, equipment, and operation.
Assists in the maintenance, operator and monitoring of the Transformer Dissolved Gas Analyzers.
Completes established training objectives for craft area assigned to journey level.
Works with other power plant personnel to start up, troubleshoot, or shut down equipment for corrective or preventive maintenance.
Provides training and instruction to subordinate personnel and advises the Laboratory Supervisor of level of job knowledge, skills, and abilities of personnel in training.
Responds to emergency situations.
Responsible for maintaining, ordering, coordinating, accepting and offloading of chemical deliveries of bulk chemicals.
Attends work on a continuous and regular basis.