Chemist jobs in Tucson, AZ

Position Description

Salary Grade: 6

Pay Range
Hiring Range: $25.12 - $30.14 Per Hour
Full Range: $25.12 - $35.17 Per Hour

Salary offers are based on the candidate's equivalent experience and internal equity with other employees within the same job classification.

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. Typical work assignments include sample collection and receiving, new method development, chemical hygiene, internal audits, and laboratory safety inspections. The Quality Assurance Unit supports the CRAO Laboratory by focusing on the processes and procedures that improve data quality, training, documentation, monitoring, and audits to provide data integrity for regulatory compliance purposes.

A post-job offer physical is required.

Duties/Responsibilities

(Work assignments may vary depending on the department's needs and will be communicated to the applicant or incumbent by the supervisor.)

Performs sophisticated chemical and microbial analysis by obtaining water samples, operating field instrumentation and recording results;

Prepares samples for testing using complex chemical extraction and digestion techniques;

Monitors laboratory data of technicians to validate the accuracy and precision of analytical results;

Maintains manual and automated records and logbooks, interprets data and prepares reports;

Operates complicated analytical instrumentation such as flow injection analyzers (FIAS), 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/atomic absorption spectrometers (ICP/AAS);

Prepares, maintains and disposes of various chemical standards, solvents and reagents, test solutions and bacteriological media;

Maintains facilities and equipment in accordance with departmental and professional standards;

Adheres to safety procedures in accordance with laboratory and chemical plan;

Assists Wastewater Laboratory Chemist Specialists in writing standardized operating procedures and laboratory audit procedures;

Maintains manual and automated laboratory records and logbooks on testing and quality control measures as required by regulatory standards;

Records test results in spreadsheets and automated information management systems for analyses and records maintenance;

Prepares purchase requisitions for laboratory chemicals, supplies and parts for maintenance of analytical instrumentation;

Assists Wastewater Laboratory Chemist Specialists in training Wastewater Laboratory Technicians;

Performs routine Quality Assurance/Quality Control procedures and documentations in order to comply with licensure requirements with the Arizona Department Health Services;

Participates in annual state audit and performance evaluation study.

KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS:

Knowledge of:

• principles and practices of organic and inorganic chemistry, effluent toxicity testing, wastewater process control and microbiological testing;
• standard laboratory practices and techniques such as performing titrations, dilutions, concentrations, extractions and digestions;
• operation and maintenance of specialized laboratory equipment and instrumentation;
• wastewater treatment and test procedures used for process control;
• federal, state and local requirements for compliance testing of wastewater, ground water, storm water, surface water and solid waste samples;
• EPA approved test methods for analyzing wastewater, groundwater and solid waste samples;
• permit and monitoring requirements;
• computer applications for water testing and analysis procedures;
• federal (OSHA) regulations and local policies regarding safe work practices and safe laboratory policies and procedures.

• performing specialized laboratory testing;
• using routine and sophisticated laboratory equipment and analytical instruments;
• communicating effectively and following written and verbal instructions;
• interpreting test results and preparing analytical reports;
• preparing chemical standard solutions and microbiological media using volumetric glassware and analytical balances;
• safely handling hazardous and carcinogenic chemicals;
• use of automated information systems for acquiring data and report generation.

Minimum Qualifications

A Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a major in chemistry, microbiology, biology or other closely related science as defined by the appointing authority at the time of recruitment and two years of experience performing chemical or microbiological analysis in a laboratory setting.

(Additional relevant education from an accredited college or university or experience may be substituted.)

OR:

(2) Two years with Pima County as a Wastewater Laboratory Technician.

• Minimum two (2) years professional experience performing analysis on water or wastewater matrices within the last five (5) years using EPA-approved methods.
• Experience, within the last five (5) years, acting as a reviewer of laboratory raw data looking for data quality issues.
• Experience editing Excel spreadsheets, creating PowerPoint presentations, and using Adobe Acrobat Pro to edit PDFs.
• Experience, within the last five (5) years, performing laboratory instrument calibrations.
• Experience using a laboratory information management system.
• Experience performing laboratory internal audits and root cause analysis.
• Professional experience evaluating and revising laboratory standard operating procedures.

Supplemental Information

Licenses and Certificates: Valid driver license is required at time of application. Valid AZ driver license is required at time of appointment. The successful applicant will be subject to a 39-month DOT Motor Vehicle Record review to determine applicant’s suitability to operate county vehicles in accordance with Pima County administrative procedures. Failure to obtain and maintain the required licenses and certifications shall be grounds for termination. Any offer of employment resulting from this recruitment is contingent upon Fleet Services’ review and approval of the candidate’s driving record. Some positions require a valid Arizona Class D driver license at time of application or prior to completion of an initial or promotional probation period. Failure to obtain/maintain the required certification/licensures shall be grounds for termination.

Special Notice Items: The County requires pre-employment background checks. Successful candidates will receive a post-offer, pre-employment background screening to include verification of work history, education, and criminal conviction history. A prior criminal conviction will not automatically disqualify a candidate from employment with the County.

Physical/Sensory Requirements: Physical and sensory abilities will be determined by position.

EEO Information: Pima County Government is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We are committed to an inclusive and diverse workforce and will not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, kinship, political interest, or any other characteristic protected by law.