Environmental Chemical Lab Scientist

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.

Application Requirements

All applicants must upload a resume, transcript and cover letter to be considered for the position.

Basic Purpose

This position is essential for providing technical assistance, managing monitoring schedules, providing collection materials, and sampling public water supplies to ensure compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Typical Functions

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

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

Customer support and Technical Assistance

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

Field Operations

Ensure field readiness is maintained to support various program responses by maintaining collection and measurement equipment

Intermittent travel throughout the state of Oklahoma

Assisting with the collection of samples for analysis and facilitating sample delivery to the laboratory for analysis

Assisting with sampling vessel maintenance and repair

Travel Requirements

This position requires intermittent travel throughout the State of Oklahoma. In some cases, travel, overtime, and weekend work will be required to maintain basic operations or to meet emergency demands. 

Education and Experience

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.

Physical Requirements 

Applicant must be able to:

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.

In some cases, travel, overtime, and weekend work will be required to maintain basic operations or to meet emergency demands.

Special Requirements

This position will be under general supervision of the section manager, and the following skills and behaviors are essential for candidate consideration:

Valid driver’s license

The applicant must have strong written and verbal communication skills.

The applicant must have time management and prioritization skillsets.

The applicant must be dependable and reliable regarding their weekly work schedule.

The applicant must have excellent customer service skills.

The applicant must have and be able to demonstrate at least intermediate experience with the Microsoft Office Suite.

The applicant must be able to read, understand and interpret technical/scientific documents, regulations and methodologies.

The applicant must conduct all work in accordance with the Laboratory Quality Assurance Manual, Safety Manual and Ethics & Data Integrity Program.

The applicant will be expected to consistently follow established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Work Instruction Documents (WIDs).

Other Information not included above

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

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.

Not all applicants will receive an interview.  If you are selected to be interviewed, you will be notified by email.