Job Description

The NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) enriches the environment and protects public health for all New Yorkers by providing 1.1 billion gallons of high quality drinking water, managing wastewater and stormwater, and reducing air, noise, and hazardous materials pollution. DEP is the largest combined municipal water and wastewater utility in the country, with nearly 6,000 employees. DEP's water supply system is comprised of 19 reservoirs and 3 controlled lakes throughout the system’s 2,000 square mile watershed that extends 125 miles north and west of the City.

The Bureau of Water Supply seeks to hire an Associate Chemist III for a position in Quality Assurance Group, System Support Unit, Watershed Water Quality Operations Division, Water Quality & Innovation Directorate located in Queens, New York.

Distribution Water Quality Operations operates one laboratory for the distribution system. The function of the Quality Assurance group is to ensure that a NYS DOH ELAP accredited and consistent Quality System is administered throughout the lab. Early Warning Remote Monitoring and Field Programs, although not accredited, adhere to and are included in the same Quality System.

Under direction, of the Quality Assurance Director, the Associate Chemist III will serve as Quality Assurance Officer and will ensure compliance with requirements of the accreditation body, ensuring that SOPs are properly and accurately maintained, reviewing and approving validations and demonstrations of capability, and performing audits and data integrity monitoring. Specific duties include:

• Performing internal audits (inspection) of local laboratory and field programs in accordance with a schedule

• Performing data integrity monitoring (inspection) of local programs in accordance with a schedule

• Reviewing, approving and providing document control for all local program standard operating procedures, forms, memos, posters and reference documents

• Reviewing and approving local instrument validations and demonstrations of capability

• Providing other Quality Assurance program support, including review, approval, and tracking of corrective actions, management review preparation

• Training, filing, archiving and other non-QA related tasking

Please note this is not a clinical laboratory, and a Clinical Laboratory Technologist License is not required for this position.

(This is a brief description of what you might do in this position and does not include all the duties of this position.)

Some of the physical activities performed by Associate Chemists and environmental conditions experienced are: lifting and carrying packages weighing approximately 20 pounds for a distance of 30 feet, performing duties in confined work areas, wearing protective garments such as respirators, gloves, lab coats, and goggles, handling and manipulating laboratory equipment and instruments/tools such as glass and plastic ware and lab tools, etc., adjusting settings on machines which require fine finger and hand coordination and control, and collecting samples at sites in all weather conditions.

Special Working Conditions: Associate Chemists may be required to work all hours of the day or night and Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.

Preferred Skills:

• Familiarity with Microsoft Office suite software including Excel, Word, Power Point, SharePoint and Teams

• Familiarity with database systems such as STARLIMS brand Laboratory Information Management System

• Direct knowledge of environmental regulations applicable to laboratories and water, 40CFR 136, 40CFR 141, NYS DOH Part 5, NYS and NH Environmental Laboratory Approval Program and Quality Systems.

• A general knowledge of environmental testing methods for chemistry and microbiology

• Mathematic skills related to calibration (linear regression), statistical tests (Student’s-t, F-Test), and quality control (process capability).

• Ability to perform statistical and arithmetic calculation.

• Ability to write, review and edit reports.

• Ability to collect and analyze relevant data on spreadsheets

• Analytical ability

• Interpersonal skills

• Communication skills both written and oral

• Time management

• Committed to honesty, integrity, and support to others

• Driver’s license valid in the State of New York, maintained for duration of employment.

• Ability to travel throughout the 2,000+ square mile watershed, utilizing a New York City vehicle.

Hours/Shift:

35 Hours per week / Day shift, may be required to work Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.

Work Location:

96-05 Horace Harding Expressway

Flushing, NY 11368

Qualifications

Qualification Requirements

A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college, including or supplemented by 16 semester credits in chemistry and 8 semester credits in any one or a combination of the following areas: chemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, environmental science, forensic science, or other natural science.

Certificate Requirement

At the time of appointment to a clinical laboratory, candidates must possess a valid License as a Clinical Laboratory Technologist issued by the New York State Education Department. This license must be maintained for the duration of employment.

Additional Qualification Requirements For Assignment Level II and above.

To be eligible for placement in Assignment Level II and above, individuals must have, after meeting the minimum requirements described for Assignment Level I, at least two years of fulltime satisfactory experience performing chemical or physical analyses in a laboratory.

Education may be substituted for experience on the basis of 30 graduate semester credits from an accredited college in any of the areas of study described in the qualification requirements above for one year of experience. However, all candidates must have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college with the specialized credits as described above.

Additional Information

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.