The City of Puyallup is hiring for a full-time laboratory position at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. There are two lab specialists and total of 19 employees at the Treatment Plant.

It is impactful to join Team Puyallup and provide meaningful work in support of public service and the wellbeing of our community. We value our culture of demonstrating excellence in our work, being service focused, supporting collaboration, and having integrity in all that we do. We encourage those that share these values to apply to our open positions and/or forward to colleagues who may be ready for their next career advancement opportunity.

The successful candidate will work in this intermediate level wastewater treatment laboratory position with specific analytic duties related to process control, compliance monitoring, data compilation and analytic quality control. Employees in this classification must possess reasonably strong clerical and mathematical skills necessary to perform accurate record keeping and numerical computations. Employees in the position will receive an initial orientation consisting of specific operating, sampling and analytic requirements of the City's Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) secondary treatment plant. After the initial orientation period, the employee will perform varied analytic procedures in compliance with Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater or similarly accepted analytic protocols. Work sites include all treatment plant buildings, structures and appurtenances; and may include off-site pump stations or river sampling. However, the majority of work time is spent indoors, on-site at the treatment plant laboratory.

Knowledge of:

• Standard wastewater analytic protocols and quality control procedures;
• Safety measures relating to the hazards associated with Methane gas, electrical equipment and confined spaces;
• Modern wastewater treatment facility operations.

Ability to:

• Stand for extended periods and to bend and lift;
• Perform analytic testing using equipment such as, but not limited to pipets, flasks, analytic balances, evaporating baths, muffle furnaces, filtering apparatus, Kjeldahl apparatus, dissolved oxygen meters, spectrophotometers, incubators and related analytic equipment;
• Accurately record analytic data on laboratory bench sheets and State self-monitoring discharge report forms;
• Pass annual Quality Control tests and maintain control charts for performance standards.
• To communicate effectively orally and in writing;
• To establish and maintain working relationships with supervisor, chief operator, co-workers and other City employees;
• Work well with others, i.e., good interpersonal skills.

Education and Experience
Graduation from high school or GED. Three (3) years of experience in a capacity strongly related to the duties of the position.

Desired qualifications would include: Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Biology or a related field. More than one year of experience collecting sewage samples using automated sampling devices, more than one year of experience performing wastewater analyses in a modern wastewater treatment laboratory.

SPECIAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Possession of a valid Washington State driver's license.
• A pre-employment medical examination is required of this position.

Constant Demands: Talking; seeing.
Frequent Demands: Standing; walking, fine finger manipulation; physical strength and agility to carry heavy equipment (lifting and carrying 50 pounds), work in rough terrain and extreme weather conditions; safely perform confined space entry into manholes, vaults and other restricted workspaces; and, the ability to walk and work standing up for extended periods as well as bend, kneel, stoop, twist, and climb inclines.
Environmental Factors: Moderate noise levels; below normal temperatures as part of job; 80% of employee's time spent in laboratory, 20% of employee's time spent outdoors. This position is at risk of potential exposure to bloodborne pathogens.

SELECTION PROCESS
Those applicants whose qualifications most closely correspond to the City's current needs will be contacted for interviews and/or testing. The appointing authority may conduct second interviews.
Notification – Following submission of application, an email acknowledgment receipt of application is given. Persons selected for an interview and/or testing will be notified by email, normally within 15 working days following the closing date on the job announcement.
Not Selected – No formal notification is usually sent by the City to applicants not selected for an interview or test. Should the same or another position open for which the applicant wishes to apply, he/she must apply online for each new opening.

GENERAL INFORMATION
Essential Functions – The statements contained herein reflect general details as necessary to describe the principal functions for this job, the level of knowledge, skills and abilities typically required and the scope of responsibility, but should not be considered an all-inclusive listing of work requirements. Individuals may perform other duties as assigned including work in other functional areas to cover absences or relief, to equalize peak work periods, or to balance the workload.
Hours of Work – 24/7 hour operations, may include weekend and night shifts and holidays.
Union Affiliation – This is a Teamsters Local #313 (International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers of America) bargaining unit position.
Equal Employment Opportunity – The City of Puyallup is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and does not discriminate in any employer/employee relations based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital status, disability, genetic information, veteran's status or any other basis protected by applicable discrimination laws.
Background - The City of Puyallup will need to obtain the proper background and criminal history information pursuant to RCW 43.43.830/832 for positions where the employee will or may have unsupervised access to children, developmentally delayed persons or vulnerable adults.
Disability – In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, disability will be considered only in the context of an applicant's ability to perform essential functions of the job and to determine reasonable accommodation. Accommodation to participate in the job application and/or selection process for employment will be made upon request with reasonable notice. Please contact the Human Resources Department for further information. The physical demands described in this job announcement are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Identification – Applicants who are offered employment with the City are required to provide proof of identity and authorization to work in the United States within three days of date of hire, as required by the 1986 Federal Immigration Reform and Control Act. A list of acceptable documents verifying identity and authorization to work will be provided to those who are offered employment. The City uses E-Verify.
Drug-Free Workplace –The City of Puyallup is a drug-free, tobacco-free workplace.
Note – The provisions of this job announcement do not constitute an expressed or implied contract. Any provision contained herein may be modified and/or revoked without notice.