Senior Drinking Water Analytical Chemist
Location
Olympia, Washington
Overview
Full-time, on-site
Schedule
Monday-Friday, approximately 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (flexible)
Compensation
$24-$31 per hour, depending on directly relevant experience
Who we are
Vanguard Laboratory is a growing analytical and microbiological testing laboratory in Olympia, Washington. We test drinking water, environmental samples, food and agricultural products, supplements, peptides, research chemicals, and pharmaceutical materials. Vanguard is accredited by the Washington State Department of Ecology and to ISO/IEC 17025 through A2LA.
We are expanding our drinking-water program and need an experienced analytical chemist to implement additional EPA-approved methods, perform routine testing, and add new capabilities to our accredited scope. Position Overview The Senior Drinking Water Analytical Chemist will spearhead the expansion of Vanguard Laboratory's drinking-water testing capabilities.
This is a hands-on position combining routine sample analysis with method implementation, verification or validation, regulatory documentation, quality-control development, staff training, and accreditation scope additions. The successful candidate will take new methods from initial evaluation through routine production.
This is not a purely research or administrative role. The person hired must perform routine testing, have strong wet-bench skills, and take ownership of expanding our scope. Primary ResponsibilitiesMethod Implementation and Scope Expansion
Evaluate our current scope, instrumentation, client needs, and opportunities for additional drinking-water testing.
Recommend and prioritize new parameters based on regulatory requirements, technical feasibility, demand, equipment needs, and laboratory capacity.
Select appropriate EPA-approved or other regulator-approved drinking-water methods.
Lead methods from feasibility assessment through routine implementation and accredited scope addition.
Establish requirements for containers, preservation, holding times, preparation, calibration, quality control, reporting limits, and data review.
Develop SOPs, worksheets, calculation templates, QC criteria, training materials, and data-review procedures.
Perform verification or validation studies, including demonstrations of capability, precision, accuracy, recovery, selectivity, sensitivity, calibration performance, reporting limits, robustness, carryover, and sample stability, as applicable.
Establish method detection limits, reporting limits, and control limits.
Complete proficiency testing and prepare documentation for Washington State Department of Ecology scope additions.
Respond to technical questions, assessment findings, and corrective-action requests.
Train and qualify analysts, transfer methods into production, and monitor ongoing performance.
Routine Drinking-Water Testing
Prepare and analyze drinking-water samples using approved procedures.
Perform weighing, volumetric preparation, dilution, digestion, extraction, filtration, titration, colorimetric analysis, gravimetric analysis, and reagent preparation, as applicable.
Prepare standards, blanks, fortified samples, duplicates, matrix spikes, calibration checks, laboratory control samples, and other required QC.
Operate and maintain applicable equipment, including pH and conductivity meters, turbidimeters, UV-visible spectrophotometers, ion chromatographs, TOC analyzers, discrete analyzers, ICP-OES, ICP-MS, GC/MS, LC/MS, or related systems.
Review sample condition, preservation, collection time, holding time, chain-of-custody documentation, and test requests.
Set up analytical batches and review calibration data, QC results, calculations, chromatograms, spectra, and final results.
Investigate contamination, carryover, failed controls, unacceptable recoveries, calibration problems, matrix effects, instrument drift, and other questionable results.
Perform troubleshooting, cleaning, calibration, preventive maintenance, and consumable replacement.
Maintain complete records and ensure results are technically defensible before reporting.
Meet turnaround requirements without compromising sample integrity or data quality.
Quality and Program Leadership
Maintain compliance with applicable EPA drinking-water methods, WAC 246-390, Washington Department of Health requirements, WA ELAP requirements, and Vanguard Laboratory's ISO/IEC 17025 quality system.
Maintain required traceability, QC records, and analyst competency records.
Support proficiency testing, audits, assessments, corrective actions, management reviews, and nonconforming-work investigations.
Assist with technical review and approval of drinking-water data, reports, and Certificates of Analysis.
Develop a practical roadmap for expanding the program and improving laboratory throughput.
Train and mentor staff and communicate project status, technical challenges, resource needs, and completion dates to management.
Assist client-service staff with questions involving sample collection, preservation, test selection, method limitations, and result interpretation.
Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in analytical chemistry, chemistry, environmental chemistry, biochemistry, environmental science, or a related field.
At least three years of directly relevant professional experience testing drinking water or environmental water samples. Five or more years is preferred for candidates expected to independently lead the program.
Hands-on experience performing EPA drinking-water methods or other approved compliance methods.
Strong wet-bench skills, including solution preparation, volumetric work, dilutions, titrations, digestions, extractions, filtration, and QC sample preparation.
Experience preparing and analyzing standards, blanks, duplicates, spikes, fortified samples, and laboratory control samples.
Working knowledge of sample collection, preservation, holding times, contamination prevention, and chain-of-custody requirements.
Experience implementing, verifying, validating, transferring, or substantially improving analytical methods.
Ability to evaluate method performance and independently troubleshoot analytical problems.
Understanding of calibration, detection limits, reporting limits, precision, accuracy, recovery, traceability, and QC acceptance criteria.
Familiarity with Washington State Department of Ecology laboratory accreditation requirements and Washington drinking-water regulations.
Experience working under ISO/IEC 17025, TNI, NELAP, GMP, GLP, or another controlled quality system.
Strong technical writing, organization, attention to detail, and communication skills.
Ability to work full-time and on-site in Olympia, Washington.
Highly Desirable Experience
Direct experience adding drinking-water methods, analytes, or parameters to a WA ELAP or comparable accredited scope.
Experience preparing scope-addition applications, demonstrations of capability, proficiency-testing records, SOPs, and accreditation documentation.
Experience communicating with Ecology accreditation personnel, participating in assessments, and working under WAC 246-390 and Washington Department of Health requirements.
Experience with EPA 200-series, 300-series, 500-series, Standard Methods, ASTM methods, or other approved procedures.
Experience with general chemistry, metals, anions, nutrients, secondary contaminants, disinfection byproducts, organic contaminants, or emerging contaminants.
Hands-on experience with ICP-MS, ICP-OES, ion chromatography, UV-visible spectrophotometry, TOC, discrete analysis, GC/MS, LC/MS, or related platforms.
Experience with high-throughput workflows, analyst training, final technical review, LIMS, or commercial laboratory operations.
Compensation and Method-Addition Bonus
Base pay: $24-$31 per hour, depending on relevant drinking-water, EPA-method, accreditation, instrumentation, and leadership experience.
This position is eligible for Vanguard Laboratory's scope-addition method bonus program . Qualifying methods successfully implemented, verified or validated, documented, approved for routine use, and added to the accredited scope may earn a bonus of $500-$2,000 per method . The amount depends on technical complexity, documentation, method transfer, proficiency testing, and operational value.
Benefits
401(k) with employer matching.
Health, dental, vision, and life insurance.
Paid time off and parental leave.
Professional development assistance and technical training.
Performance-based compensation increases.
Method-addition bonuses for qualifying scope expansions.
How to apply
Email a resume and a cover letter to [email protected]. Name this role in the subject line. Applications without a cover letter are not reviewed.