Emerging Contaminant Research Jobs (NOW HIRING)

At the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, we deliver reliable water to a region with 19 million people—and to accomplish this, we rely on a team of talented employees: innovators, problem-solvers, and collaborators who make it all possible.  

There is currently 1 opening for a Chemistry Team Manager (Emerging Chemical Constituents) located in La Verne, California 

This recruitment may result in an eligibility list*.

Team Manager – Emerging Chemical Constituents

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) is seeking a Chemistry Team Manager to lead the Emerging Chemical Constituents (ECC) team in La Verne, CA.

Help shape the future of drinking water quality!

We invite applications for the position of Team Manager for the Emerging Chemical Constituents Team, a leadership role overseeing highly skilled technical staff engaged in drinking water treatment plant and reservoir operations support, analytical method development, and applied research initiatives in support of new and developing regulations and monitoring requirements, including supporting the development of alternative sources of water such as reuse. The position is responsible for ensuring that scientific, operational, and regulatory considerations are effectively integrated into new and emerging areas of study. This position plays a vital role in advancing the technical foundation that informs future drinking water regulations and in maintaining our organization’s commitment to scientific excellence and public health protection.

In this leadership role, you'll supervise and oversee a specialized chemistry team conducting applied research on emerging and regulated constituents and contaminants in source and treated water. The focus is on method development, testing and monitoring, and analysis of constituents of emerging concern (CECs), including PFAS, microplastics, pharmaceutical compounds, endocrine disruptors, disinfection by-products, cyanotoxins, trace organic and inorganic chemicals, treatment process indicators and tracers, and other emerging contaminants. Your work will directly support the development of innovative analytical methods, evaluate treatment technologies, and help ensure safe, reliable drinking water for millions of Southern Californians.

As Team Manager, you will provide both scientific and strategic leadership by:

• Supervising and mentoring a team of highly skilled technical professionals.
• Leading monitoring efforts to test and report treatment process performance indicators and unregulated contaminants to support source water and system operations.
• Reviewing and providing technical input on proposed legislation and regulatory changes affecting drinking water quality.
• Fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, safety, and technical excellence.
• Developing, validating, and refining analytical methods; overseeing data quality and QA/QC, reporting, and technical documentation.
• Planning, directing, and overseeing applied water research programs focused on emerging contaminants.
• Managing capital improvement projects and externally funded research initiatives.
• Developing project proposals, technical reports, and scientific publications.
• Administering project budgets, contracts, and team resources.
• Presenting research findings to industry professionals, regulatory agencies, scientific conferences, and stakeholder groups.

We're looking for an experienced water quality professional with a strong background in management and supervisory methods and techniques; team building; water treatment and water quality regulations and processes and procedures related to water chemistry, analytical chemistry, environmental chemistry, and/or water quality research who enjoys mentoring others and leading multidisciplinary projects. The ideal candidate has experience designing and conducting applied research, developing analytical methods, communicating complex scientific information through presentations and publications, and supervising or leading technical professionals.

If you're passionate about leading in the evolving field of emerging chemical contaminants and ensuring safe, reliable drinking water for the future, we'd love to hear from you!

This job announcement has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work being performed by employees in this classification / job.

To view the full job description, click here: Chemistry Team Manager

Join our Team!  Click here to learn more: Water Quality Lab Careers

Schedule: 9/80, Monday through Friday/Every other Friday off.  This job requires working on-site to oversee and manage staff that are also on-site. 

EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Experience: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and eight years of increasingly responsible relevant experience, of which two years must have been in a project management, supervisory, or lead capacity; OR an advanced degree from an accredited college or university and six years of increasingly responsible relevant experience, of which two years must have been in a project management, supervisory, or lead capacity.

A degree is defined as: A degree in chemistry and/or environmental sciences with an emphasis on drinking water quality and analytical chemistry. This includes academic preparation related to the evaluation of regulated and unregulated contaminants in drinking water, recycled water, and wastewater.

Relevant Experience is defined as: Professional drinking water quality experience focused on one or more of the following: applied research on regulated, unregulated, and/or emerging chemical constituents in water; drinking water treatment processes; water quality regulations; analytical chemistry; and/or managing complex applied research projects.  

Desirable Qualifications:

• Proven ability to lead, mentor, and develop highly technical professionals.
• Demonstrated understanding of conventional and advanced drinking water treatment processes and technologies.
• Experience designing, conducting, and managing applied research projects on constituents of emerging concern (CECs) and other priority water quality issues in drinking water and/or recycled wastewater at the bench, pilot, demonstration, and/or full scale.
• Understanding of watershed sources of CECs, disinfection byproducts (DBPs), and DBP precursors.
• Knowledge of California and federal drinking water and recycled water laws, regulations, and regulatory processes.
• Demonstrated self-motivation and active involvement in the water industry through professional societies or related organizations.
• Demonstrated record of developing analytical chemistry methods.
• Strong record of technical presentations and scientific publications.

CERTIFICATIONS, LICENSES, AND REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS

License(s): Valid California Class C Driver’s License or equivalent that allows you to drive during your employment is required at time of application.

Benefits:
• Competitive compensation
• Excellent medical, dental, life, vision plans.
• Deferred compensation in the form of a 401(k) plan (with matching contribution) and a 457 plan.
• Retirement benefits under the California Public Employees' Retirement System
• Tuition reimbursement
• Training and advancement opportunities
• Excellent working environment
• Public transportation reimbursements

For more information on MWD benefits, please use the following link: Benefits Regular Full Time Employee (Represented)

ABOUT MWD

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a state-established cooperative that, along with its 26 cities and retail suppliers, provides water for 19 million people in six counties. The district imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California to supplement local supplies, and helps its members to develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage and other resource-management programs.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Qualified individuals with disabilities, who need a reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process, please call (213) 217-7738 or email: jobs@mwdh2o.com.

Metropolitan is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected characteristic(s).

Application Filing Period: Closes at 11:59 pm PT on the date stated in the job announcement. However it may close prior to the filing end date if sufficient applications have been received. If sufficient applications have not been received, then the filing period end date may be extended.

Eligibility List*: An eligibility list is a list of qualified candidates created when a job posting states that one will be established.

Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications listed in the original posting and successfully pass all stages of the recruitment process—but are not selected for the initial vacancy—may be placed on this list for future openings.

The list may be used to invite candidates to participate in a selection interview for a future vacancy in the same classification / title (if there is one). The duration of the list depends on the applicable bargaining unit.

Qualifying Experience: Your resume must at a minimum include the month and year you began and ended employment, name of the organization, your title, and a brief description of your experience. If your employment was part-time, make sure you identify it on your resume next to the month/year.

Sponsorship: Applicants for employment with The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California must have work authorization that does not now or in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the United States (i.e., H1-B or other employment-based immigration case).

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