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The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the major duties, locations, and responsibilities performed by incumbent(s) in this job. Incumbent(s) may not be required to perform all duties in this description, and incumbent(s) may be required to perform work-related tasks other than those specifically listed in this description. This job description is not a "contract" between the employee and the Authority. The job duties and essential functions may be changed at the discretion of the General Manager.
| Job Title: |
Specialist, Research & Dev |
Job Code: |
P0229 |
| Supervises Directly: |
No |
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| New or Revised: |
Revised |
Regular or At-Will: |
Regular |
| Date Last Revised: |
2/11/2025 |
Exempt or Non-Exempt: |
Exempt |
| Compensation Approval Signature: |
|
Union/ Non-Union: |
Union |
| Department Name and Division: |
Clean Water & Technology - Central Administration |
Salary Schedule: |
District Service (DS) |
| Cost Center Code: |
810600 |
Grade: |
DS11 |
| Essential Position: |
Yes |
Reports To: |
Manager, Research & Development |
| EEO Code: |
Professionals |
Work Format |
In-Person |
At DC Water, we provide more than 700,000 District of Columbia residents and 24.6 million annual visitors with essential water, wastewater, and stormwater services. DC Water also provides wholesale wastewater treatment services for 1.8 million people in Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland, and Fairfax and Loudoun counties in Virginia. We aspire to be known for superior service, ingenuity, and stewardship to advance the health and well-being of our diverse workforce and communities. To achieve this vision, we commit to our shared mission every day-exceeding expectations by providing high quality water services in a safe, environmentally friendly, and efficient manner.
The Specialist, Research & Development assists in implementing wastewater treatment process research, development and optimization, including operation and maintenance of full-scale pilot or laboratory process equipment and instrumentation for purposes of start-up, operation and troubleshooting. Responsible for maintaining the inventory, supplies, and data for (full-scale) pilots, laboratories and laboratory equipment.
| Essential Duties & Responsibilities: |
- Operates and maintains laboratory, pilot and full-scale testing equipment, and field sampling and instrumentation units.
- Assists in the design, construction and operation of on-line, pilot and laboratory instrumentation and equipment.
- Collects samples and conducts a variety of analytical and biological/chemical testing.
- Responsible for maintenance and upkeep of laboratory inventory, including supplies, laboratory R&D equipment, pilot equipment and field sampling equipment.
- Provides professional assistance to operation and maintenance field staff, consultants and construction contractors. Participates with manager/supervisor and process engineering staff in optimizing, troubleshooting, modifying, and upgrading various equipment and unit processes.
- Assists in developing and delivering training to operation and maintenance staff.
- Prepares specifications for chemical and laboratory supplies and other contracts. Assists manager/supervisor in administering the technical aspects of contracts.
- Coordinates the supplies and laboratory and pilot equipment ordering, tracking and logistics associated with supplies for research and development, main laboratory and operations groups at Blue Plains.
- Monitors budgets and spending patterns for chemicals, laboratory supplies and inventories.
- Responsible for entry, management, archival and retrieval of data in/from spreadsheets or databases.
- Tracks process monitoring and testing log sheets for various processes and experiments, develops and completes various roll-up reports and maintains historical records of processes.
- Participates with manager/supervisor in implementing, operation and evaluation of computerized distributive control systems and programmable logic controllers for remote process monitoring and control of pilot or full-scale equipment.
- Performs other related duties and completes projects as assigned at the discretion of the Manager, Research & Development.
Supervisory Responsibilities: Key Working Relationships:
The qualifications listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and ability necessary for an individual to perform each essential responsibility satisfactorily. Reasonable amounts of training are provided. Required Skills & Qualifications
| Required Experience: |
| Professional knowledge of basic sciences including hydraulics, physics, chemistry, biology, algebra and geometry. |
| Advanced knowledge of wastewater treatment processes |
| Basic knowledge of process control and programmable logic controllers used in wastewater treatment |
| Basic knowledge of Laboratory quality assurance and control |
| Knowledge of computer skills associated with word processing, spreadsheets, data bases, and computerized process control and monitoring systems. |
| Minimum Education Requirements: |
| Bachelor's degree in Environmental Engineering, Environmental Science or related field from an accredited college or university and 2 years of experience in applied wastewater treatment research. |
| Required Skills: |
| Skill in tabulating, calculating and graphing data associated with process control, chemical inventory control, and other wastewater treatment operation and maintenance programs. |
| Skill in organizing, filing, maintaining (process) records manually and using electronic systems. |
| Ability to use the principles and theories of science, engineering, and mathematics to solve technical problems in wastewater treatment and laboratories. |
| Ability to write inter-departmental reports and memoranda. |
| Ability to work well with internal and external customers including field operation and maintenance employees, technicians, engineers, vendors, contractors, student interns, university academics, etc. |
| Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing. Writing assignments are inclusive of producing draft reports, letters, memos, standard procedures, and staff guidance documents. |
| Required Languages: |
| English |
| Physical Requirements: |
| May be subject to indoor and outdoor environmental conditions that include exposure to extreme cold and/or hot temperatures. |
| May be subject to atmospheric conditions that may affect the respiratory system or skin such as fumes, odors, dust, mist, gases, and exposure to sewage, sludge, oils, or other fluids. |
| Must be able to open manhole covers and do heavy lifting (up to 50 pounds) |
* Appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) will be provided to ensure the safety of the employees. This may include, but is not limited to gloves, safety glasses, shoes, earplugs or muffs, hard hats, respirators, or coveralls, vests, and full body suits. Preferred Skills & Qualifications
| Preferred Experience: |
| Experience in mechanical repairs and maintenance of equipment used in research pilots or setups, laboratories and field testing in wastewater treatment plants. |
| Experience in managing and interpreting large dataset related to the wastewater field |
| Preferred Education: |
| Master's degree in environmental engineering, Environmental Science or related field from an accredited college or university and 1 year of experience associated with research and development in a wastewater treatment or similar environment. |
| Preferred Licenses & Certifications: |
| Valid Class III operator ABC certification or equivalent from Maryland or Virginia |
| Valid Class II laboratory ABC certification or equivalent from Maryland or Virginia |
| Preferred Skills: |
| Advanced knowledge of Laboratory quality assurance and control |
| Experience working with advanced laboratory methods such as gas chromatography and ion chromatography |
| Experience with process modeling and simulations |
| Experience with advanced data analytics including use of macros, python and dashboards |
*The work environment characteristics described in the physical requirements section of the required skills & qualifications table are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential responsibilities.
| Your Experience at DC Water: |
At DC Water, our people make us an industry leader. Join a group of thinkers, innovators, and problem solvers focused on protecting life's most precious resource in the nation's capital.
- Take pride in your work. We provide an essential service and do work that matters. A career at DC Water is an exciting opportunity to help improve the environment and make a lasting difference for the community.
- Connect to a strong culture. Everything we do is grounded in our shared values-accountability, trust, teamwork, customer focus, safety, and wellbeing.
- Be your true self. We are an inclusive organization that embraces diversity, and we recognize and celebrate employees' individuality and unique contributions.
- Build your skills and career path. We are committed to developing a future-ready workforce by helping our employees develop skills for the jobs of tomorrow.
We are proud to be an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V. We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against "qualified individuals with disabilities". If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please email complianceada@dcwater.com.
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DC WATER
Feb 20, 2025