Quality Assurance Assistant

Minimum Qualifications
Education and/or Equivalent Experience:

• Graduation with a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in a field related to Chemical, Environmental, or Biological Sciences with 24 hours of Chemistry only OR 16 hours of Chemistry plus 16 hours of biology/microbiology combination with a minimum of one hour of each. Minimum qualifications include four (4) years of experience in a field related to drinking water or environmental water quality analyses with experience in the use of computerized analytical instrumentation.
• A master’s or doctoral degree in one of the above disciplines may be substituted for one (1) year of experience.

Licenses or Certifications:

• Valid Texas Class “C” Driver’s License.

Notes to Applicants
This position assists in the management of the Quality Assurance and safety program for the Laboratory Services Division, including conducting audits, monitoring lab compliance with water and wastewater regulations, conducting training classes and presentations, writing technical procedures, and assisting with management of the laboratory’s LIMS database.
Retention Incentive Bonus:
This position may be eligible for an Incentive Bonus of up to $3,000!

• $500 after 90 days.
• $500 after 180 days.
• $1,000 after 1 year.
• $1,000 after 2 years.

Working with Austin Water provides a number of health and welfare benefits, such as medical, paid leave time, a great retirement plan, training opportunities and more - click HERE for more information.
When completing the City of Austin employment application:

• Please be sure to detail on the application all previous employment that you wish to be considered as part of your qualifications.
• A detailed, complete employment application is required. It helps us to better evaluate your qualifications and will be used to determine salary if you are selected for this position. Be sure to provide job title and employment dates for all jobs you wish to be considered. Please refer to the preferred qualifications listed in this posting when completing the “Duties and Responsibilities” section for each job listed on your application, describing which preferred qualifications are applicable for that position including any preferred software used.

• A resume is required but will not substitute for a complete employment application. Please do not use the phrase “see resume” or refer to other documents to complete your application. Do not leave the “Duties and Responsibilities” sections blank. These will be considered incomplete applications. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

If you are selected to interview:

• Your skill level in Microsoft Office 2016 Word and Excel will be assessed, with a required minimum passing score of 70%.

If you are selected as a top candidate:

• A copy of your college transcript will be requested to verify required Chemistry, Biology, and Microbiology hours. You must provide proof of education from an accredited organization/institution.
• And are in the military or a veteran, you will need to provide a copy of your DD-214 prior to confirming a start date.

Driving Requirement:

• This position requires a Valid Texas Class “C” Driver’s License or the ability to acquire one by your hire date. External New Hires must meet the City of Austin’s Driver Record Evaluation ( DRE ) requisite. To be considered for a driving position, applicants cannot have more than three moving violations or a total of six Driver Record Evaluation points within a period of thirty-six (36) months.

Secondary Employment:

• All Austin Water employees are prohibited from accepting or engaging in any secondary employment that might conflict or interfere with an employee’s duty and responsibility to the Department.
• AW must review all secondary employment.
• Employees are required to submit a Secondary Employment Application for review and approval upon being hired with AW, as well as current AW employees considering Secondary employment.

All Austin Water worksite locations are tobacco-free. Use of tobacco products and/or e-cigarettes is not permitted on any AW worksite - including construction sites, parking lot, garage or in any personal vehicle located on the premises.
Pay Range
$30.29 - $37.86 per hour
Hours
Monday - Friday 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM, plus mandatory overtime and holiday work as needed. Position is considered essential and may be required to report to work after hours or during periods of bad weather.
Job Close Date 03/20/2024 Type of Posting External Department Austin Water Utility Regular/Temporary Regular Grant Funded or Pooled Position Not Applicable Category Professional Location 14050 Summit Dr. #121, Austin, TX 78728 Preferred Qualifications

• Experience reviewing technical documents and data for accuracy and QC compliance
• Intermediate skills with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint
• Experience working in a water or wastewater laboratory, preferably with TNI accreditation
• Experience writing and reviewing technical SOP’s.
• Experience with the assessment process of a TNI accredited laboratory
• Experience using Qualtrax or an equivalent Quality Assurance software
• Experience with Horizon or an equivalent LIMS system

Duties, Functions and Responsibilities
Essential duties and functions, pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, may include the following. Other related duties may be assigned.
Review Quality Assurance/Quality Control programs Assist in administering Quality Assurance/Quality Control Programs Research, develop, implement, and maintain QA/QC and standard operating procedures Review and approve work of other analysts. Provide technical expertise on an ongoing basis. Assist in developing and managing quality control initiatives Conduct audits Review and interpret policies, codes and regulations Assist in developing and maintaining program policy documentation Develop and conduct technical training for Division staff and other laboratory customers. Provide guidance and recommendations in budget development. Review and recommend specifications for technical instrumentation and contracts. Assist in evaluating bid proposals and managing contracts. Assume QA officer responsibilities in their absence.
Responsibilities- Supervision and/or Leadership Exercised:

• May provide leadership, guidance and/or technical support to others.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Must possess required knowledge, skills, abilities and experience and be able to explain and demonstrate, with or without reasonable accommodations, that the essential functions of the job can be performed.

• Performs internal audits; perform quality assessments of data produced without outside influence and document corrective actions
• Must have working knowledge of Bacteriological, Inorganic and Organic Chemistry methods for which data is performed
• Have working knowledge of the NELAC standard
• Have working knowledge of water and wastewater analytical methods
• Must be able to work independently and have analytical problems skills
• Must be able to produce SOP documents
• Must be able to review data and QC parameters accurately
• Must be able to keep track of training documentation
• Must be able to compile and submit reports.
• Must possess ability to interact well with diverse work force

Criminal Background Investigation This position does not require a Criminal Background Investigation EEO/ADA
City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you require reasonable accommodation during the application process or have a question regarding an essential job function, please call (512) 974-3210 or Texas Relay by dialing 7-1-1.
The City of Austin will not discriminate against any applicant or employee based on race, creed, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, age, religion, veteran status, disability, or sexual orientation. In addition, the City will not discriminate in employment decisions on the basis of an individual’s AIDS , AIDS Related Complex, or HIV status; nor will the City discriminate against individuals who are perceived to be at risk of HIV infection, or who associate with individuals who are believed to be at risk.
Information For City Employees: If you are an employee within the department, are in good standing and meet both the minimum and preferred qualifications, then you will receive an initial interview.
Supplemental Questions
Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).
* Position requires graduation with a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in a field related to Chemical, Environmental or Biological sciences with 24 hours of Chemistry only OR 16 hours of Chemistry plus 16 hours of biology/microbiology combination with a minimum of one hour of each. Minimum qualifications include four (4) years of experience in a field related to drinking water or environmental water quality analyses with experience in the use of computerized analytical instrumentation. A master’s or doctoral degree in one of the above disciplines may be substituted for one (1) year of experience. Do you meet these minimum qualifications?

• Yes
• No

* This position requires a Texas Class "C" Operator's License. Do you have a Texas Class "C" Operator's License or if selected for this position, do you have the ability to acquire a Texas Class "C" Operator's License by your hire date?

• Yes
• No

* The City of Austin Driver Eligibility Standards require that external new hires meet the City's Driver Record Evaluation (DRE) requisite. To be considered for a driving position, applicants cannot have more than three (3) moving violations or a total of six (6) Driver Record Evaluation points within a period of thirty-six (36) months. Do you meet this requirement?

• Yes
• No

* List the college level courses you have taken in Chemistry, Biology and Microbiology. Be sure to include the name of each course and the number of credit hours you received for each course.
(Open Ended Question)
* How many years of experience do you have in a field related to drinking water or environmental water quality analysis?

• None
• Less than four (4) years
• Four (4) to six (6) years
• Six (6) to eight (8) years
• Eight (8) to ten (10) years
• More than ten (10) years

* How many years of experience do you have with the use of computerized analytical instrumentation?

• None
• Less than four (4) years
• Four (4) to six (6) years
• Six (6) to eight (8) years
• Eight (8) to ten (10) years
• More than ten (10) years

* Select the following you have experience with. (select all that apply):

• Experience reviewing technical documents and data for accuracy and QC requirements
• Working in a municipal (water or wastewater) laboratory
• Testing drinking water matrices
• Testing wastewater matrices
• Working in a TNI (The NELAC Institute) accredited laboratory
• Writing and reviewing technical SOP’s
• The assessment process of a TNI accredited laboratory
• Using Horizon LIMS database
• Using another similar LIMS database
• Using Qualtrax Quality Assurance software
• Using another Quality Assurance software
• None of the above

* Which of the following best describes your proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, specifically with Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook?

• No experience
• Basic: create/edit simple documents, spreadsheets, emails, & simple presentations
• Intermediate: create/edit a variety of documents & spreadsheets; reformat document features such as color, font style and size of text, change page size/width, & filter/sort data fields create a variety of presentations, & reformat individual slides
• Advanced: create/edit complex documents, spreadsheets, presentations; integrate features such as tables, charts, mathematic formulas, hyperlinks, graphics; data/mail merge, import data from one document to another create/edit complex, professional-quality

* Were you referred to this opportunity by an Austin Water employee? If yes, please provide the employee’s full name.
(Open Ended Question)
Optional & Required Documents
Required Documents Cover Letter Resume Optional Documents