Lab Technician - Coord, Environmental Eng

Smurfit-Westrock; West Point (VA); On-site; USD 63,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Short-term bonus incentive

Health, dental & vision insurance

HSA/FSA

Retirement savings plan

Paid vacation

Paid holidays

Paid sick leave

Job summary

Smurfit Westrock is seeking a LabTech at the WestPoint Mill to support environmental compliance under the Virginia Pollution Discharge Elimination System (VPDES). You will collect various samples, run analyses on on-site instruments, and assist with QA investigations while maintaining safety and accuracy.

The role requires a chemistry degree (or related science) and lab experience, strong attention to detail, and the ability to work a rotating weekend/holiday on-call schedule.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in chemistry with 1+ year industrial lab testing experience in an industrial setting or an Associate degree with 2+ years in industrial sampling/testing.
• Demonstrated ability to learn new techniques quickly.
• Strong time management and efficiency skills.
• Detail and results oriented with strong communication; able to report unusual results clearly.
• Willingness to work overtime and flexible hours as deadlines require.

Responsibilities

• Collect wastewater, storm water, groundwater, raw materials, intermediates, finished products and wastes for analysis.
• Perform analyses with on-site instruments (BOD, COD, TSS, pH, BTU, TKN, NO2+NO3, chloride, sodium, TOX/AOX).
• Operate meters and analyzers (pH, DO, conductivity, UV/Vis, discrete analyzer, IC/ICP, TOX, calorimeter).
• Prepare samples and ship papers for off-site lab testing.
• Inspect tanks and waste areas; report deficiencies; maintain laboratory safety and housekeeping.
• Enter results into databases/spreadsheets; support QA investigations and reporting.

Skills

Strong time management

Detail oriented

Communication skills

Work with minimal supervision

Flexible schedule

Ability to lift 40 pounds

Education

Bachelor’s degree in chemistry with 1+ year industrial lab experience

Associate degree in chemistry or science with 2+ years industrial lab experience

Tools

Excel

MS Word/PowerPoint/Outlook

Discrete analyzer

IC/ICP instrumentation

UV/Vis spectrophotometer

Job description

Locations

VA West Point Mill

Employment Type

Full Time

Date Posted

29-Sep-2026

Relocation Support

Yes

Description & Requirements

Smurfit Westrock (NYSE:SW) is the go-to leader and partner of choice in sustainable packaging. We are dedicated to creating efficient and scalable paper and packaging solutions to help solve complex packaging challenges. Guided by our values of safety, loyalty, integrity and respect, we are committed to delivering meaningful value for shareholders, customers, employees and the communities where we operate.

The Opportunity

We are looking for a Laboratory Technician (LabTech) to join our team at our WestPoint Mill. The LabTech will be involved in a variety of activities and be a key team member in enabling the mill to meet environmental compliance requirements for the Virginia Pollution Discharge Elimination System (VPDES) permit by performing the required effluent and upstream wastewater sampling and storm water sampling and analytical tests. LabTech will assist with tank and groundwater environmental regulatory requirements by participating in a sampling program of groundwater wells as well as assist production personnel with quality assurance investigations and reporting by performing analytical tests on raw materials, intermediate materials, finished product and wastes. The LabTech will also perform inspections of tanks and waste accumulation areas and report deficiencies identified; and support mill goals in safety performance, production, budget, and customer satisfaction.

How you will Impact Smurfit Westrock

Examples of daily activities and responsibilities include the following:

• Collecting samples, such as the following, in an industrial setting:
  • Wastewater
  • Storm water
  • Ground water (from wells)
  • Raw materials (chips, wood, cooking chemicals
  • Intermediate products (paper cooking liquors, chemical additives.)
  • Finished product (paper/paperboard, soap, turpentine.)
  • Wastes (ash, spilled materials, unknown waste for RCRA characterization)
• Performing analyses using instruments in the on-site laboratory. Analyses include biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), pH, BTU, TKN, NO2+NO3, chloride, sodium, TOX/AOX, etc.
• Running pH meter, DO meter, conductivity meter, UV/vis spectrophotometer, discrete analyzer, IC, ICP, TOX analyzer, and calorimeter as well as performing titrations and making solutions.
• Preparing samples and shipping papers for sample transport to off-site laboratories.
• Performing inspections of oil tanks, hazardous waste accumulation areas, and completing the checklists accurately. Must inform pertinent personnel of issues identified during the inspections.
• Entering analytical results in a database or spreadsheet for reporting.
• Assisting with housekeeping in the laboratory.
• Ensuring that laboratory instruments have the proper preventive maintenance and care.
• Checking that laboratory chemical inventory is adequate.
• Adhering to all mill safety rules, participating in safety programs and meetings with the goal of improving safety at the mill.
• Weekend and holiday duty. LabTech is on call duty approximately every three weeks on the weekends and holidays. While on call duty, lab tech performs daily sampling, runs analytical tests, and performs inspections for approximately seven hours each day.

What you need to succeed

• Bachelor’s degree in chemistry and at least one year (or co-op experience) taking samples and running laboratory testing in an industrial setting; or Associate degree in chemistry or other science field with at least 2 years experience in an industrial setting taking samples and running analytical tests; and Experience with BOD testing, titrations, and running a discrete analyzer, IC, ICP, or other analytical instruments.
• Demonstrated ability to learn new techniques quickly
• Strong time management skills and efficiency
• Detail and results oriented with strong communication skills – must be able to communicate unusual analytical results or inspection findings to various audiences
• Flexible time schedule – may need to work overtime to meet all deadlines
• Work with minimal supervision
• Able and willing to walk comfortably and safely through a large industrial facility, up and down stairs as needed, with all required personal protective equipment (safety glasses, hard hat, steel-toed shoes, hearing protection, etc.) at any time of the year
• Must be able to lift 40 pounds.
• Current driver’s license. Must drive a company vehicle to access sampling locations
• Competent using Excel spreadsheets (able to generate reports and graphs) and other basic computer programs such as MSWord, Power Point, and Outlook.
• Work weekend and holiday duty approximately every three weeks.
• Works with a team of lab technicians who report to the Laboratory Manager.
• Performance review provided by Laboratory Manager with assistance from the Environmental Manager and production personnel.

What we offer

• Corporate culture based on integrity, respect, accountability, and excellence
• Comprehensive training with numerous learning and development opportunities
• An attractive salary reflecting skills, competencies, and potential
• A career with a global packaging company where Sustainability, Safety and Inclusion are business drivers and foundational elements of the daily work

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by state or federal law.

The salary range for this position is $63,000.00 - $105,000.00, depending on your role, level, and location. The range listed is also the expected pay for roles in Illinois and Colorado. The benefits for this role include short-term bonus incentive, health, dental and vision insurance, flexible spending accounts or health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life and disability insurance programs, and paid sick leave as required by applicable state/local law, 15 days of paid vacation, and 11 days of paid holidays, subject to annual change. Your pay will be based on factors such as your skills, experience, and education.