Purity and Breakdown Seed Laboratory Supervisor

State of Washington; Washington; On-site; USD 65,000 - 87,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

12 paid Holidays & Vacation

PPE provided

Employee Benefits package

Job summary

Washington State Department of Agriculture's Commodity Inspection Division seeks a Laboratory Technician 4 for the Seed Laboratory in Yakima, WA. You will supervise lab staff, ensure compliance with purity and breakdown testing standards, and manage daily workflows and reporting.

The role emphasizes accuracy, ISO/ASL accreditation involvement, and collaboration with management and stakeholders. Five days a week with standard state benefits and opportunities for professional certification.

Qualifications

• Seven (7) years of related laboratory experience including three years at a level equivalent to a Laboratory Technician 1 or higher.
• Joint certification in good standing with AOSA as a CSA, Certified Seed Analyst. With SCST, RST, Registered Seed Technologist in good standing, being certified in Purity and Breakdown and purity testing.
• Current with all continued education requirements for membership with the associations.

Responsibilities

• Supervise laboratory staff within Purity and Breakdown sections of the Seed Laboratory.
• Plan, schedule, assign and review the daily work of staff.
• Conduct quality control on samples performed by direct reports.
• Adjust assignments and schedules to maintain adequate staffing levels.
• Respond to fluctuating workloads and communicate schedule changes to staff and industry.
• Evaluate employee performance levels and provide coaching and mentoring as needed.
• Review and sign completed laboratory reports before release to stakeholders.
• Oversee samples that are checked in and processed according to procedures and service priorities.
• Ensure procedures comply with ISO 9001:2015, USDA ASL, AOSA, ISTA, and other standards.

Job description

This recruitment is open until filled.

The first review of applications is scheduled for the week of October 8, 2025.

The agency reserves the right to make a hire any time after the initial screening date.

October 7, 2025

AGRICULTURE - A Cornerstone of Washington's Economy

The Washington State Department of Agriculture has been serving the state for more than 100 years. Through service, regulation, and advocacy, we keep agriculture viable and vital in Washington State, while protecting consumers, public health, and the environment. We work extensively with farmers and ranchers, but our responsibilities – from ensuring food safety to environmental protection – touch the lives of millions of people locally, nationally, and abroad.

The agency includes 780 employees approximately and grows close to 1,000 employees at the peak of seasonal work. To learn more and view additional openings, please visit our Employment Page.

The Opportunity

The Washington State Department of Agriculture's Commodity Inspection Division provides unbiased third-party inspections for a wide variety of Washington State agricultural products and assists agricultural companies in the movement and exporting of their products. The division is made up of roughly 365 FTEs through four statewide programs Fruit and Vegetable inspection, Grain inspection, Grain Warehouse Audit, and Seed inspection and Certification.

The WSDA Seed Program provides accurate, timely and high-quality seed analysis and certification services while continually striving for improvements in methods and technologies to assure success for the program and its seed industry stakeholders. WSDA Seed Program is a unit within the Commodity Inspection Division that conducts pre-harvest seed field inspections and laboratory seed testing of agricultural, vegetable, native plants, rangeland grasses and flower seeds grown under the certification and phytosanitary programs. The program is responsible for seed certification, seed testing, phytosanitary visual seed inspection, seed inspection and official seed sampling as well as the program is the state seed regulatory agent. Additionally, the program monitors two seed quarantines to assist producers to replicate disease and pest free commodities.

This position reports directly to the Program Manager. This position directs the laboratory activity within the Purity and Breakdown and filing sections of the Seed Laboratory and assists operations by supervising laboratory technicians and assistants. As a Seed Laboratory Supervisor, this position is responsible for ensuring all employees under their supervision comply with laws, regulations and standards within their specialized field. This position also performs very complex tests and analysis in its specialized field.

WSDA is recruiting for a full-time permanent Laboratory Technician 4 position within the Commodity Inspection Services Division. This position is located in Yakima, Washington and is not represented.

The base pay offered will take into account internal equity and may vary depending on the preferred candidate's job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The typical starting salary for this position is: Range 56 Step A $64,512 - Step M $86,688 annually. Plus 15% recruitment/retention pay per month which equals $1083.

What to Expect

Supervision of Laboratory technicians and assistants within the Purity and Breakdown sections of the Seed Laboratory.

• Plan, schedule, assign and review the daily work of staff.
• Conduct quality control on samples performed by direct reports.
• Adjust assignments and schedules to maintain adequate staffing levels.
• Respond to fluctuating workloads.
• Communicate schedule changes to staff and industry.
• Evaluate employee performance levels.
• Assess training needs, coaching, and mentoring of staff and assign qualified trainers
• Provide information and instruction on changes that occur in the marketplace.
• Use program approved training material.
• Evaluate trainee progress by interviewing trainee and trainer, and using knowledge assessments and tests.
• Recommend AOSA accreditation for qualified trainees.
• Serve as a liaison between lab staff and management to ensure lab procedures are followed.
• Exercise technical and administrative supervision over all laboratory staff within Purity and Breakdown and filing.
• Review, audit and approve staff’s daily timesheets and TEMS vouchers for accuracy and completeness.
• Oversee samples that are being checked in and processed according to receipt and special services such as rush, super rush, service samples and customized stakeholder requests.
• Verify that procedures are being followed, ISO 9001:2015, USDA ASL, AOSA, ISTA, Canadian, Phytosanitary, safety, and any other specialized procedures or stakeholder requests.
• Participate in leadership and all staff meetings.
• Review and vote on AOSA Rules Proposals that may impact Washington State seed industry.
• Contact and communicate with stake holders about laboratory results as needed.

Perform complex technical laboratory work, research, routine and advanced laboratory testing and analysis.

• Perform the work of a lower-level laboratory positions.
• Perform seed laboratory work.
• Fulfill the needs of lower-level task when needed.
• Assist with additional laboratory data entry in Pure Harvest in the absence of office staff.
• Apply certification standards according to Chapter 16-301 and 16-302 WAC, Canadian Seed Testing, International Seed Testing Association or other certification standards and stakeholders' requests.
• Enter and retrieve data from a specialized Seed Laboratory testing programs.
• Review and sign completed laboratory reports before released to the stakeholder.
• Provide RST seal and signature on final reports when requested.

Serve as an active member on program ISO and ASL accreditation committees, representing the Purity and Breakdown section of the seed laboratory.

• Collaborate with ISO coordinator in preparation for annual ISO and ASL audit.
• Create and maintain SOPs (Standard Operating Procedure) and flow charts.
• Work with staff on corrective action reports and continuous improvements.
• Evaluate suppliers and supplies once received according to ISO and USDA ASL.
• Ensure proper Purity and Breakdown supplies are obtained and used according to testing standards.
• Oversee annual purging of stored samples.
• Oversee the annual purging of retention schedule for documents.

Who should apply?

Professionals with:

• Seven (7) years of related laboratory experience including three years at a level equivalent to a Laboratory Technician 1 or higher. College education involving major study in laboratory science related to agriculture may be substituted year for year for the required general experience.
• Joint certification in good standing with AOSA as a CSA, Certified Seed Analyst. With SCST, RST, Registered Seed Technologist in good standing, being certified in Purity and Breakdown and purity testing.
• Current with all continued education requirements for membership with the associations

Preferred/Desired Qualifications

• One (1) or more years' experience related to Agriculture seed production/testing, Pacific Northwest grass, reclamation and crop productions and seed testing.
• ACO Authorized Certification Official with USDA PCIT.
• ASL Canadian Seed Grader.

Employee Benefits

• A healthy work/life balance, which may include flexible work schedules, and teleworking.
• WSDA provides an excellent benefits package beyond traditional benefits. State employment offers Dependent Care Assistance, Flexible Spending Accounts, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Tuition Waiver, Deferred Compensation, Employee Recognition Leave; click here for more information.
• 12 paid Holidays & Vacation and Leave Accruals.
• All Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required will be provided by the agency.

Equity at WSDA

The Department of Agriculture recognizes, appreciates, supports, embraces, and respects all cultural identities and backgrounds while we collaborate in authentic ways. We hire amazing people that share in the commitment to our Pro-Equity Anti-Racist (PEAR) strategic plan, our Healthy Environment for All (HEAL) Act implementation plan, and our unique needs and desires for belonging, respect, and inclusion. We value the growth and development of our team members by providing equitable access to resources and opportunities for continuous learning, improvement, and advancement. We strive to hire, cultivate, and retain a productive and dedicated workforce that reflects the communities we serve while we are committed to a workplace that celebrates our differences and supports equal opportunity employment and inclusion regardless of race, creed, color, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, marital status, families with children (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sex, sexual orientation, gender identity diversity, age, status as a protected veteran, honorably discharged veteran or military status, status as an individual with the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with disabilities or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws.

Contact Us

Should you have any questions regarding this position or the online application, contact the Human Resource Office at [e-mail].

Prior to a new appointment into the Department of Agriculture, a background check including criminal record history will be conducted. Information from the background check will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining the applicant's suitability and competence to perform in the position.

The Human Resources Division may use referrals from this recruitment to help fill future similar vacancies for up to six months.

Veteran's Preference: Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications and wish to claim Veteran's Preference MUST attach a copy of their DD214, or other verification of military service. Please blackout any personally identifiable data such as social security numbers. For additional information on Veteran's Preference and guidance on how to determine if you are eligible, click here.

Persons with a disability, who need assistance with their application or need this announcement in an alternative format, may call 664-1960 or toll free [phone]. TTY users should first call 711 to access the Washington Relay Service.

For more information about the Washington State Department of Agriculture, visit us at www.agr.wa.gov.