Utility Lead Chemist

El Paso Water

El Paso (TX)

On-site

USD 68,000 - 102,000

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental & Vision coverage

Wellness program

Tuition assistance

Employee assistance program

Job summary

El Paso Water Utilities seeks to supervise and support laboratory operations, ensuring regulatory compliance and high data integrity. The role leads method development, QA/QC, safety initiatives, and staff development to meet federal, state, and industry standards.

You will oversee chemical and bacteriological testing for water and wastewater, review reports, manage instrumentation, and drive process improvements while ensuring documentation and safety programs are upheld.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree or higher in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology, Microbiology, Virology, Parasitology, or related field.
3 years of professional laboratory experience including 1 year operating advanced instrumentation and 1 year in lead or supervisory role.
Valid Texas Class C Driver's License or equivalent.

Responsibilities

Oversee chemical and bacteriological analyses of water and wastewater samples.
Review reports and lab records to ensure data quality and regulatory compliance.
Develop and implement method development, QA/QC programs and instrument maintenance.
Supervise staff, provide training, and manage performance evaluations.
Maintain laboratory SOPs, KPIs, and regulatory compliance with EPA/TNI standards.

Skills

Laboratory supervision

Regulatory compliance

Data quality

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher in Chemistry/biochemistry/biology/microbiology

Tools

Spectrophotometry

Chromatography

LIMS

Job description

Salary

$68,091.50 - $102,137.26 Annually

Location

Various Locations within the City of El Paso, TX

Job Type

Civil Service

Job Number

13223-0726

Department

El Paso Water Utilities

Opening Date

07/30/2026

Closing Date

8/11/2026 11:59 PM Mountain

FLSA

Exempt

Max Number of Applicants

General Purpose

Under general direction, supervise and support laboratory operations, staff, and quality programs by overseeing chemical and bacteriological testing, ensuring regulatory compliance and data integrity, leading method development and process improvement, and administering personnel development, safety, and performance initiatives in accordance with federal, state, and industry standards.

Typical Duties

Responsible for chemical and bacteriological analyses of water and wastewater samples. Involves: Review reports and laboratory records, ensure data quality, conduct internal audits, and implement corrective actions. Evaluate testing procedures, safety programs, and training protocols. Establish timelines, monitor progress, research and develop methods to meet the growing needs of water regulatory parameters, and study and recommend the purchase of new instrumentation. Keep up to date with the instrument’s preventive maintenance. Supervise the development method of various analyses, along with the maintenance and repair of laboratory equipment. Request quotes for instruments, supplies, equipment, software, and services. Assist in maintaining the inventory of lab supplies and equipment. Assist in maintaining laboratory safety and hazardous waste programs. Maintain records and prepare reports. Assist with maintaining the laboratory deionized water system and in creating and managing operational manuals for the laboratory. Manage special and routine projects, ensuring all data has been received, reviewed, and reported.

Assist in developing and revising the laboratory standard operating procedures and stay abreast of current policies and procedures. Involves: Identifying opportunities for improving laboratory processes and procedures while still adhering to The NELAC Institute (TNI), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Standard Methods operating procedures. Responsible for ensuring that staff adhere to the laboratory quality manual, procedures, and forms. Review Water Distribution System Sampling programs to ensure compliance with local, state, and federal requirements. Maintain current knowledge of chemical testing equipment and procedures and federal, state, and local legislation on water quality testing regulations and standards. Assist the assistant manager in updating and maintaining laboratory KPIs, including the installation of new KPI’s needed for the continued improvement of the laboratory.

Serve as the point of contact for water and wastewater treatment facilities, industrial pretreatment, water distribution management, and other public water systems. Involves: Schedule routine and special analyses and collections, provide reports to section heads, assist with meeting permit requirements set by TCEQ, aid with requests for instrument calibrations and sampling containers, and maintain chain of custody templates for multiple facilities and points of collection. Answer and investigate customer water quality complaints.

Assist in administering Quality Assurance/Quality Control Programs to include research, development, implementation, and maintain QA/QC and standard operating procedures. Involves: Maintains updates and creates analytical bench sheets in Microsoft Excel, troubleshoots and corrects issues with analytical bench sheets functionality. Review and assist with data entry of external laboratory reports. Review and approve the work of other chemists. Provide technical expertise with analytical and method requirements. Assist in developing and managing quality control initiatives. Conduct internal audits on analytical processes. Ensure that follow-up corrections requested by the QC department are completed on time. Review and interpret method and regulatory agency policies, codes, and regulations. Assist in developing and maintaining the Quality Assurance/ Control program. Create and update analytical requirements in Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), including but not limited to QC limits, method parameters, and analytes.

Supervise and mentor assigned staff. Involves: scheduling, assigning, instructing, guiding, and checking the work of subordinates. Appraise employee performance and review evaluations performed by subordinates. Provide for training and development; enforce personnel rules and regulations, and work behavior standards firmly and impartially. Counsel, motivate, mentor, and maintain harmony. Interview applicants and recommend hiring, termination, transfers, discipline, or other employee status changes. Enforce safety rules and regulations.

Requirements

Education and Experience: Bachelor's Degree or higher in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology, Microbiology, Virology, Parasitology, or related field, and three (3) years of professional laboratory experience, including one (1) year of operating advanced spectrophotometry, chromatography, or other comparable instrumentation, and one (1) year of lead or supervisory experience.

Licenses and Certificates: Valid Texas Class "C" Driver's License or equivalent license issued by another state by date of appointment.

MOS Code: None

Benefits

The City of El Paso is a self-insured entity with a third-party administrator for Medical and Pharmacy benefits. Basic Life Insurance Coverage is available at no cost to eligible employees. Additional Life Insurance and coverage for your dependents are also available.
Employees can select optional Dental, Vision, and Short Term Disability coverage. Employees also have the option to participate in a Health Savings Account or Flexible Spending Account (healthcare and/or dependent care for daycare expenses). All of these insurance and coverage options can be configured within a month of your new employee orientation date.
An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with access to mental health sessions, therapy, and more is available at no cost. A trained counselors are also available to help you and your dependents cope with life’s stressors so that you can live a happy productive lifestyle.
The City’s Wellness Program seeks to promote better health and wellness amongst the workforce through various programs and incentives in which employees may choose to participate in, to include wellness education, fitness tests, biometric screenings, group fitness, health coaching and so much more!
Keep Learning, Growing & Reinventing Yourself! The City of El Paso's Tuition Assistance Program encourages employee personal and professional development by sharing educational costs with those employees who have successfully completed their original probation, and in turn retain a skillful workforce. Each year, employees can obtain Tuition Assistance for Degree, Certifications, Continuing Education, and Books & Equipment.

ELIGIBILITY FOR VACATION LEAVE

All regular employees who are regularly scheduled to work on an average, a minimum of twenty (20) hours per week, who have held a position in the City Service for a period of six months from date of employment, shall be eligible for vacation allowance as hereinafter set forth. Part-time employees shall accrue vacation leave at a pro-rated amount of full-time entitlement based on the number of hours that they are scheduled to work. Employees covered by collective bargaining agreements shall accrue vacation as provided in the applicable agreement.

For 0 - 5 Years Of Service (12 Days)

Regular employees in the City Service shall accrue vacation credit at the following rates per pay period, calculated from the date of employment of each employee:
40 hour per week employees - 3.70 hours per biweekly pay period

For >5 to 15 years of service (17 days)

40 hour per week employees - 5.24 hours per biweekly pay period

For >15 or more years of service (20 days)

40 hour per week employees - 6.16 hours per biweekly pay period

SICK LEAVE WITH PAY

Employees shall be entitled to accrue sick leave with pay in accordance with the Rules of the Civil Service Commission.

ACCIDENT WITH PAY LEAVE

The Amended Section 4.4 of the Ordinance shall become effective upon adoption and shall apply to occupational injuries and occupational diseases occurring on and after date of adoption. Occupational injuries and occupational diseases occurring before such date will be governed by the Ordinance in effect at the time of the date of injury or disease.

PREGNANCY LEAVE

Pregnancy shall be treated the same as any other temporary physical disability.
An employee on pregnancy leave shall use accumulated and unused regular sick leave time and then (unless granted use of special sick leave) shall be on leave without pay, unless the employee chooses to use any accumulated and unused annual leave.
An employee going on pregnancy leave shall give written notice to her department head with appropriate medical verification. Before returning to work from pregnancy leave, the individual will provide appropriate medical documentation releasing the employee to return to work, as is required for any individual who has been on leave for a temporary physical disability.

LEGAL HOLIDAYS