Why Work For the City of Fort Collins?

• Medical, dental, vision (for self, spouse, domestic partner, children) – eligible on the 1st of the month following date of hire
• Paid vacation, paid holidays, sick leave, and additional one-time bank of 40 PTO hours for new, full-time, Classified and Unclassified Management hires
• Retirement company contributions – after 6 month probation period and immediate vesting
• Flexible spending: Medical expenses FSA, dependent FSA or both
• Employee Assistance Program: counseling, legal, financial assistance
• Life insurance, short-term and long-term disability
• Wellness program, workout facilities
• Employee/family onsite health clinic
• Learning and development opportunities at all levels in the organization with opportunities for career mobility
• Collaborative work environment

Job Summary

The Lab Assistant for clean water testing at the City of Fort Collins plays a pivotal role in ensuring the provision of safe and clean water to our community. This hands-on position is instrumental in supporting essential lab operations and adhering to state regulatory chemistry practices.

The Lab Assistant collaborates closely with a dedicated team of professionals, employing rigorous scientific methods to analyze water samples and maintain the highest standards of water quality for the City of Fort Collins.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The following duties and responsibilities are illustrative of the primary functions of this position and are not intended to be all inclusive.

• Washes, rinses and dries glassware and instruments using detergents and acids.
• Sterilizes glassware and instruments using dry sterilization or an autoclave. Distributes labware and supplies in a timely manner.
• Performs inventory of supplies, chemicals and equipment; updates database. Maintains MSDS notebook and database.
• Prepares bottles for routine and special sampling following preservation protocols.
• Collects drinking water, wastewater, groundwater, surface water, wastewater biosolids, and related special samples.
• Records data pertinent to sample tracking and performs data entry into the Laboratory Information Management System.
• Prepares chemical reagents, standards, bacteriological media, sterile buffered rinse water, and microbiology supplies. Performs and documents quality control checks.
• Performs a variety of routine and wet chemistry and microbiological tests following specific laboratory methods. Notifies supervisor of analytical problems and takes corrective action.
• Performs routine standardization, maintenance and troubleshooting of laboratory instruments.

Management Responsibilities

No

City Competencies

• Demonstrated cultural competence to effectively interact, work, and develop meaningful relationships with people of diverse identities, perspectives, and cultural backgrounds.
• Strong learning orientation. Leverages all resources and is creative in ways of learning for self to continue adapting to changing issues and trends.
• A desire and ability to understand the diverse needs of internal and external customers, and to create experiences and deliver services that exceed their expectations.
• A desire and ability to utilize digital tools for organizational information, individual, and teamwork.

Required Knowledge Skills and Abilities

• Proficiency in the operation of common laboratory equipment such as manual and automatic pipettes, colorimeters, pH meters, conductivity meters, dissolved oxygen meters, electric balances, microscopes, spectrophotometers, turbidimeters, stream flow measuring equipment, ovens, furnaces, and autoclaves.
• Knowledge of basic chemistry.
• Knowledge of laboratory safety and sterilization procedures.
• Familiarity with computers and calculators.
• Ability to perform duties and assignments independently and in a safe manner.
• Ability to drive automatic vehicles.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with other employees, customers and the public.

Required Qualifications