Process Scientist / Laboratory Technician

The Process Scientist / Laboratory Technician is responsible for performing routine and project related laboratory testing on-site at our facility in Longview, WA. At this facility, Divert receives unsold food from the client, analyzes the content, separates packaging from digestible organics, and processes the organic material in an anaerobic digester to produce biogas and compost. Further the liquid from the digester is treated at an industrial sewer pretreatment plant to recover nutrients, assuring high quality effluent. You will collaborate with plant management to ensure the facility operates smoothly detecting, communicating and preventing any non-conformity in the process. The position reports directly to the Director of Bioprocess Engineering.

Key Duties And Responsibilities

Perform scheduled daily lab testing, including:

• Perform daily lab testing, including sample collection, analysis, and interpretation.
• Schedule and prepare samples for outside laboratory testing.
• Perform data entry, reporting, and escalation.
• Ensure all data is correctly entered into the HMI in a timely fashion
• Escalate any non-conformances and abnormalities appropriately
• Generate a weekly lab reports and participate in weekly lab call as primary bioprocess quality control point person for the Turlock facility
• Routinely inspect unit operations for non conformities (Digester cover, EQ tank layer formation, MBBRs: mixing and carrier material integrity)
• Process samples from other Divert facilities, 3rd party digesters, and potential partners
• Proactively process additional samples/tests beyond weekly lab testing schedule to diagnose and troubleshoot any ongoing process issues or abnormalities
• Provide support for additional lab testing and process troubleshooting off hours and on weekends during critical periods as necessary.
  
  

Manage The Laboratory Equipment And Procedures, Including

• Maintain laboratory in clean and well organized condition at all times
• Perform routine inspection of laboratory equipment
• Clean, calibrate, and assure maintenance is done on lab equipment.
• Coordinate maintenance schedules for equipment through equipment vendors.
• Conduct regular inventory of lab supplies and re-order as necessary
• Develop, maintain and update lab testing SOPs and instructions.
• Maintain and update SDS documentation for all laboratory reagents and chemicals.
• Provide training on appropriate lab procedures to plant technicians
• Maintain quality control of all results
  
  

Proactively analyze and interpret data to detect non-conforming equipment or process conditions, for example:

• Review all outside lab tests (fats, proximate, 30 element, biogas, etc) to identify trends
• Review key process indicator limits and trends, e.g. pressure, level, flow, etc.
• Visually evaluate process materials at all stages to detect changes or non-conformity.
• Participate in the development and refinement of meaningful lab and process testing.
• Exchange data with the other Divert facilities for review and comparison.
• Assure Process Awareness Documents/Checklists are followed and drive a process awareness culture on site leading by example
• Communicate potential nonconformities according to the escalation plan
• Support Divert coverage at the plant beyond nominal M-F schedule, as necessary, during process upsets and periods of serious non-conforming situations.
  
  

Develop, perform and monitor R&D experiments and projects in Turlock as necessary:

• Suggest and implement improvements of sampling and test methods
• Recommend topics for additional research that could further understanding of digester health, better performance of the system, drive processing costs down, or improve lab program
  
  

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in chemistry, biology, laboratory science, environmental science or related disciplines or equivalent subject matter knowledge, skills and abilities acquired through work.
• Minimum of 3 to 5 years of experience performing lab testing (sample collection, testing and interpretation), performing inspections and identifying/escalating nonconformities that may occur in an industrial facility or laboratory environment
• Experience in laboratory environment
• Knowledge of laboratory safety measures
• Ability to be self-directed and complete work with limited day-to-day supervision.
• Familiarity with analytical references such as the Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater and AOAC methods.
• Working knowledge of spreadsheet and text editing software (Google Docs or MS Office Suite)
• Must be able to climb ladders, lift and carry 25 lbs for 100 ft and be willing to work indoors and outdoors.
  
  

What Will Put You Ahead

• Holder of Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator License
• Previous experience in plant quality control.
• Previous experience as Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator
  
  

What's In It For You?

• Base Compensation: $70K - $90K
• Health, Vision and Dental Benefits (effective the first of the month following your date of hire!)
• Life Insurance
• 401K with Safe Harbor company match
• Paid Time Off
• Opportunities for Advancement with a Rapidly Growing, Mission-Driven Organization
  
  

Divert Inc. provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.