Intern - Laboratory

If you are thinking about a career in a laboratory and want to gain some real work experience, this is a great opportunity for you!

Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District (FSSD) is currently seeking a candidate to fill an internship in our Laboratory. This intern will work with experienced lab professionals to gain work-experience in a busy laboratory in a wastewater facility.

The Ideal Intern Candidate Has/is

• A science background through their course of study, including some courses that include hands-on labs such as microbiology, chemistry, or a biology course with a lab.
• Enthusiastic for the work and is considering a career in a laboratory.
• Experience using excel including creating and modifying exciting spreadsheets with data.
• Good communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Self-motivated and resourceful.
  
  

OPPORTUNITY AWAITS!

Over several decades, the District has evolved from a technical engineering entity to a valuable resource manager, partner in local economic development, and active member of the watershed community. The District has taken numerous actions to shift conventional thinking about the way wastewater utilities are run.

• We are an award-winning facility, including winner of the 2024 Water Environment Federation Utility of the Future Award, 2022 California Water Environmental Association (CWEA) California Plant of the Year Award and the 2022 National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) Platinum Peak Performance Award.
• Over the years many of our employees have been recognized as operator of the year, laboratory person of the year, and mechanical technician of the year (to name a few).
• We are always looking for innovative solutions and often participate in various research pilots, which offers unique opportunities for our staff.
• We strive to obtain as much energy as possible from waste product and renewable energy through solar power, wind turbines, and cogeneration engines.
• We have a history of creative partnerships to address the issues we face, such as our partnership with Lystek International, who constructed a biosolids-to-fertilizer processing plant at our wastewater treatment facility.
  
  

At the Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District, we work together and break down barriers to accomplish major projects and facilitate successful daily operations of the facility. The District is a highly collaborative organization. By fostering a relatively flat organizational structure, minimizing bureaucracy, and promoting employee empowerment, the District achieves a high degree of cooperation and partnership between departments to seek out the best overall solutions to shared challenges. At the heart of the District’s progress is an organizational culture that continues to embrace positive change. We have a leadership team that supports the growth and needs of the employees and encourages ongoing feedback to make the District an employer of choice.

Here at the District, we are dedicated to providing what we believe to be an excellent work environment. We strive to maintain good wages and benefits, open communications and opportunities for creativity, ownership and fun. Apply today!

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

The Intern May Participate In a Variety Of Activities To Achieve Work-experience Working In a Lab And Will Gain Experience And Understanding Of

• Entry level laboratory analysis and techniques including reagent and standard preparation, equipment calibration and maintenance, volatile acid analysis, alkalinity analysis, total and volatile solids analysis, total suspended solids analysis, pH analysis and quality control of microbiology supplies.
• Use and improvement of the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) including sample log-in, batching, creation and editing of electronic worksheets, managing and attaching equipment manuals and SDS's as needed.
  
  

Depending on the intern and their level of experience, the District will provide:

• Ethics and Data Integrity training
• Basic lab skill training (pipetting, weighing, reagent prep, good laboratory practices (GLP)
• Laboratory analyses training (TS/VS, pH, VA, Alkalinity, TSS, etc.) and field sampling
• XLIMS training
  
  

At the end of the internship, we hope that the intern will:

• Learn about the FSSD laboratory: what do we do and why, what does a typical work day or week involve, how are we the same or different from other laboratories and/or wastewater plants.
• Complete training for topics listed (learn to perform some or all of the listed analyses) and assist laboratory technicians with process control analyses and testing preparation and clean-up.
• Have the ability to read and follow laboratory policies and procedures. Have the ability to implement and understand traceability and documentation/record-keeping in the lab.
  
  

HOURS OF WORK

This internship will be 10 - 30 hours per week, with a flexible work schedule agreed upon with the intern's mentor with hours offered between the hours of 8 am and 3 pm (Monday through Friday). The internship is offered for a maximum of six months and/or 999 hours per fiscal year in accordance with the District intern policy. The internship is anticipated to start Summer 2026.

Minimum Qualifications

An equivalent combination of training, education and experience which has provided the required knowledge, skills/abilities, and attributes and is able to perform the work (with reasonable accommodation, if needed).

We Are Seeking An Intern That Is Working Towards Or Has Obtained One Of The Following Degrees Within The Last Six (6) Months

• Biology
• Environmental Sciences
• Chemistry
• Physical Sciences
  
  

PLEASE NOTE: A copy of your transcripts or degree are required (see "How to Apply" section below).

No experience is required for this opportunity; however, some lab experience through college courses or in a working role is preferred.

PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING CONDITIONS

• Mobility and Dexterity: Positions in this class typically require stooping, kneeling, reaching, standing, walking, fingering, grasping, feeling (i.e., sense of touch), and repetitive motion.
• Lifting, Carrying, Pushing and Pulling: Employees in this class will be exerting up to 75 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects.
• Vision: Positions in this class require the employee to have close visual acuity, with or without correction, to prepare and analyze data and figures, transcribe, view a computer terminal, read, etc. Positions in this class also requires employees to have depth perception to operate a motor vehicle.
• Hearing/Talking: Positions in this class require the employee to perceive the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction and have the ability to receive detailed information through oral communication. Positions in this class require the employee to express or exchange ideas by means of the spoken word.
• Working Conditions: While some work will be in an office setting, visits to outdoor worksites will require an employee in this class to work outside and be subject to a variety of weather conditions, walking on uneven terrain, and working around vehicles in operation and around machinery with moving parts. Employees in this class may be required to operate a vehicle and thus will be subject to traffic hazards while driving.
• Work in a Wastewater Treatment Facility: Employees in this class will be working in a wastewater treatment facility and thus will be subject to exposure to chemicals, toxic agents, blood and other bodily fluids, and communicable diseases. There may also be occasional exposure to extreme temperatures, inadequate lighting, and workspace that restricts movement. Employees in this class may be required to work in an industrial area and outdoors and thus will be subject to exposure to moving mechanical parts, electrical currents, fuel, oil, gases, smoke, fumes, odors, pollens, dust, vibrations, and intense noises as well as field conditions including rainy, windy, cold, or hot weather.
• Working at Heights: Employees in this class may be required to work at heights 15 feet and more above the ground on equipment and structures.
  
  

Some of these requirements may be accommodated for otherwise qualified individuals requiring and requesting such accommodations, absent undue hardship.

Other Requirements

• Background Checks: The District may conduct a background check and a reference check on candidates prior to appointment to a position within this class.
• Independent Travel: Incumbents are required to travel independently, for example, to perform work at other work sites, to attend meetings with other District employees, to attend meetings with community organizations, etc.
  
  

SELECTION PROCESS

TBD – Date for hiring interviews.

Responses to supplemental questions may be used as screening and testing mechanisms and will be used to assess an applicant’s ability to advance in the process; as such, responses to supplemental questions should be treated as test examination responses.

All applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through any subsequent phase of the recruitment process.

How To Apply

A completed FSSD employment application and supplemental questionnaire must be submitted by clicking the APPLY button in the upper right-hand corner. This recruitment will close at 5:00pm, on Monday, April 27, 2026.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS: You are required to submit a copy of your transcripts or a copy of your degree if you have obtained one within the last six (6) months. Applications received without the required documentation will not be reviewed. You can either upload them with your application or email them to Tania Medrano at TMedrano@fssd.com with the title "Laboratory Intern Documents - [YOUR NAME]". If your documents are not received by the final deadline indicated above, it will not be reviewed.

IMPORTANT: Contact with candidates will primarily be via email. Make sure you list a current email that you check regularly with your application.

Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed application packet.

Additional Information

Applicants receiving a conditional offer of employment must successfully complete the pre-employment process for this position before a final offer will be extended. Pre-employment assessments for this position include a background, pre-employment physical, and pre-employment drug screen.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

It is the policy of Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District to consider all applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, ancestry, medical condition, genetic information, military or veteran status, or other protected category under the law.

About Fairfield-suisun Sewer District

The Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District is a wastewater special district serving approximately 149,000 customers in Central Solano County, California, about 40 miles northeast of San Francisco. The District safeguards public health and helps protect the Suisun Marsh, the nation’s largest brackish water marsh and the largest remaining contiguous wetland on the Pacific Coast of North America.

The District has a vision, mission, and core values that we strive towards every day our employees show up for work.

Vision: Our vision is to be a recognized leader in our industry and community.

Mission: Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District protects public health and the environment for the communities we serve in an effective, responsible and sustainable manner.

Core Values: As we strive to realize our vision of the future, all our actions and efforts will be guided by a certain set of values. These core values are our pledge to each other and to the community as to how we will conduct business.

• Sustainability: We commit to environmental, social, and fiscal responsibility, managing our resources with a focus on long-term sustainability and balancing costs with outcomes.
• Transparency: We uphold the highest standards of integrity and ethical behavior in all our actions, fostering a culture of honesty and trust within our workplace and our community.
• Excellence: We strive for the highest quality in our work, embracing creativity and global thinking to achieve outstanding results and set standards in our industry, while ensuring a safe workplace and infrastructure.
• Positive Working Relationships: We foster strong, respectful relationships while emphasizing responsibility, proactivity, and ownership in our collaborations both within our team and with our external partners, promoting a cooperative and supportive work environment.
• Solution Driven: We are driven by innovation and dedicated to solving problems, by finding and implementing effective solutions.
  
  

Visit our website at www.FSSD.com