Biogeochemistry Technical Professional

Requisition Id 15389 

Overview: 

As a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science national laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has an extraordinary 80-year history of solving the nation’s biggest problems. We have a dedicated and creative staff of over 7,000 people!

 

The Environmental Sciences Division (ESD) within the Biological and Environmental System Sciences Directorate (BESSD) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) seeks to hire an exceptional and proven candidate as a Biogeochemistry Technical Professional in the Biogeochemical Dynamics Group. The successful candidate will be responsible for providing technical expertise, coordination, and oversight of environmental laboratory and field research activities performed primarily on-site by ORNL staff, student interns, external collaborators, and subcontractors to support high quality research across a number of projects.

 

Major Duties/Responsibilities:

• Serve as a technical expert to independently plan, perform and oversee laboratory activities including analysis of water and sediment soils for a wide range of geochemical parameters; maintenance and troubleshooting of associated analytical instrumentation
• Serve as a technical expert to independently plan, perform and oversee field research activities including surface water, groundwater, and soil sampling; design and installation of wells and other complex sampling and monitoring infrastructure; and installation and maintenance of in-situ sensor arrays
• Work closely with researchers, technicians, visitors, and operations staff to ensure and improve the safety and efficiency of research activities, including leading and participating in hazard identification and control processes (i.e. Activity Plans), coordinating facility maintenance and improvements; and overseeing lab space use
• Provide training, mentorship and oversight to researchers, technicians, interns, and visitors for the above research activities and associated safety controls.
• Ensure compliance with environment, safety, health, and quality program requirements
• Coordinate the purchasing and inventory of chemicals and other analytical consumables
• Serve as liaison between vendors and subcontractors performing work (esp. instrument maintenance and well installation), and ORNL staff
• Abide by and promote the Battelle Safe Conduct of Research principles including being personally responsible for ensuring safe operations, raising safety concerns, using a questioning attitude, considering hazards for every task and where learning never stops.
• Deliver ORNL’s mission by aligning behaviors, priorities, and interactions with our core values of Impact, Integrity, Teamwork, Safety, and Service. Promote equal opportunity by fostering a respectful workplace – in how we treat one another, work together, and measure success.
  
  

Basic Qualifications:

• A BS degree in chemistry, environmental science or related technical discipline with a minimum of 5 years of experience in an environmental biogeochemistry technical role; equivalent experience in environmental biogeochemistry may be considered in lieu of a degree
• Demonstrated experience conducting and overseeing both field and analytical laboratory work
• Ability to clearly communicate and develop a rapport with a variety of roles
  
  

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working as a team player in a multi-disciplinary, ever-changing R&D environment which requires interfacing with management, researchers, facility users/visitors and operations staff.
• Experience with environmental water, soil and sediment sample collection, preparation, analysis, and data QA/QC
• Experience with analytical instrumentation operation, maintenance and troubleshooting
• Experience with installation and maintenance of wells, sensor arrays and other field sampling and monitoring equipment
• Experience with work control processes in a research environment, including analyzing hazards and identifying safety controls
• Ability to work with electronic systems such as databases, queries, and the expanded Microsoft toolset (Office, SharePoint, Power BI, etc.)
• Excellent interpersonal skills and capacity for collaboration, oversight and mentorship
• Ability to prioritize work and manage multiple activities that require varying types of support