PFAS Chemistry Lead

Company Description

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Job Description

AECOM is seeking a dynamic PFAS Chemistry Lead to spearhead consulting services across the US West Region. This pivotal role is integral to our practice, leveraging expertise in chemistry to address the broad variety of challenges posed by PFAS and adapting to continual technology evolution and changing regulations in the US and abroad. Key duties include crafting best practices, project and program guidance, and training materials related to environmental data quality, analytical methods, and regulatory compliance focused on but not limited to PFAS. The PFAS Chemistry Lead will provide expert consulting for chemistry-related project needs, such as overseeing method selection and laboratory coordination, and will used advanced chemistry, statistics and spatial information to leverage complexities of PFAS chemistry into actionable solutions in environmental media. Additional responsibilities include leading a forensic chemistry initiative, driving business development, encouraging creative laboratory partnerships, and empowering teams with geospatial database tools to leverage better decisions from environmental data.

This is a remote role with the option to be located throughout the United States near an AECOM office. 

Responsibilities of the position:

• Developing best practices and guidance for preparation of defensible and efficient quality assurance project plans (QAPPs) and sampling and analysis plans (SAPs) including qualitative and quantitative data quality objectives and in conformance with shifting relevant environmental regulations.
• Supporting selection of appropriate analytical methods for environmental characterization, remediation, and compliance work, including working with laboratories to develop and prove appropriate analytical methodologies, as needed.
• Engaging with commercial laboratories and innovators in PFAS sensing to advance streamlined solutions in PFAS detection and characterization.
• Coordinating and managing synthesis of analytical standards by third-party suppliers.
• Auditing quality compliance for laboratories providing analytical services.
• Assisting project teams and clients establish the scope and estimate costs of project analytical requirements and data quality assurance. This will include proposing appropriate analytical methods and providing chemistry advice and consulting services to clients and project teams within the scope of scientific knowledge.
• Engaging with a broad range of practitioners in industry and government to maintain currency in federal and state regulations governing PFAS and other emerging contaminants and their environmental analytical methodologies and quality compliance requirements.
• Developing training materials to mentor staff on topics such as the applicability of analytical methods in RCRA, CERCLA, SDWA, CWA, and CAA to meet project objectives, implementation of the National Functional Guidelines for data review, and establishing best practices for completion of chain-of-custodies (COCs), review of laboratory data, and other analytical chemistry topics necessary to support the environmental practice.
• Establishing best practices and training materials to assist technical staff fully leverage geospatial and relational database systems such as ArcGIS, Locus EIM, EarthSoft EQuIS, and/or Microsoft Access to analyze environmental data.
• Leading a forensic chemistry practice that leverages analytical, statistical and geospatial tools to analyze chemical evidence and trace the origin and fate of compounds in the environment.
• Advancing existing chemometric data mining with large datasets in support of source identification and liability assessment.
• Supporting consulting chemistry practice growth and collaborating on business development initiatives within the environmental business line.