Water Quality Technician II - Laboratory Services

Date Opened: Monday, September 15, 2025 12:00 AM

Close Date: Saturday, September 27, 2025 12:00 AM

Department: Charlotte Water Department

Salary: $23.00 - $0.00 Commensurate with Experience

Welcome to the City of Charlotte

Charlotte is America’s Queen City, opening her arms to a diverse and inclusive community of residents, businesses and visitors alike. Here you will find a safe, family-oriented city where people work together to help everyone thrive. The mission of the City of Charlotte is to deliver quality public services and promote the safety, health, and quality of life for all residents.

Our guiding principles include:

• Attracting and retaining a skilled and diverse workforce

• Valuing teamwork, openness, accountability, productivity, and employee development

• Providing all customers with courteous, responsive, accessible, and seamless quality services

• Taking initiative to identify, analyze, and solve problems

• Collaborating with stakeholders to make informed decisions

SUMMARY

This position calibrates and maintains field instrumentation to ensure the accuracy and validity, collects, preserves, pretreats, and analyzes compliance and non-compliance samples in accordance with state and federal safe drinking water laws and/or the clean water act, regulations and standards for drinking water, wastewater, industrial discharges, and surface water samples for a large utility. Work involves operating vehicles equipped with job specific equipment; performing routine monitoring and emergency responses; setting priorities and planning routes. Prepares chain of custody and other documentation; enter data in the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS); conducts environmental water quality, system impact and customer water quality complaint investigations; maintaining defensible documentation; and safe handling of potentially hazardous chemical and/or biologically active solutions/samples. This position also ensures vehicle safety, maintenance and care.

The salary for this position is $25.55/hr. to $28.38/hr. commensurate with experience

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:        

• Performs inspections, technical tasks and troubleshooting activities relative to area of responsibility.

• Investigates environmental or system impacts and customer water quality complaints.

• Participates in emergency response activities; utilizes FEMA NIMS ICS training; responds to contamination incidences in distribution system, spills, and dumping of chemicals or materials into the sanitary sewer.

• Operates a vehicle equipped for sampling and field analyses; schedules and coordinates sampling and analytical activities; collects, preserves, and pretreats drinking water, wastewater, industrial discharges, and surface water samples; conducts precise and accurate physical, chemical, bacteriological, biological, and field analyses on water and wastewater samples according to standardized procedures and with established Quality Assurance (QA) protocols; and records accurate and precise measurements.

• Utilizes GIS applications and maps; prepares reports on incidents; takes required action.

• Keeps detailed and accurate records; enters data into laboratory information management system.

• Conforms to laboratory safety practices; maintains standard operating procedures and safety data sheets for established sampling and analytical procedures.

• Examines data for compliance with permit requirements, water quality standards, and miscellaneous regulations and statutes; interprets and reviews laboratory data and reports for clarity and accuracy; identifies anomalies and unusual trends; and alerts appropriate staff for corrective action.

• Prepares standards and reagents; calibrates, operates, maintains and troubleshoots a variety of analytical and field instruments.

• Provides training to less experienced staff in routine sampling, analytical procedures and associated duties.

• Submits electronic data via multiple information management systems, (e.g., GIS, LIMS, Customer Service software Banner).

• Works with others to identify probable cause and acts to resolve.

• Safely handles potentially hazardous chemical and biological solutions/samples; complies with state certification and federal guidelines.

• Maintains inventory of chemicals and equipment.

• Performs other related job duties as assigned.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS TO PERFORM WORK:

• High School Diploma or Equivalent

• Three (3) years of directly related work experience performing field or labo