Job Specification

Purpose of Position :

To provide group leadership to technologists involved in the preparation and analysis of different sample media (water, including surface, ground and drinking water; biosolids). To implement new/improved technologies for the preparation, analysis and/or reporting of sample analysis for a variety of microbiological parameters. To provide a range of technical services including trouble-shooting and maintenance of equipment, group leadership and workload monitoring. To ensure turn-around times are met for the preparation and analysis of a variety of sample types from moderately complex to complex and/or specialty tests in support of environmental monitoring programs, special studies, emergency response and/or litigation.

Duties / Responsibilities :

Under the general supervision of the section manager, acts as the technical authority in the area of microbiological analysis in a highly productive analytical laboratory performing analysis on environmental samples including surface, ground and drinking water, biosolids, with exposure to potentially harmful bacteria and samples. Technical guidance is provided by this position to junior Technologists within the Microbiology Unit and to peers, by performing the following duties and/or having the following responsibilities:
• Providing group leadership to technologists in the Microbiology Unit by:
-scheduling and setting priorities for their work, ensuring that the work is completed accurately and efficiently;
-solving any technical problems associated with the analytical equipment used in the Unit;
-maintaining a complete and current working knowledge of the chemistry upon which the analytical procedures are based:
-ensuring the accuracy and precision of instrument calibration procedures; evaluating historical data and statistically evaluating data to document method performance and update quality control limits;
-reviewing and approving Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) data to Approval Level 2, to ensure quality objectives are met;
-acting as a client liaison with respect to inquiries and providing data interpretation;
-reviewing and recommending revisions to methods;
-providing data and/or expert testimony for legal proceedings;
-assessing the training of staff and providing or recommending additional training as required;
-advising the supervisor on the technical performance of technologists;
-instructing technologists and contract staff in techniques and procedures, including demonstration and providing guidance/direction for the operation of analytical equipment;
‘Providing a range of technical services for the preparation and analysis (including data interpretation and review) of a variety of sample types from moderately complex to complex by:
-using approved procedures, e.g. Canadian Association for Laboratory Accreditation(CALA) accredited methods or by selecting alternatives drawn from: the scientific community; consultation with customers, senior staff or manager;
-acting as a technical resource person to technologists and others regarding quality control, audits, record keeping, maintenance and safety procedures;
-providing advice and collaborating with field staff regarding proper sampling and sample preservation.
• Applying knowledge and experience in the preparation and analysis of water, including surface, ground and drinking water; sewage; soils and sediments; air filters to modify, develop and implement new or improved laboratory techniques by:
-reviewing current scientific literature, contacting external researchers;
-carrying out all necessary testing steps to develop and validate the method;
-documenting methodology;
• Complying with all Health & Safety legislation, policies and procedures, and reporting all unsafe equipment and working conditions to the supervisor.
• Ensuring samples are analyzed consistent with the requirements of Ontario regulations.
• Notifying appropriate authorities and MOE contacts (as per current exceedance reporting SOP) of exceedances of objectives (e.g. drinking water objectives) for drinking water samples as regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Other duties as assigned by management.

Staffing and Licencing :

Post secondary degree in Science

Knowledge :

Job requires comprehensive knowledge of microbiology current theories, principles, and practices associated with both cultural and molecular microbiological analyses; practical experience in the sampling and analysis of microbiological agents in the environment; ability to evaluate and develop new and improved analytical techniques related to the preparation and analysis of a variety of sample matrices, including advanced sample preparation and analytical techniques, in order to select the correct procedures and conditions for analysis and method development. Job requires knowledge of automated and semi-automated equipment. Job requires comprehensive knowledge of laboratory operations to schedule and coordinate workloads and projects to ensure timely completion. Job requires knowledge of the principles of quality control and assurance to summarize performance histories ensure the reliability of unit test results and to ensure adequacy of quality control activities. Job requires knowledge of and the ability to apply statistics to evaluate viability of new analytical methods. Job requires knowledge of information management systems and their relationship to laboratory data processing to ensure that data are correctly stored in the database and transmitted to clients. Job requires current knowledge of the development, commissioning, maintenance, modification and repair of manual and automated laboratory systems and/or instruments including computers and software used to ensure equipment operates correctly with minimum downtime. Job requires knowledge of sampling methods and sample preservation procedures in order to provide advice and collaborate with field staff regarding proper sampling and sample preservation. Job requires knowledge of current government and ministry regulatory guidelines related to environmental management to assess and ensure compliance. Job requires knowledge of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and regulations that apply to the work, e.g. Workplace Hazardous Material Information System (WHMIS) and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), and knowledge of any potential or actual danger to health or safety in the workplace to ensure compliance when performing group leadership responsibilities. Job requires knowledge of relevant environmental legislation, including international and national legislation/regulations (e.g. Environmental Protection Act, Safe Drinking Water Act).

Skills :

Job requires interpersonal skills to provide guidance and oversee work of junior staff. Job requires organization skills to schedule and prioritize work: ensuring work assignments are completed accurately and efficiently. Job requires advanced technical and analytical skills to contribute, select or develop standard or alternative testing procedures prior to formal documentation; to resolve problems related to testing/analysis of unusual samples; to improve data quality or production. Job requires technical diagnostic skills in areas of expertise to interpret test findings, conduct method development and research, and to apply appropriate statistical analysis techniques when recommending/taking a cause of action. Job requires ability to operate, maintain and trouble-shoot automated and semi-automated equipment. Job requires interpretive and evaluation skills to assess data quality against established criteria, or in the absence of established criteria, against accepted scientific principles. Job requires demonstrated effective oral and written communication skills to provide guidance to technologists and clients; to prepare client reports and document methods; to provide factual testimony as to accuracy and precision of results, technology functions, limitations and other qualities in court during legal proceedings. Job requires project management skills to ensure method development projects are successfully completed within a specified period of time.

Freedom of Action :

Job requires work to be performed independently with minimal direction from manager. Job requires working in accordance with equipment manuals, ministry regulatory acts, library reference materials, historical laboratory documentation and established precedents. Job requires applying scientific and technical principles to test results requiring varying levels of interpretation to complete assignments (for example, when reviewing data, one must know instrument capability (detection limits) and the effects of various matrices on the analytical results). Job requires providing technical expertise, advice and knowledge in advanced sample preparation techniques for soils, sediments, vegetation and air filters. Job requires dealing with problems and issues independently, selecting courses of action from established alternatives including applying state-of-the-art techniques having a wide range of control options available to conduct tests on unusual samples which do not conform to established methods. Work output in a specific assignment is reviewed for progress and alternative approaches by manager. Job requires discussing problems e.g. critical equipment failures, difficult samples, priority/health risk samples, anomalous results, with manager. Job requires performing secondary data approval function prior to final approval by program leader or manager. Job requires evaluating, identifying, correcting and documenting all problems relating to analytical tests performed by self or junior staff. Job requires performing preliminary assessment of acceptability of analytical data and selecting from a variety of techniques or alternative procedures, methods to improve data due to anomalies caused by sample matrix and/or for analytical systems. Job requires coordinating workload while maintaining the quality and quantity of tests assigned, identifying and correcting all problems affecting data quality. Job requires verifying that equipment, reagents and set-up of analytical systems for routine or developmental work are in good working order and the analytical data passes review of general quality control guidelines. Job requires maintaining professional contacts with other scientific or technical staff within the laboratory to exchange information and establish contacts with client groups or peers outside the ministry on special projects. Job requires strictly adhering to chain of custody and legal analysis protocols, where applicable.