Inorganic Chemist / Environmental Biologist

Chemist – Inorganic or Environmental Biologist Location:                                 Duluth, MN Position Schedule:                  Full-time Anticipated Start Date:           Early 2025        SpecPro Sustainment & Environmental, LLC. (SSE) is seeking a Mid-Level Biologist or Chemist to provide support with field collection and laboratory analysis of water and sediment samples collected from the Great Lakes region. You will be working in support of SSE’s contract with the USEPA’s Laboratory in Duluth, MN. Job location is at EPA Laboratory. Although this is a full-time position, funding is typically on a yearly basis with EPA. Primary Duties: The position consists of a balance of laboratory work (80%) and field work (20%). Laboratory Responsibilities: Inorganic chemistry. Analyses are primarily inorganic nutrients, including orthophosphate, nitrate and nitrite, total nitrogen, total phosphorous, ammoniacal nitrogen, dissolved silica, chloride, sulfate, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, dissolved organic carbon, and chlorophyll-a. Requires use of the following instrumentation: Gas Chromatograph, Lachat flow injection analyzer, Fluorometer, Autoclave, CHN Elemental Analyzer, TOC-L, Ion Chromatography, Atomic Absorption Spectrometer, Fluorescence Reader, UV/Vis Spectrometer, Vacuum Pump/Filter Manifold. Typical workload requires analysis of a thousand plus samples over the course of a year. Requires ability to safely work with various strong acids, bases, and solvents, to make reagents, buffers, extractants, standards, preservatives and other solutions used in the lab. Perform annual minimum detection limits. Responsible for maintaining laboratory equipment through proper cleaning and preventative maintenance. Trouble-shoot and solve minor problems independently, work with other scientists and manufacture technicians to address larger issues. Proficient in following standard operating procedures (SOPs) for currently developed methods, as well as working to develop new methods and procedures. Field Work:  Responsible for keeping a clean supply of sample bottles in the various sizes required. Create labels for samples collected during field season, label bottles and organize into bottle packs for each specific project. Track all samples from collection in the field through processing in the lab using a sample tracking spreadsheet and CoCs. Collect water samples from the Great Lakes aboard the EPA research vessels Lake Explorer II and Lake Guardian. Trips can be 2 weeks in length. Wade Lake Superior tributary streams to collect water and sediment samples. Perform field nutrient uptake assays and nutrient releases. Calculate stream slope and asses physical habitat. Properly preserve, store, and catalog all samples collected during the field season. Computer Work: Efficient in numerous instruments software. Export data into Excel spreadsheet with the appropriate format to analyze data. Calculate quality assurance checks and percent recoveries. Qualifications/Skills:   Experience using various instruments for inorganic nutrient analyses. Experience writing protocols for collecting, processing, and analyzing samples. Experience reviewing analytical data for quality assurance. Experience collecting field samples for analysis preferred, not required. Education/Experience Requirement: Bachelor’s degree in biology or chemistry plus 3 years related experience. Master’s degree can substitute for 2 years of experience. Special Requirements/Certifications: Must pass corporate and federal background checks. Federal background checks take 6 weeks. Must have valid driver’s license. Application Procedure: Check the Careers tab on the SpecPro Sustainment & Environmental, LLC web site. Link: https://sse-anc.com/careers/