Career Opportunity

Biologist - Natural Resources & Lands Management Division - SFPUC (2483)

Recruitment: RTF0133377-01124217

Published: April 06, 2023

Apply using SmartRecruiters, the City and County of San Francisco's application portal.

About:

• Application Opening: April 6, 2023
• Application Deadline: April 14, 2023 
• Compensation Range: $91,910 - $129,402
• Recruitment ID: RTF0133377-01124217 (133378)

APPOINTMENT TYPE: Temporary Exempt: This position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive Civil Service examination process and shall serve at the discretion of the Appointing Officer.

• The duration of the appointment shall not exceed 24 months. 

WHO ARE WE? 

San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC)

Headquartered in San Francisco, we have 2,300 employees operating across eight counties serving more than 2.7 million customers in the San Francisco Bay Area – 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

Our Mission: To provide our customers with high quality, efficient, and reliable water, power, and wastewater services in a manner that values environmental and community interests and sustains the resources entrusted to our care.

Our Vision: We are an innovative utility leader, recognized for excellent results in service, safety, stewardship, and inclusiveness.

We are an award-winning and industry-leading utilities organization committed to our customers, community interests, and the environment. To learn more about our organization, please visit our website at https://www.sfpuc.org/.

We are proud of our infrastructure and programs, but most importantly, we value our highly qualified and dedicated workforce which ensures that this vision becomes a reality. 
To learn more about working at the SFPUC, visit our career site at https://www.sfpuc.org/about-us/careers-sfpuc

Role description

Project Name: Oceanside Bioassay Lab Toxicity Testing and Laboratory Certification Project                           

Position Description:

Under general supervision, the Biologist (Bioassay Specialist) performs acute and chronic whole effluent toxicity (WET) testing in support of permitting requirements for San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) Wastewater and Water Enterprise treatment facilities. This position ensures that sample collection and toxicity testing meet test acceptability criteria and National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit requirements; and that documentation traceability ensures that the SFPUC Bioassay Laboratory maintains compliance with California Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP) certification. The Biologist monitors and maintains test organisms, calibrates and maintains laboratory instrumentation, performs routine toxicity testing, interprets data and statistical analyses, and prepares technical reports. Additionally, the Biologist is expected to provide field, laboratory, analytical and report preparation support for the Southwest Ocean Outfall (SWOO) Regional Monitoring Program, and to perform other duties as required

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Performs acute and chronic WET testing analyses on effluent discharged from SFPUC water and wastewater facilities.
• Assists with implementation of bioassay testing protocols within the laboratory utilizing standard test methods to ensure defensible scientific data for meeting laboratory accreditation and regulatory requirements.
• Assists with laboratory traceability documentation for California ELAP accreditation according to The NELAC Institute (TNI) requirements.
• Adheres to bioassay laboratory quality assurance protocols and training requirements.
• Assists with training for SFPUC biologists and other technical and field staff to conduct laboratory and fieldwork safely, meeting EPA test methods criteria.
• Assists with report preparation for treatment plant bioassay monitoring reports.
• Provides technical expertise in support of Water and Wastewater Enterprise Regulatory Compliance.
• Maintains professional interactions with academic institutions and other professional organizations, staying current with scientific advances.
• Performs duties within the laboratory, in the field or on monitoring vessels on the ocean, San Francisco Bay or SFPUC reservoirs; work under inclement weather conditions may be required.
• Performs shoreline water quality sampling including calibration and operation of water quality instrumentation, and collection of discrete samples and recreational use data.
• Provides timely public notification of San Francisco beach water quality conditions.
• Assists with coordination and preparation of sampling supplies and equipment for various monitoring projects.
• Participates in the collection and analysis of benthic invertebrate, sediment and bioaccumulation organisms from San Francisco nearshore and bay in support of SWOO-RMP NPDES permit requirements.
• Performs (as needed) statistical analyses and interpretation of benthic, sediment, bioaccumulation and shoreline water quality data collected in support of NPDES requirements.
• Supports biological assessments (as required) for SFPUC watershed lands.
• Other related duties as assigned.

How to qualify

If you are interested in a job like this, we are looking for people that have the following:

Education:

• Possession of baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university with a major in environmental biology, marine biology, aquatic biology, wildlife biology, fisheries biology, limnology, aquatic toxicology, microbiology, biochemistry, or related science.

License: 

• Possession of a valid driver’s license.

Desirable Qualifications:

The stated desirable qualifications may be used to identify job finalists at the end of the selection process when candidates are referred for hiring.

• Recent and verifiable experience performing acute and chronic toxicity tests.

Verification of Education and Experience:

Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. More information can be found at: https://sfdhr.org/information-about-hiring-process#verification

Note: Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.

All work experience, education, training, and other information substantiating how you meet the minimum qualifications must be included on your application by the filing deadline. Information submitted after the filing deadline will not be considered in determining whether you meet the minimum qualifications.

Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility, disqualification or may lead to lower scores.

What else should I know?

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

• Information About The Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview  
• Equal Employment Opportunity 
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit https://careers.smartrecruiters.com/CityAndCountyOfSanFrancisco1/ and begin the application process.

• Select the “I’m Interested” button and follow instructions on the screen

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment and, therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure that their registered email address is accurate and kept up-to-date. Also, applicants must ensure that email from CCSF is not blocked on their computer by a spam filter. To prevent blocking, applicants should set up their email to accept CCSF mail from the following addresses (@sfgov.org, @sfdpw.org, @sfport.com, @flysfo.com, @sfwater.org, @sfdph.org, @asianart.org, @sfmta.com, @sfpl.org, @dcyf.org, @first5sf.org, @famsf.org, @ccsf.edu, @smartalerts.info, and @smartrecruiters.com).

Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the Human Resources Analyst, Brandon Bradley at BBradley@sfwater.org.

CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT:  All City and County of San Francisco employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. Someone is fully vaccinated when 14 days have passed since they received the final dose of a two-shot vaccine or a dose of a one-shot vaccine. Any new hire must present proof of full vaccination status to be appointed. Any new hire who will be routinely assigned or occasionally enter High-Risk Settings, must provide proof of having received a COVID-19 booster vaccine by March 1, 2022, or once eligible.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.