Salary : $53,497.60 - $68,286.40 Annually
Location : 1801 Commerce Road, VA
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: 35M00000651
Department: Public Utilities
Opening Date: 08/13/2026
Closing Date: 8/27/2026 11:59 PM Eastern

Are you Richmond R.E.A.D.Y? Respect. Equity. Accountability. Diversity...YOU!!!

This is an EXCITING time to Join the City of Richmond! We are committed to nurturing talent, fostering growth opportunities, and building strong connections within our workforce. As we continue to make strides to becoming the employer of choice, we are thrilled about the below employee benefit enhancements:

Virginia Retirement System (VRS)
Language Incentive
Referral Bonus
Tuition Assistance Program

Description
This position is a part of the DPU Broadband Program salary range from $62,583 - $72,001.

The City of Richmond's Department of Public Utilities is seeking a Chemist for the Division of Environmental Management (Lab). The incumbent will perform complex analyses on water and wastewater samples to ensure compliance with federal and state requirements regarding public safety and water cleanliness and for operational control at the plants. Incumbents will perform quality assurance analyses related to bacteriological and chemical testing and use advanced analytical instruments. Incumbents also maintain laboratory certification on required analyses, train subordinate lab staff, troubleshoots analytical instruments and keeps detailed records of test data.
We highly encourage entry level candidates to apply.

Duties include but are not limited to

Performs chemical, bacteriological and physical analyses of water and wastewater samples using various equipment in a lab setting, abiding by Standard Operating Procedures (SOP's). Performs calculations based on gathered data.
Maintains detailed logs and records of testing data. Generates reports for managers, contractors, citizen groups, and state agencies. Consults with other Chemists and\or Public Utilities personnel and makes recommendations based on analytical results.
Monitors compliance with federal and state regulations in order to maintain certification. Maintain laboratory quality system including: maintain detail logs and records, participate in Proficiency Testing, create, review and adhere to Standard Operating Procedure, take part in internal and external audits and data review.
Troubleshoots malfunctioning testing equipment. Determines when testing equipment needs servicing.

Incumbent serves as an Essential employee, which means that the incumbent is required to work when the City is closed due to public emergencies, critical or hazardous conditions, or inclement weather.
The incumbent in this position is required to serve on-call 24hours/7 days a week to provide leadership for the support and resolution of problems for critical systems and applications within the assigned City of Richmond portfolio.

Qualifications, Special Certifications and Licenses

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES: TYPICAL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES: These are a representative sample; position assignments may vary.

Knowledge:

EPA/Federal standards regarding clean water (Safe Drinking Water Act)
Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS)
VELAP regulations regarding drinking water and wastewater
Lab safety
Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, etc.)
Principles, practices, and techniques of chemistry, microbiology, and laboratory equipment/terminology
Laboratory Quality System

Skills:

Internal/External customer service
Inventory management
Written and verbal communication
Troubleshooting instrumentation
Maintaining detailed lab records

Abilities:

Analyze data
Prioritize daily assignments
Multi-task
Problem solve
Operate lab equipment
Train subordinate laboratory personnel

MINIMUM TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE :

Bachelor's degree in chemistry, environmental science, biology or a related field
An equivalent combination of training and experience (as approved by the department) may be used to meet the minimum qualifications of the classification

LICENSING, CERTIFICATIONS, and OTHER SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

None required

PREFERRED TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE:

Environmental or Municipal laboratory experience preferred

Americans with Disabilities Act Requirements
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. Prospective and current employees are invited to discuss accommodations.

ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS: Working conditions may include exposure to travel to other locations within the City of Richmond as well as outside of the City of Richmond; exposure to hazardous physical conditions such as mechanical parts, electrical currents, vibrations, etc.; atmospheric conditions such as fumes, odors, dusts, gases, and poor ventilation; inadequate lighting; intense noise; and environmental hazards such as disruptive people, imminent danger, and a threatening environment.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT: Due to the nature of work assignments, incumbents must be able to perform detailed work on multiple, concurrent tasks, with frequent interruptions and under time constraint. The essential duties of this classification may require the ability to regularly talk; frequently finger, hear, see, and perform repetitive motions; and occasionally climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, reach, stand, walk, push, pull, lift, feel, and grasp. The working conditions may include environmental hazards. In terms of the physical strength to perform the essential duties, this classification is considered to be light work, exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The City of Richmond provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

The City of Richmond is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, the City of Richmond will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided with reasonable accommodations. If you require reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to participate in the job application and/or the interview process, please contact Veronica Kenner, by email at [click to reveal email address]HR-ADA@rva.gov.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.
The City of Richmond Values Veterans. We are an official V3 Certified Company.

The City of Richmond is a proud partner with the US Army Partnership for Your Success PaYS Program.
With over 4,000 employees, the City of Richmond is an "Employer of Choice" among cities throughout the nation. The City strives to hire and retain employees who bring dedication and talent to the workforce. Offering a competitive, cost effective, and quality benefits package is one element of an "Employer of Choice".

The City offers a full range of benefit programs from initial hire through retirement. Please visit our Web site for details.
01

10-point compensable veteran. You must have an existing compensable service-connected disability of 10 percent or more. Other 10-point veteran include disabled veteran or a veteran who was awarded the Purple Heart for wound or injuries received in action, veteran's widow or widower who has not remarried, wife or husband of a veteran who has a service-connected disability, widowed, divorced or separated mother of an ex-service son or daughter who died in action, or who is totally and permanently disabled. Do any of these apply?

5-point veteran's must have been discharged under honorable conditions and had one of the following:Active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States, in a war, or during the period 4/28/52-7/1/55 or active duty for more than 180 consecutive days other than for training, any part of which occurred during the period beginning 2/1/55 and 10/14/76 or active duty during the Gulf War sometime between 8/2/90 - 1/2/92 or active duty in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized or active duty for which more than 180 consecutive days other than for training, any part of which occurred during the period beginning 9/11/2001 and ending on the date prescribed by the Presidential proclamation or by the law as the last date of operation Iraqi Freedom. Do any of these apply?

Which best describes your highest level of education?

High School Diploma/GED
Some College
Associate's Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Master's/Advanced Degree
None of the above

How many years of experience do you have in laboratory testing? College laboratory coursework can count towards this experience.

Less than one (1) year of experience
One (1) to three (3) years of experience
Four (4) to ten (10) years of experience
More than ten (10) years of experience

Do you have experience in drinking water and/or wastewater laboratory testing?

Have you worked in a municipal laboratory within a City, County, State Water and/or Wastewater laboratory?

Have you ever worked for the City of Richmond's Water Quality Services Division?

Have you participated in a drinking water and\or wastewater audit by DCLS in The Commonwealth of Virginia?

Have you performed a demonstration of capability for any of the following(check all that apply):

Alkalinity
Fluoride
Total Suspended Solids
Orthophosphate
Hardness
Turbidity
BOD
Nutrient analyses (Total Phosphate, NO3-NO2, TKN, and\or Ammonia)

Have you performed peer review of analytical data reports?

Required Question

Chemist

Chemist

Share this job now