The NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) enriches the environment and protects public health for all New Yorkers by providing 1.1 billion gallons of high quality drinking water, managing wastewater and stormwater, and reducing air, noise, and hazardous materials pollution. DEP is the largest combined municipal water and wastewater utility in the country, with nearly 6,000 employees. DEP's water supply system is comprised of 19 reservoirs and 3 controlled lakes throughout the system’s 2,000 square mile watershed that extends 125 miles north and west of the City.

The Bureau of Water Supply seeks to hire a Scientist (Water Ecology) III for a position in the Watershed Water Quality Operations Division, Hawthorne Laboratory, in Hawthorne, New York. Under direction, of the Deputy Chief, Hawthorne Field Watershed Water Quality Operations, the Scientist (Water Ecology) III will serve as Technical Assistant and will be responsible for helping to oversee and conduct field investigations, survey scheduling, Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) scheduling, calibration and reference solution requests, instruct and train staff to comply with DEP field administrative and standard operating procedures, Quality Assurance, Quality Control (QA, QC) procedures, and Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) protocols. They will assist the Deputy Chief to implement administrative and procurement functions regarding the units’ inventory, purchasing, and maintenance of equipment and supplies, review and finalization of field data and participate in the development of various operational, compliance, and special investigation reporting tasks of the unit. The Technical Assistant will represent the Deputy Chief and the Hawthorne field group in meetings and on committees. This position will also be responsible for field data review for daily, weekly, monthly and annual reporting.
Specific duties include:

- Compiling, reviewing and reporting water quality and associated data in accordance with Divisional procedures and by specified deadlines. Reviewing water quality data on a daily basis and reporting results to Divisional Management staff through reports and conference calls to assist the Bureau in making operational decisions.

- Assisting in the coordination of Distribution Water Quality (DWQ) monitoring efforts and research projects in conjunction with other agencies and groups.

- Operating and maintaining field sampling equipment.

- Overseeing quality control procedures according to Watershed Water Quality Operations (WWQO) and applicable regulatory protocols and maintain accurate records of Quality Control (QC).

- Adhering to Agency and Bureau policies and procedures.

- Complying with applicable environmental health & safety (EH&S) laws and regulations, and DEP’s policies and procedures.

(This is a brief description of what you might do in this position and does not include all the duties of this position.)


Some of the physical activities performed by Scientists (Water Ecology) and environmental conditions experienced are: lift and carry packages weighing approximately 20 pounds for a distance of 30 feet, perform duties in confined work areas, wear protective garments such as gloves, lab coats, goggles, and life vests, handle and manipulate laboratory equipment and instruments and tools such as glass test tubes, slides, beakers and other glassware, scalpels, scissors, etc., adjust settings on machines, which requires fine finger and hand coordination and control, and collect samples at sites in all weather conditions.

Special Working Conditions: Scientists (Water Ecology) may be required to work shifts including nights, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.


Preferred Skills:

- Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and SharePoint

- Ability to train on database systems such as the Agency’s Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) and Water Information Systems by Kisters (WISKI) data management systems

- A general knowledge of field sampling equipment and standard water quality sensors.

- Experience using basic hand tools.

- Boater safety course experience.

- Familiarity with piloting, trailering, launching and retrieving small motorized watercraft.

- Experience with remote and robotic monitoring systems.

- Familiarity with field sampling and data collection techniques.

- Ability to operate computers and several different software packages for data collection and management.

- Ability to think logically, focus on objectives, and prioritize multiple goals.

- Ability to be trained to use environmental monitoring equipment such as YSI sondes and dataloggers.

- Ability to spend a substantial portion of field days outdoors in any weather or time of year.

- Ability to lift heavy loads up to 50 pounds and jump in and out of boats.

- Ability to work at a computer for a substantial portion of an office day.

- Commitment to honesty, data integrity, and support to others.

- Strong communication skills both written and oral.

- Time management skills.

- Driver’s license valid in the State of New York.


Residency Requirement: New York City residency is not required for this position.


Hours and Shift:

35 hours per week. May be required to work shifts including nights, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.


Work Location:

15 Skyline Drive

Hawthorne, NY 10532

Hawthorne is a hamlet in the Town of Mount Pleasant, Westchester County, New York approximately 30 miles north of New York City.

1. A masters degree from an accredited college or university in one of the following areas of study: environmental or chemical engineering, limnology, environmental science, marine science, geology, biology, earth science, chemistry, physics, or health science; or

2. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university with 24 semester credits in one or a combination of the areas of study described in ""1"" above, at least 12 of which must have been in one of these areas of study; and at least one year of satisfactory full time experience, which may not have been part of graduate or undergraduate course work, working in the field of water quality planning, management or
research or performing environmental laboratory analyses, and/or environmental field sampling of water; or

3. An associate degree from an accredited college or university including or supplemented by 24 semester credits in one or a combination of the areas of study described in "1" above, at least 12 of which must have been in one of these areas of study; and at least three years of satisfactory full time experience as described in "2" above.

Additional Requirements

To be assigned to Assignment Levels II or III, all candidates must have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university as described in "2" above and must have one additional year of the experience described in "2" above for a total of two years of experience.

Special Note
A master's degree from an accredited college in one of the areas described in "1" above may be substituted for up to two years of the required experience.

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.