Biologist

Positions in this class perform a variety of biological, toxicological, and bacteriological laboratory tests associated with water quality and wastewater treatment plant systems, and acts as staff specialist regarding water quality and water pollution investigations.Knowledge of

• Principles of biological, toxicological, physical, and chemical techniques relating to biological testing.
• Principals of water quality biological and its application to environmental problems.
• Classification, physical and physiological characteristics, ecology, development, and habits of plants and organisms associated with wastewater and aquatic habitats.
• Statistical methods and their application to water quality research problems.
• Environmental laboratory methods and procedures.
• Use and care of laboratory equipment.
• Sampling and testing procedures.
• General operation and use of computers, automated equipment and application software used for laboratory work.
• Acceptable safety standards in laboratory work and safe work practices.
• Basic biological, toxicological, bacteriological, and bio-chemical analysis research techniques and methods.
• Purpose, use and operation of standard laboratory equipment.

Ability to

• Perform biological, bacteriological, and bio-chemical analyses and make recommendations based on findings.
• Analyze, interpret, and report the results of laboratory testing.
• Keep records and prepare accurate reports of laboratory activities.
• Establish and maintain cooperative professional working relationships with others.
• Read, write, and speak English at a level necessary for satisfactory job performance.
• Operate motor vehicles and motor driven boats.
• Operate personal computer for work processing, spreadsheets, statistical, graphics applications, and standard applications laboratory software.
• Act as expert witness when required.
• Develop laboratory procedures to meet specific needs.
• Learn, interpret and apply to specific cases provisions of laws, rules or regulations encountered in the work.
• Work weekends, shift and holiday schedules.
• Perform complex and standard biological, toxicological, bacteriological, and bio-chemical analysis, testing and research.
• Maintain a variety of test and research records.

Minimum Qualifications

A Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university in Biological Science, Biochemistry, or a closely related field.


Two years of general environmental laboratory experience in biological, toxicological, biochemical, and/or bacteriological analysis. A master's degree in the above educational fields may be substituted for one year of the required experience.

Note: If the word “experience” is referenced in the minimum qualifications, it means full-time paid experience unless the minimum qualification states that volunteer experience is acceptable.  Part-time paid experience may be accumulated and pro-rated to meet the total experience requirements.

Note: If the minimum qualifications include an educational or certificate/license requirement, applicants must submit proof of requirements with the application. Failure to submit proof of requirements may result in disqualification from the examination. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable. For guidelines on submitting acceptable proof of educational requirements, please click here or speak to someone in our office before the cut-off date listed in this notice.

General Requirements

Physical Requirements:

• Must be able to use hands to hold, shake, twist laboratory equipment during analysis.
• Distinguish visually colors, shapes, sizes, and numbers, and distinguish visually measurements as small as millimeter and a milliliter.
• Some positions in this series require the ability to climb a ladder, enter and exit a boat, and walk on sloped ground such as river levees carrying a variety of laboratory equipment or samples.
• The use of contact lenses is prohibited.

License Requirements:

• Possession of a valid California Driver's License, Class C or higher, is required at the time of appointment. Failure to maintain the appropriate valid California Driver's License may constitute cause for termination from the class in accordance with Civil Service Rule 11.4. Individuals who do not meet this requirement due to physical disability will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Probationary Period
The probationary period for this classification is six (6) months.

APPLICATION
 
 Qualified applicants are encouraged to apply immediately. All applicants must complete and submit an online County of Sacramento employment application by 5:00 PM on the posted cut-off date. Click here to apply.
  
 County of Sacramento
 Department of Personnel Services
 Employment Services Division
 700 H Street, Room 4667
 Sacramento, CA 95814
 Phone (916) 874-5593; 7-1-1 California Relay Service
 Email EmployOffice@Saccounty.net
 Inter-Office Mail Code: 09-4667
 www.SacCountyJobs.net
  
 

• Employment applications and all documentation requested in this announcement must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date. 
• Employment Services is not responsible for any issues or delays caused by an applicant's computer or web browser. Applicants will be automatically logged out if they have not submitted their applications and all documentation prior to 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date.
• Your application should highlight all relevant education, training, and experience, and clearly indicate how you meet the minimum qualifications for the position as of the cut-off date.
• Application information must be current, concise and related to the requirements in this job announcement. You may only apply for this recruitment once. Duplicate and incomplete applications will be disqualified.
• A resume may be included with your application, however it will not substitute for the information requested on the application.

 
 SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE
  
 Applicants are required to provide a full and complete response to each supplemental question. The Supplemental Questionnaire is located in the tab marked "Supplemental Questions". Please be descriptive in your response.
  
 Note: Responses of "See Resume" or "See Application", or copy and paste of work experience are not qualifying responses and will not be considered.
  
 

• Supplemental Questionnaires must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date. Employment Services is not responsible for any issues or delays caused by an applicant's computer or web browser. Applicants will be automatically logged out if they have not submitted their applications and all documentation prior to 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date.
• The supplemental questions are designed to elicit specific information regarding a candidate's experience, education, and training. Responses should be consistent with the information on your application and are subject to verification.
• Please provide place of employment, pertinent dates, and concise, descriptive and detailed information for each question.
• If a job included responsibilities applicable to several questions, separate the different functions of the job to answer all the questions completely.
• Resumes or referral to the application or other questionnaire responses will not be accepted in lieu of completing each question.
• If you have no experience, write "no experience" for the appropriate question.
• For many individuals, it is more efficient to develop responses to the supplemental questions in a word processing document and then paste them into the final document to be submitted. Changes or corrections to your Supplemental Questionnaire cannot be made once your application packet has been submitted.
• If the Supplemental Questionnaire is used in the Formula Rate exam, failure to complete all of the questions or incomplete responses will result in a lower score. While scoring the Supplemental Questionnaire, the candidate's application and/or attachments will not be reviewed, therefore, a candidate's responses to the questions should be accurate, thorough, detailed, and complete.

 
 FORMULA RATE EXAMINATION (Weighted 100%)
  
 All candidates meeting the minimum qualifications by the cut-off date will have their Supplemental Questionnaire scored in the Formula Rate Examination.
  
 This examination will evaluate the relevance, level, recency, progression and quality of candidate's education, training and experience. The candidate's application or other materials will not be included in this examination. Therefore, the candidate's responses to the supplemental questionnaire should be thorough, detailed and complete. The score from the Formula Rate Examination will determine the ranking on the eligible/employment list for this job.
  
 All candidates competing in the testing process will receive written notice of their examination results by email. Notices can also be accessed in their governmentjobs.com inbox. Applicants achieving a passing score will be placed on the eligible list in rank order. The rank is determined by the test score attained from the examination.
  
 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
 
 Click here for Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
 
 For information regarding County jobs:
 

• www.saccountyjobs.net