Lead Chemist, Chemical Incident Response Laboratory (Chemist 3) DOH8791

Full Job Description

Lead Chemist, Chemical Incident Response Laboratory

Public Health Laboratories, Shoreline, WA | Onsite/In Person | NON-PERMANENT APPOINTMENT

This Non-Permanent Appointment has a duration of 12 months.

THE OPPORTUNITY:

This position supports Washington’s chemical incident response and public health preparedness work by providing specialized laboratory testing and technical leadership within the Chemical Incident Response Laboratory.

As a Lead Chemist, you will perform advanced analytical testing, maintain instrument readiness, and support rapid response activities for clinical and environmental samples.

Based onsite at the Washington State Public Health Laboratories, this role plays a key part in ensuring accurate, timely testing during routine operations and emergency response events.

You will help maintain continuous operational readiness, support quality and accreditation standards, and contribute technical expertise that allows the lab to respond effectively when chemical incidents occur.

Key Responsibilities:

Why You’ll Love This Role:

The Ideal candidate

You are a calm, detail-driven scientist who thrives in complex, high-pressure environments.

You enjoy hands-on laboratory work just as much as solving technical problems and improving how work gets done.

You take pride in accuracy, documentation, and quality, and you understand the responsibility that comes with emergency response testing.

You communicate clearly, support your teammates, and naturally step into a lead role when expertise is needed.

You are comfortable balancing routine readiness with urgent, unpredictable situations and you stay focused when the stakes are high.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

We value all relevant experience (paid or unpaid) and encourage applicants from all backgrounds. You must meet at least ONE of the options provided and any additional criteria listed.

Experience may have been gained through paid or unpaid activities. While “Preferred Experience” is not required, these skills or experiences can help you stand out as a candidate.

Additional Required Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Experience:

Preferred/Desired Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Experience:

ABOUT US:

The Public Health Laboratories – Where Science Protects Communities

At the Public Health Laboratories, every test matters.

From hunting emerging pathogens to ensuring every newborn in the state gets life-saving screenings, your work will drive disease detection, outbreak response, and protect Washington’s most vulnerable.

We’re the state’s reference lab, tracking rare threats like rabies, hantavirus, and West Nile virus, analyzing outbreaks, and safeguarding food and water safety.

Here, science meets service in a collaborative, equity-driven team committed to real-world impact and public health at scale.

We are the Washington State Department of Health (DOH)

We're nearly 2,000 professionals across Washington working together to protect and improve community health.

Guided by our values of Equity, Innovation, and Engagement, we address health disparities, respond to emerging challenges, and strengthen systems that support resilience.

At DOH, we help reduce barriers, collaborate with diverse communities, and champion equitable health outcomes. We’re passionate people who are driven to make a difference in public health.

To learn more about the DOH please visit our website and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and our blog.

Benefits and Lifestyle

We prioritize your work-life balance with one of the most competitive benefits packages in the nation, designed to support your lifestyle. At DOH, you’ll find flexibility, growth, and stability. Learn more about why we’re a great place to work by visiting Work@Health.

Conditions of Employment:

The following terms and conditions of employment must be met with or without reasonable accommodation:

Work Setting, including hazards:

• This position's work must be completed at the Public Health Laboratories.
• The position requires working in a laboratory with various laboratory chemicals that can cause illness, skin irritation, or breathing problems.
• This position will perform work in a chemical fume hood, Laminar flow hood or biological safety cabinet and handles pressurized and liquefied gas.
• The laboratory environment is noisy, could be stressful, and is fast paced.
• The position requires repetitive use of a computer, inputting data and navigating a database, creating and modifying electronic documents, and using email and the internet.

Schedule (i.e., hours and days):

Travel Requirements:

Tools and Equipment:

• Duties may require use of incubators, refrigerators, freezers, compressed gas cylinders, cryogenic liquid Dewars, centrifuges, fume hoods, pipettes, personal protective equipment, any or all the analytic instruments listed in the position objective, and other standard lab equipment.
• Duties also require the use of standard office furniture and equipment (such as a desk, filing cabinet, computer, printer, telephone, fax machine, copy machine).

Customer Interactions:

Other:

Special Requirements:

APPLICATION INFORMATION:

We’re committed to a fair and equitable hiring process. Only materials submitted through the official application will be considered. Emailed resumes or documents won’t be accepted or shared with the hiring manager.

Click “Apply” to complete your application. Attach your resume, cover letter, and DD-214 (if applicable). List at least three professional references directly in your Applicant Profile including a supervisor, a peer, and someone you’ve supervised or led (if applicable).

DO NOT INCLUDE private details like your SSN or birth year, personal photos, transcripts, certifications, diplomas, projects, portfolios, or letters of recommendation with your application.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

We regard diversity as the foundation of our strength, recognizing that differing insights and abilities enable us to reflect the unique needs of the communities we serve.

DOH is an equal-opportunity employer.

We prohibit discrimination based on race/ethnicity/color, creed, sex, pregnancy, age, religion, national origin, marital status, the presence or perception of a disability, veteran’s status, military status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender expression, or gender identity.

Veterans Preference

Applicants wishing to claim Veterans Preference must attach a copy of their DD-214 (Member 4 copy), NGB 22, or signed verification of service letter from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to their application.

Please remove or cover any personally identifiable data such as social security numbers and birth year.

Questions and Accommodations

If you have questions, need assistance with the application process, require an accommodation, or would like to request this posting in an alternative format, please contact Shawnelle Goalder at employment@doh.wa.gov and reference the assigned DOH8791 recruitment number.

Technical Support

Reach out to NEOGOV directly at 1-855-524-5627 for technical support and login issues.

Additional Information

This recruitment may be used to fill positions of the same job classification across the agency. Once all the position(s) from the recruitment are filled, the candidate pool may be used to fill additional open positions for the next sixty (60) days.

Only applicants who follow the directions and complete the Application Process in-full will have their responses reviewed for consideration.

Experience and education selected, listed, or detailed in the Supplemental Questions must be verifiable on the submitted applicant profile.

This position is located in King County. A 5% salary increase is included in the advertised pay.