Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Water Quality Director

🎯 Role Definition

The Water Quality Director leads and directs all aspects of municipal, regional, or utility water quality programs. This role combines technical expertise in water chemistry, microbiology, and environmental monitoring with program management, regulatory compliance, and public/stakeholder communications. The Director develops monitoring strategies, oversees laboratory and field operations, manages budgets and contracts, ensures data integrity and regulatory reporting, and provides technical leadership to cross-functional teams to protect public health and aquatic ecosystems.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Senior Water Quality Scientist / Water Quality Manager
Environmental Laboratory Manager / Lab Director
Regulatory Compliance Manager (water utilities or wastewater treatment)

Advancement To:

Chief Environmental Officer
Director of Environmental Services or Utilities
Vice President of Water Resources / Public Works

Lateral Moves:

Watershed Manager
Compliance & Permitting Director
Environmental Monitoring Program Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop, implement, and continuously improve a comprehensive water quality program covering drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, and source water protection that aligns with local, state, and federal regulatory frameworks (SDWA, Clean Water Act, NPDES) and organizational strategic goals.
Lead and manage all laboratory operations, including oversight of accredited testing laboratories, enforcement of ISO/IEC 17025-equivalent QA/QC protocols, method validation, instrument calibration schedules, chain-of-custody procedures, and corrective action plans to ensure defensible data.
Design, deploy, and optimize water quality monitoring networks and sampling programs—including site selection, frequency, analyte suites, and field QA/QC—to reliably detect contaminant trends, support regulatory reporting, and inform operational and planning decisions.
Direct permit compliance and reporting activities, preparing, reviewing, and submitting NPDES, SDWA, and state permit reports, ensuring timely submittal, data accuracy, and rapid response to notices of violation or permit exceedances.
Manage cross-disciplinary teams of scientists, technicians, field crews, and laboratory staff through hiring, training, performance management, professional development, and succession planning to build technical capacity and maintain operational continuity.
Oversee data management systems for water quality data (LIMS, environmental databases, GIS integration), ensure data validation, implement data governance policies, and present actionable analytics and visualizations to stakeholders and leadership.
Lead technical evaluations of treatment processes, source water protection measures, and operational changes by coordinating pilot studies, bench- and field-scale testing, and risk assessments to inform capital improvement plans and operational modifications.
Prepare, manage, and monitor program budgets, capital project budgets, and grant funding; develop cost estimates, evaluate cost-benefit of monitoring and treatment options, and ensure fiscal accountability and procurement compliance.
Serve as the primary technical liaison with regulatory agencies (EPA, state environmental agencies, health departments) and participate in regulatory negotiations, multi-agency workgroups, compliance audits, and permit development to represent organizational interests.
Develop and maintain emergency response and incident action plans for water quality emergencies (contamination events, spills, algal blooms), coordinate immediate field response, public notification, and post-event investigations and remediation measures.
Lead and coordinate public communication and stakeholder engagement strategies, including preparation of technical reports, public advisories, presentations to elected officials and community groups, and transparent dissemination of monitoring results to build public trust.
Oversee contract management and procurement for third-party laboratories, consultants, and contractors, including developing scopes of work, evaluating proposals, negotiating agreements, and managing contractor performance against deliverables.
Integrate advanced analytical techniques (e.g., PCR for microbial source tracking, high-resolution mass spectrometry for emerging contaminants) and novel monitoring technologies (real-time sensors, telemetric samplers) into monitoring programs to enhance detection capabilities.
Establish and maintain quality assurance project plans (QAPPs), standard operating procedures (SOPs), and training programs to ensure sampling consistency, laboratory comparability, and defensible data for regulatory and legal purposes.
Conduct and oversee watershed-scale assessments, pollutant loading analyses, and TMDL support activities; collaborate with land use planners and stormwater managers to develop source control strategies and best management practices (BMPs).
Lead the evaluation and implementation of data analytics, statistical trend analysis, and modeling (hydrodynamic, water quality, contaminant fate and transport) to prioritize interventions, forecast risks, and support regulatory decision-making.
Develop and manage monitoring strategies for emerging contaminants (PFAS, endocrine disruptors, algal toxins) including method selection, sample preservation, detection limits, and risk-based communication to stakeholders and regulators.
Coordinate interdisciplinary technical reviews for engineering design projects, providing water quality criteria, sampling design, and mitigation measures for capital projects, treatment upgrades, and infrastructure improvements.
Champion continuous improvement by conducting program performance reviews, benchmarking against industry best practices, participating in professional associations, and implementing training and innovation initiatives across the organization.
Ensure occupational health and safety for field and laboratory personnel by enforcing PPE standards, safety protocols, confined space and lockout/tagout training, and regular safety audits to minimize workplace incidents.
Oversee data transparency and open-data initiatives by developing dashboards, public portals, and summary reports that comply with regulatory requirements and improve stakeholder access to water quality information.
Support and lead grant writing, technical proposal development, and partnership-building to secure external funding for capital improvements, research, pilot studies, and community-based water quality projects.
Provide expert testimony, technical memoranda, and regulatory interpretation during public hearings, contested permit proceedings, and litigation support as required to defend program decisions and permit conditions.

Secondary Functions

Coordinate with engineering, operations, stormwater, and planning departments to integrate water quality considerations into land development reviews, capital improvement planning, and operational procedures.
Manage vendor relationships for instrumentation, laboratory supplies, and mobile monitoring equipment including warranty tracking, service contracts, and troubleshooting support.
Mentor junior scientists and interns, develop curriculum for water quality training programs, and represent the organization at conferences, workshops, and academic partnerships.
Support cross-functional sustainability and resilience initiatives by aligning water quality goals with climate adaptation, drought response, and watershed restoration programs.
Evaluate and recommend software tools (LIMS, GIS, SCADA analytics) and cloud-based data platforms to streamline operations, reporting, and real-time decision-making.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Regulatory compliance expertise: deep working knowledge of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), Clean Water Act (CWA), NPDES permitting, state water quality standards, and permit reporting requirements.
Environmental laboratory management: proficiency with ISO/IEC 17025 principles, method validation, instrument calibration (ICP-MS, GC-MS, HPLC), LIMS administration, and QA/QC program oversight.
Field sampling and monitoring: advanced skills in designing sampling plans, implementing QA/QC field protocols, sample preservation and shipping, and using in-situ sensors and autosamplers.
Water chemistry and microbiology: strong technical understanding of chemical and microbial contaminants, disinfection byproducts, nutrient dynamics, algal toxins, and contaminant fate and transport.
Emerging contaminants: experience managing PFAS, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and other emerging contaminant monitoring and risk assessment programs.
Data management and analysis: proficiency with environmental data systems, LIMS, statistical analysis (R, Python, or statistical packages), GIS for spatial analysis, and dashboarding tools (Tableau, Power BI).
Modeling and risk assessment: experience with water quality modeling (e.g., WASP, CE-QUAL, SWMM) and quantitative risk assessment methodologies to inform decisions and TMDLs.
Project and budget management: demonstrated ability to develop and manage program budgets, capital project planning, grant administration, and procurement processes.
Contract and vendor management: experience developing scopes of work, evaluating proposals, negotiating contracts, and managing consultant/lab/contractor performance.
Emergency response and incident investigation: practical experience in contamination event response, source tracking, public notification procedures, and post-incident remediation planning.
Technical writing and reporting: ability to prepare regulatory reports, QAPPs, SOPs, technical memoranda, and grant proposals with clarity and scientific rigor.

Soft Skills

Leadership and people management: proven experience leading multidisciplinary teams, mentoring staff, and fostering a high-performance culture.
Strategic thinking: ability to develop long-term water quality strategy, prioritize program investments, and align technical work with organizational goals.
Communication and public engagement: excellent verbal and written communication skills for presenting technical information to regulators, elected officials, the public, and media.
Collaboration and stakeholder management: strong aptitude for building partnerships with regulators, NGOs, utilities, academic institutions, and community groups.
Problem-solving and critical thinking: analytical mindset to diagnose water quality issues, evaluate alternatives, and implement pragmatic solutions.
Attention to detail: meticulous focus on data quality, regulatory compliance, and documentation to ensure defensible results.
Adaptability and innovation: willingness to adopt new technologies and methods to improve program effectiveness and operational efficiency.
Ethical judgment and integrity: commitment to transparent reporting, scientific integrity, and public health protection.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, Chemistry, Civil/Environmental Engineering, Microbiology, Public Health, or a closely related field.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree or higher in Environmental Engineering, Environmental Science, Water Resources, Public Health, or related discipline; professional certifications (e.g., Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control, Registered Environmental Manager) or leadership training are a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Environmental Science / Environmental Engineering
Chemistry / Microbiology / Water Chemistry
Public Health / Water Resources Management
Hydrology / Watershed Science

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

8–15+ years of progressive professional experience in water quality, environmental monitoring, or laboratory management, including 3–7 years in a supervisory or managerial role.

Preferred:

Experience managing municipal or regional water quality programs, demonstrated success with regulatory interactions (EPA/state), capital project oversight, and managing accredited laboratories or complex monitoring networks. Experience with grants, community outreach, and advanced analytical methods (PFAS, molecular microbiology) is highly desirable.