Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Water Quality Supervisor

🎯 Role Definition

The Water Quality Supervisor leads field sampling and laboratory operations to ensure safe, compliant water and wastewater discharges. This role oversees routine and special monitoring programs, enforces QA/QC protocols, manages staff and contractors, interprets regulatory requirements (NPDES, SDWA, EPA), and delivers timely, accurate water quality data and compliance reporting. The supervisor drives continuous improvement of monitoring programs, instrument performance, and data management to protect public health, support operations, and minimize regulatory risk.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Water Treatment Operator II / III
Environmental Laboratory Technician / Analyst
Field Sampling Technician / Environmental Technician

Advancement To:

Senior Water Quality Supervisor
Water Quality Manager / Laboratory Manager
Environmental Compliance Manager or Regulatory Affairs Manager

Lateral Moves:

Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) Specialist
Process Optimization / Operations Supervisor
Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Supervise, mentor, and evaluate a cross-functional team of laboratory analysts, field samplers, and technicians to ensure accurate, defensible water quality monitoring and timely delivery of reports to operations and regulators.
Develop, implement and maintain a comprehensive water quality monitoring program for drinking water and/or wastewater, including sampling plans, frequency schedules, detection limits, and analyte lists aligned with NPDES and SDWA permit requirements.
Ensure laboratory operations meet state and federal accreditation standards (e.g., ELAP, CLP), including documentation control, method validation, proficiency testing, and corrective action tracking.
Oversee chain-of-custody procedures, sample preservation, holding times, and transport logistics to maintain sample integrity from collection through analysis.
Manage daily laboratory workflows and instrument schedules, including calibration, preventive maintenance, method troubleshooting, and records of service for GC/MS, ICP-MS, HPLC, TOC analyzers, spectrophotometers, and turbidimeters.
Prepare, review, and submit accurate regulatory reports (e.g., monthly NPDES Discharge Monitoring Reports, sanitary surveys, SDWA compliance reports) and coordinate submittals with regulatory agencies and corporate compliance teams.
Interpret regulatory permit limits, permit reissuance conditions, and emergency reporting obligations; make operational recommendations to plant leadership to ensure continuous compliance.
Implement and enforce robust QA/QC programs including blanks, duplicates, spikes, control charts, and limits of quantitation to validate analytical results and identify trends or anomalies.
Coordinate and execute field sampling campaigns for routine compliance, special studies, industrial pretreatment programs, source water assessments, and permit-required effluent characterization.
Evaluate and approve laboratory standard operating procedures (SOPs), method modifications, and new analytical methods while ensuring staff training and competency assessments are up to date.
Lead root-cause investigations for excursions, non-conformances, or suspected sample contamination and coordinate remedial actions with operations, maintenance, and safety teams.
Manage laboratory and sampling budgets, purchasing of reagents, consumables, and capital equipment; negotiate service contracts and vendor qualifications to control costs and ensure timely delivery.
Maintain and administer environmental data management systems and LIMS (Laboratory Information Management Systems) to ensure secure, searchable, and auditable analytical data and metadata.
Provide technical guidance and on-call support for operational staff during upset conditions, process changes, or emergency response situations (e.g., bypass events, spills, and contamination incidents).
Coordinate interdepartmental projects such as source control initiatives, pilot studies, and treatment optimization trials; prepare technical summaries, proposals, and cost-benefit analyses for leadership.
Ensure laboratory and field safety programs comply with OSHA, HAZWOPER, and site-specific requirements including PPE, chemical hygiene, and confined space protocols.
Maintain strong relationships with local, state, and federal regulators; represent the organization during inspections, audits, and permit negotiations.
Review analytical data for trends, seasonal effects, and process upsets; generate executive-level dashboards and narrative summaries to inform decision-making and asset management.
Train operations and field staff on sampling techniques, chain-of-custody, turbidity/chlorine monitoring, and basic laboratory procedures to improve data quality and regulatory compliance.
Oversee data verification, validation, and reporting workflows to ensure results are defensible, auditable, and delivered within regulatory timeframes.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives to reduce turn-around-times (TAT), lower detection limits, improve sampling efficiency, and optimize lab throughput and resource utilization.

Secondary Functions

Lead or participate in community outreach and public communications related to water quality incidents, boil water advisories, and routine water quality updates.
Support capital project development by providing water quality specifications, performance testing criteria, and acceptance testing oversight for new treatment units and instrumentation.
Assist procurement with technical specifications for new laboratory equipment, contract laboratory services, and vendor evaluations, including bench testing and method performance review.
Maintain and audit laboratory inventory, reagent shelf-life, calibration standards, and disposal processes to ensure readiness and regulatory compliance.
Develop and deliver continuing education materials, safety briefings, and competency assessments for staff; coordinate external training classes and certifications.
Collaborate with GIS and data teams to spatially map sampling points, discharge locations, and source water zones for risk assessment and planning.
Participate in interdisciplinary emergency tabletop exercises and operational drills to validate response plans and communication protocols.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Water quality monitoring and compliance (NPDES, SDWA) — permit interpretation and DMR reporting.
Laboratory management and accreditation (ELAP/CLP) — QA/QC program design, method validation, SOP development.
Analytical instrumentation proficiency: ICP-MS, IC, HPLC, GC/MS, TOC, UV-Vis spectrophotometry, turbidimeters, and membrane filtration techniques.
Field sampling techniques and chain-of-custody management — sample preservation, holding times, and field QA/QC.
Data management and LIMS experience — data validation, audit trails, automated reporting, and database queries.
Environmental chemistry and microbiology knowledge — disinfection by-products, metals, nutrients, coliform/E. coli analysis.
Regulatory reporting systems and electronic submittal portals — creating defensible records and audit responses.
SCADA and process control familiarity for integrating water quality setpoints and alarms with operations.
Instrument calibration, preventive maintenance scheduling, and troubleshooting of laboratory equipment.
Risk assessment and root-cause analysis methodologies — statistical trend analysis, control charts, SPC.
Budgeting and procurement for laboratory supplies, calibration standards, and capital equipment.
GIS basics and spatial analysis for sampling network optimization and environmental risk mapping.
Proficiency with Microsoft Excel (advanced), data visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau), and basic scripting or query languages (SQL/Python advantageous).

Soft Skills

Strong leadership and team development skills with demonstrated experience coaching technical staff.
Clear, concise written and verbal communication tailored to technicians, operations managers, regulators, and the public.
Excellent attention to detail and organizational skills to maintain accurate records and audit-ready documentation.
Effective problem solving and critical thinking under time-sensitive and regulatory pressure.
Customer-service orientation and stakeholder management for internal operations and external agencies.
Project management skills — setting priorities, managing timelines, and delivering technical projects on budget.
Resilience and adaptability in emergency response situations and shifting regulatory landscapes.
Conflict resolution and performance management experience in supervisory roles.
Training and mentorship capability to upskill laboratory and field staff.
Ethical integrity and commitment to public health and environmental protection.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Associate degree in Environmental Science, Chemistry, Biology, or Water Technology with related laboratory experience.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's degree (B.S.) in Environmental Science, Chemistry, Microbiology, Civil/Environmental Engineering, or a related discipline.
Master’s degree or professional certification (e.g., Certified Environmental Professional, AWWA Water Quality Certificate) is a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Environmental Science / Environmental Engineering
Chemistry / Analytical Chemistry
Biology / Microbiology
Water Technology / Water Resources Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

3–7 years of combined laboratory and field water quality experience; at least 2 years in a supervisory or lead role preferred.

Preferred:

5+ years of progressive experience in water/wastewater laboratory management, regulatory compliance, and field sampling programs, including direct experience with NPDES and SDWA permitting and reporting.