Laboratory Technician (Upstream Oil & Gas Waste Management) – Turkana at WTS Energy

Key Responsibilities:

• Conduct physical and chemical characterization of incoming, in-process, and treated oil and gas drilling waste streams.
• Perform laboratory analysis of drill cuttings, water-based and oil-based drilling muds, oily sludge, contaminated soil, wastewater, leachate, sediment, and recovered treatment products.
• Conduct analyses including total petroleum hydrocarbons, oil and grease, moisture, pH, conductivity, salinity, chlorides, metals, solids, density, and other approved drilling-waste parameters.
• Perform analytical procedures in accordance with approved methods, facility procedures, client specifications, and applicable regulatory standards.
• Collect representative samples from incoming waste loads, storage areas, treatment units, wastewater systems, treated residues, and final disposal or reuse batches.
• Preserve, label, transport, and document samples in accordance with approved sampling plans and laboratory procedures.
• Maintain complete chain-of-custody records and ensure full traceability of samples to the originating waste stream, client, and treatment batch.
• Operate, calibrate, and maintain laboratory instruments and sample-preparation equipment used for drilling-waste and environmental analysis.
• Operate equipment including analytical and top-loading balances, drying ovens, muffle furnaces, centrifuges, pH meters, conductivity/TDS meters, turbidity meters, retort kits, filtration equipment, digestion systems, TCLP leachate preparation equipment, and rotary tumblers.
• Operate advanced analytical equipment where available, including UV-Visible Spectrophotometers, AAS, ICP-MS, GC-MS, GC-FID, Ion Chromatographs, and ion-selective electrode systems.
• Conduct routine instrument checks, troubleshooting, preventive maintenance, performance verification, and coordinate servicing and repairs where required.
• Monitor and maintain adequate stocks of reagents, standards, reference materials, and laboratory consumables.
• Record, review, validate, and analyse laboratory data accurately and prepare laboratory reports and certificates of analysis.
• Maintain laboratory registers, databases, calibration records, chain-of-custody documentation, sample-retention records, and other required technical records.
• Interpret analytical results and support preparation of compliance reports for management, clients, and regulatory authorities.
• Ensure laboratory data accuracy, integrity, confidentiality, and full traceability throughout the testing and reporting process.
• Implement laboratory quality-control requirements including blanks, duplicates, spikes, standards, control charts, and instrument-verification checks.
• Review analytical results against waste-acceptance criteria, treatment targets, client specifications, and applicable discharge, disposal, or reuse limits.
• Immediately escalate non-conforming results, unusual contamination profiles, and potential process or environmental risks to the Technical and Operations Lead.
• Support laboratory audits, facility inspections, regulatory reporting, and continuous improvement of laboratory testing and treatment-control procedures.
• Maintain a clean, orderly, and safe laboratory and field-sampling work environment.
• Ensure safe handling, storage, and disposal of chemicals, samples, hazardous materials, and laboratory wastes in accordance with approved procedures.
• Correctly use PPE and safely operate and maintain fume hoods, spill-response materials, and other laboratory safety equipment.
• Participate in emergency response activities and comply with company HSE requirements, risk controls, and waste-management procedures.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Analytical Chemistry, Industrial Chemistry, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Laboratory Technology, or a related discipline.
• Registration with a relevant professional body, where applicable.
• Minimum 3 years’ laboratory experience in an environmental, oil & gas, industrial wastewater, mining, extractives, or accredited testing laboratory.
• Experience handling drilling waste, drilling-fluid analysis, and hazardous-waste characterization will be an added advantage.
• Experience supporting NEMA, WRA, and environmental compliance monitoring will be an added advantage.
• Experience working under ISO/IEC 17025 laboratory quality systems will be an added advantage.
• Additional training in environmental monitoring, environmental laboratory analysis, and laboratory quality management systems is desirable.
• Strong knowledge of environmental monitoring programmes, drilling-waste management, hazardous-waste handling and classification, chemical handling and storage, laboratory safety, sampling and preservation techniques, and wastewater-treatment monitoring.
• Good understanding of environmental legislation and standards in Kenya, including applicable NEMA and WRA compliance requirements, and ISO 9001 and ISO/IEC 17025 principles.
• Practical experience in drilling-waste characterization, hydrocarbon analysis, metals analysis, wet chemistry, and environmental laboratory testing.
• Experience with GC-MS, GC-FID, AAS, or equivalent analytical techniques will be an added advantage.
• Experience with LIMS, chain-of-custody management, data validation, laboratory reporting, and technical documentation.
• Certifications or training in ISO/IEC 17025 Internal Auditing, HAZMAT Handling, Environmental Sampling, Occupational Health and Safety, First Aid, or HSE Risk Assessment will be an added advantage.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, scientific report-writing, and data interpretation skills.
• High level of attention to detail, integrity, confidentiality, and commitment to laboratory data quality.
• Good teamwork and communication skills, with the ability to coordinate effectively with Technical, Operations, HSE, Finance, and other project stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively within remote, fast-paced, and operationally demanding project environments while maintaining high standards of laboratory quality, safety, compliance, and technical integrity.