Water Specialist
Edmonton, AB, Canada
Note: This profile provides a market aligned view of this job’s typical core requirements, informed by Korn Ferry’s Success Profile methodology, and will evolve over time.
Provides experienced support across diverse laboratory testing and sample analysis tasks. Produces reliable technical data that informs environmental and project outcomes. Applies GHD procedures, safety protocols, digital workflows and quality systems to maintain accurate and consistent outputs. Develops capability through broader task ownership, advanced equipment use and increased technical judgement.
Responsibilities
Responsibilities describe the typical accountabilities and scope of work for this job, while recognising that individual objectives are set with the manager and may vary over time.
- Care Quality (Healthcare): Conduct analysis using existing methodologies. Monitor and identify the effectiveness of corrective actions or continuous improvement initiatives.
- Data Collection and Analysis: Collate and analyze data using preset tools, methods, and formats. Involves working independently.
- Equipment Maintenance and Repair : Troubleshoot and diagnose equipment and systems for emergency repairs and carry out preventive maintenance inspections.
- Health Compliance: Independently compile and maintain current and accurate data for all healthcare providers that must be credentialed by regulatory bodies.
- Health, Safety, and Environment: Follow the organization's health, safety, and environment (HSE) policies, procedures, and mandatory instructions to identify and mitigate environmental risks and risks to the well-being of self and others in the workplace; instruct the team in safe working methods; identify instances of risky behaviors within the team and take appropriate action, escalating serious issues as appropriate.
- Improvement/Innovation: Identify shortcomings in existing processes, systems, and procedures, and use established change management programs to address them.
- Operating Machine or Equipment: Operate complex machines and systems, adjusting processes to optimize quality and productivity. Also responsible for generating solutions to complex inefficiencies.
- Operational Compliance: Identify, within the team, instances of noncompliance with the organization's policies and procedures and/or relevant regulatory codes and codes of conduct, reporting these instances and escalating issues as appropriate.
- Patient Care Services - Testing: Perform all aspects of standard testing within a specific technical discipline, including preparation, maintenance, and analysis. Involves working under general supervision and in coordination with other technologists and clinicians.
- Personal Capability Building: Develop own capabilities by participating in assessment and development planning activities as well as formal and informal training and coaching; gain or maintain external professional accreditation, where relevant, to improve performance and fulfill personal potential. Maintain an understanding of relevant technology, external regulation, and industry best practices through ongoing education, attending conferences, and reading specialist media.
- Solutions Analysis: Interpret data and identify possible answers. Involves navigating a wide variety of processes, procedures, and precedents.
Competencies
Competencies describe the observable behaviours that differentiate effective performance in this job and guide expectations, feedback, and development discussions.
- Communicates Effectively – Develops and delivers multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences. For example, seeks out others' perspectives and asks good questions. Shares information that people want to know; gives appropriate context and details when speaking.
- Decision Quality – Makes good and timely decisions that keep the organization moving forward. For example, knows when to act independently and when to escalate issues. Integrates various inputs, decision criteria, and trade-offs to make effective decisions. Typically makes good independent decisions.
- Ensures Accountability – Holds self and others accountable to meet commitments. For example, accepts responsibility for own work, both successes and failures. Handles fair share and does not make excuses for problems. Usually meets commitments to others.
- Manages Complexity – Makes sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems. For example, looks at complex issues from multiple angles; explores issues to uncover underlying issues and root causes; sees the main consequences and implications of different options.
- Optimizes Work Processes – Knows the most effective and efficient processes to get things done, with a focus on continuous improvement. For example, uses metrics and benchmarks to monitor accuracy and quality. Takes steps to make methods productive and efficient. Promptly and effectively addresses process breakdowns.
- Plans and Aligns – Plans and prioritizes work to meet commitments aligned with organizational goals. For example, outlines clear plans that put actions in a logical sequence; conveys some time frames. Aligns own work with relevant workgroups. Takes some steps to reduce bottlenecks and speed up the work.
Skills
Skills reflect the technical, professional, and functional capabilities required to perform the job effectively at the expected level, and guide assessment and development.
- Analytical Process Techniques – Works with full competence to apply appropriate analytical processes and procedures to support research schedules. Typically works without supervision and may provide technical guidance.
- Compliance and Regulatory Principles - Healthcare – Works with full competence to maintain awareness of and adhere to healthcare regulations and guidelines to ensure the quality, safety, and efficacy of healthcare products and services within the quality assurance process. Typically works without supervision and may provide technical guidance.
- Data Collection and Analysis – Works with full competence to determine and analyze trends from data that is collected to assist in compiling reports that will help in decision-making. Typically works without supervision and may provide technical guidance.
- Data Collection and Analysis - Healthcare – Works with full competence to gather, manage, and analyze healthcare data to enhance patient outcomes and operational efficiency. Typically works without supervision and may provide technical guidance.
- Data Control – Works with full competence to acquire, organize, protect and process data in order to fulfill business objectives. Typically works without supervision and may provide technical guidance.
- Data Conversion – Works with full competence to use data conversion tools and techniques to encode data in various formats. Typically works without supervision and may provide technical guidance.
- Data Interpretation – Works with full competence to interpret data by examining patterns, trends, relationships, and implications to draw meaningful conclusions and answer critical questions. Typically works without supervision and may provide technical guidance.
- Database Reporting – Works with full competence to use database reporting tools and techniques. Typically works without supervision and may provide technical guidance.
- Health and Safety – Works with full competence to manage and apply safe systems of work. Typically works without supervision and may provide technical guidance.
- Information Privacy and Security – Works with full competence to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information. Typically works without supervision and may provide technical guidance.
- Information Retrieval and Searching – Works with full competence to utilize systems and tools required to search for new data or retrieve existing data in a database. Typically works without supervision and may provide technical guidance.
- Perform Gap Analysis – Works with full competence to conduct gap analysis between current and future states to identify components of the overall change strategy. Typically works without supervision and may provide technical guidance.
- Policy and Regulation – Works with full competence to interpret and apply knowledge of laws, regulations and policies in area of expertise. Typically works without supervision and may provide technical guidance.
- Research Methods – Works with full competence to apply appropriate method, tools, processes and software to execute research activities. Typically works without supervision and may provide technical guidance.
- Review and Reporting – Works with full competence to create reports, and review reports created by others, for various audiences as relevant, in a lucid and effective manner, keeping in mind the purpose of reports. Typically works without supervision and may provide technical guidance.
Education
- Short-Cycle Tertiary Education
Experience
- General Experience: Experienced practitioner able to work unsupervised (13 months to 3 years)
- Managerial Experience: Basic experience of coordinating the work of others (4 to 6 months)
