Water Treatment QA/QC Manager at Texas Pacific Land Corporation – Midland, Texas

The Water Treatment QA/QC Manager is responsible for developing, implementing, and overseeing the analytical and compliance program for a first-of-its-kind water treatment facility that aims to desalinate oilfield produced water for irrigation and surface water discharge in the state of Texas. This role ensures that all treated water meets the requirements of the Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (TPDES) permit for surface water discharge, and the (TLAP) Texas Land Application Permit.

This position will establish on-site laboratory capabilities, coordinate monthly sample collection, ensure valid and defensible data, manage internal QA/QC programs, and review all regulatory reporting prior to submission to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). The QA/QC Manager will work in a hybrid capacity between Midland, TX and the remote treatment site in Orla, TX.

Key Responsibilities

Regulatory Compliance & Reporting

• Lead all activities necessary to maintain compliance with the facility’s TPDES surface water discharge permit.
• Oversee monitoring of all required water quality parameters, including:
• TSS, BOD/COD, pH, temperature
• TDS, salinity, conductivity
• Chlorides, ammonia/nutrients
• Oil & grease
• Metals and VOCs
• Turbidity, flow, and other permit-specified metrics
• Coordinate monthly compliance sampling and shipment of samples to an accredited third-party laboratory for required TPDES analyses and Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET) testing.
• Review all analytical results, verify data quality, and prepare compliance packages for submission.
• Provide final QA/QC review of monthly Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMRs) before they are submitted to TCEQ.

Analytical Program Development

• Design and implement the facility’s internal analytical program and QA/QC framework.
• Determine the suite of instruments needed for the on-site laboratory to support day-to-day compliance monitoring.
• Develop SOPs for sampling, testing, chain of custody, data recording, and laboratory QA/QC.
• Establish quality standards, data validation protocols, and corrective action processes.

Laboratory & Team Management

• Manage an on-site chemist and several chemistry & sample technicians.
• Provide technical guidance, training, and performance oversight.
• Ensure all internal testing adheres to proper QA/QC, method validation, and documentation practices.
• Ensure calibration and maintenance are performed on a defined regular basis and review performance logs for all analytical equipment.

Operations Support

• Collaborate with operations teams to diagnose water quality issues affecting freeze- desalination, reverse osmosis, GAC polishing, or upstream processes.
• Support troubleshooting of compliance-related upsets and implement action plans to restore permit compliance.
• Work with the regulatory agency to complete any root cause analysis that are required for compliance purposes.
• Assist in R&D optimization of treatment processes through analytical insights.

Site & Travel Requirements

• Travel weekly to the Orla, TX treatment site.
• Respond to occasional night or weekend emergencies once the facility transitions to 24/7 operations.
• Drive a company-provided truck using a company fuel card.

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Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, or related field.
• Direct experience with TCEQ regulations, TPDES/NPDES permitting, and regulatory reporting (DMRs, QA/QC packages, etc.).
• Strong background in water quality testing, analytical methods, and data validation.
• Experience writing technical reports containing analytical results and regulatory interpretations.
• Familiarity with laboratory QA/QC programs, sampling protocols, and method development/validation.
• Ability to manage laboratory staff and coordinate work with operations teams.
• Willingness to work at a remote site and travel regularly.

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Preferred Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in industrial or municipal water treatment QA/QC.
• Experience with metals & VOC analysis, WET testing coordination, and advanced instrumentation selection.
• Background in complex, multi-stage water treatment/desalination systems (e.g., RO, media filtration, advanced oxidation, etc).
• Experience developing or managing small laboratories in resource-limited environments.
• General knowledge of produced water or other high salinity brines.

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Physical & Environmental Expectations

• Ability to work in a remote West Texas environment with variable climate conditions.
• Ability to perform but most oversee field sampling and laboratory tasks including lifting sample containers (up to ~40 lbs), climbing stairs, and working near industrial equipment.
• Standing, stooping, climbing, walking, writing & lifting