Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wastewater Program Analyst

🎯 Role Definition

The Wastewater Program Analyst will manage and optimize municipal or utility wastewater programs, ensuring regulatory compliance, data-driven decision making, and efficient program delivery. This role focuses on National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit support, pretreatment and industrial user oversight, sampling and lab data interpretation, reporting to regulatory agencies, and cross-functional project coordination with operations, engineering, laboratory, and external stakeholders.

Primary SEO / LLM keywords: wastewater, NPDES, pretreatment, industrial wastewater, sampling, monitoring, compliance, EPA, Clean Water Act, SCADA, GIS, laboratory QA/QC, data analysis, permit writing, pollutant limits.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Environmental Technician / Water Quality Technician
Wastewater Operator (Grade I–III)
Environmental Analyst or Compliance Specialist

Advancement To:

Senior Wastewater Program Analyst
Wastewater Program Manager / Compliance Manager
Environmental Compliance Director or Utility Operations Manager

Lateral Moves:

Pretreatment Program Coordinator / Industrial Pretreatment Specialist
Permit Writer / Regulatory Affairs Analyst

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead and manage the day-to-day administration of wastewater programs, including NPDES permit implementation, permittee tracking, compliance schedules, enforcement actions, and permit renewal preparations; ensure all activities align with the Clean Water Act and state water quality regulations.
Develop, maintain, and interpret wastewater monitoring programs (influent, effluent, sludge, biosolids, stormwater and industrial discharges), including sampling frequency, analyte lists, quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) procedures, and chain-of-custody documentation.
Collect, review and validate laboratory data and field monitoring results; perform statistical trend analysis, detection limit assessments, and outlier checks to confirm data integrity before regulatory submission.
Prepare, compile, and submit routine and special regulatory reports (e.g., DMRs, biosolids land application reports, pretreatment reports, quarterly/annual compliance summaries) to state agencies and the EPA using electronic reporting systems (e.g., NetDMR, eDMR, state portals).
Coordinate and perform industrial user inspections and sampling for pretreatment program enforcement; review industrial monitoring plans, categorical standards, and local limits; issue notices of violation and coordinate enforcement actions when necessary.
Evaluate permit limit compliance and develop permit early-warning notifications, corrective action plans, and compliance schedules in collaboration with operations, engineering, and legal teams.
Support development and revision of local limits, ordinances, and pretreatment program policies by researching pollutant fate, treatment effectiveness, and regulatory criteria; draft technical memoranda and ordinance language for legal and municipal adoption.
Conduct field inspections of wastewater collection systems, treatment facilities, lift stations, and industrial dischargers to verify operational practices, sampling locations, and implementation of compliance measures; document findings and recommend corrective actions.
Manage and analyze SCADA and process control data to detect operational issues that could affect permit compliance, effluent quality, or permit reporting; coordinate with operations and process engineers to recommend process optimization.
Maintain and administer wastewater program databases, GIS maps of sewer networks and sampling locations, and asset inventories; ensure data are structured for regulatory reporting, trend analysis, and public transparency.
Lead and participate in cross-functional capital and operations projects, providing regulatory input, permit coverage analysis, impact assessments, and coordinated stakeholder communication for construction, upgrades, or bypass events.
Develop and deliver training for operations staff, laboratory personnel, industrial users, and stakeholders on monitoring protocols, sampling techniques, pretreatment requirements, data entry, and emergency response procedures.
Review and provide technical guidance on sewer use permits, new industrial discharger applications, and site contamination assessments; evaluate proposed pretreatment systems, equalization, and on-site treatment strategies.
Manage special studies and pilot monitoring programs (toxicity testing, pollutant source tracking, biosolids characterization, inflow and infiltration studies), including study design, QA/QC, data interpretation, and final technical reporting.
Coordinate and respond to regulatory inspections, audits, and Notices of Violation; prepare corrective action plans, track implementation, and follow up to demonstrate resolution of non-compliance issues.
Serve as the technical lead for public meetings and interagency coordination on wastewater issues, communicating program status, compliance challenges, and proposed regulatory changes in clear, non-technical language.
Oversee contractor and consultant scopes of work for sampling, lab analysis, permit writing, modeling, and engineering services; review deliverables for technical accuracy and regulatory adequacy.
Conduct pollutant mass balance and loading calculations for sewer sheds, tributary dischargers, and industrial sources to support local limit development and allocation of loadings for planning studies.
Provide emergency response support and incident management coordination for spills, unauthorized discharges, or bypass events; ensure rapid sampling, reporting, and mitigation in accordance with regulatory requirements.
Maintain up-to-date knowledge of federal and state wastewater regulations, NPDES program developments, toxic control policies, and emerging contaminants; translate regulatory changes into actionable program updates.
Prepare and manage program budgets, grant proposals, and funding requests related to monitoring, laboratory upgrades, pretreatment initiatives, and compliance projects.
Lead community outreach and customer service efforts related to sewer use policy, industrial compliance expectations, and public information requests; respond to complaints and inquiries about effluent quality and sewer impacts.
Support odor investigations and nuisance complaint resolution through targeted sampling, source tracking, and coordination with maintenance and operations teams.
Create and refine standard operating procedures (SOPs) for field sampling, chain-of-custody, lab submission, and data management to ensure consistent program implementation and defensible regulatory documentation.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
Assist in GIS mapping updates and help maintain spatial datasets for permittees, outfalls, and monitoring stations.
Draft public-facing content and technical summaries for websites, newsletters, and regulatory transparency portals.
Provide back-up coverage for operations, lab coordination, and other environmental programs during staff shortages or peak workload periods.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

NPDES permit administration and reporting (DMR, NetDMR, eDMR) — demonstrated experience preparing and submitting regulatory reports and responding to permit-related inquiries.
Pretreatment program management, industrial user compliance evaluation, and categorical standard interpretation (40 CFR Part 403 familiarity).
Wastewater sampling methods and field QA/QC, including composite and grab sampling, chain-of-custody, and sample preservation techniques.
Proficiency with laboratory data review, QA/QC assessment, and basic environmental chemistry (BOD, TSS, TKN, ammonia, metals, nutrients, pH, conductivity).
Data analysis and visualization using Excel (advanced), SQL, Python (pandas) or R for trend analysis, load calculations, and compliance dashboards.
Experience with SCADA/HMI data interpretation and basic process control concepts relevant to wastewater treatment plants.
Geographic Information System (GIS) skills for mapping sewer networks, outfalls, and monitoring sites (ArcGIS, QGIS or similar).
Familiarity with environmental databases and utilities asset management systems (Maximo, Cartegraph, Cityworks or equivalent).
Knowledge of federal and state wastewater regulations, Clean Water Act provisions, toxicity testing standards, and stormwater/industrial discharge rules.
Permit writing and technical report preparation — ability to draft clear, defensible permit language, technical memos, and regulatory correspondence.
Statistical analysis skills, trend detection, and load allocation modeling used in local limit development and pollutant mass balance studies.
Experience coordinating third-party labs, reviewing chain-of-custody documentation, and resolving data quality issues.
Experience with odor investigations, nuisance source tracking, and incident response sampling plans.
Familiarity with sampling equipment and field instruments (multi-parameter probes, flow meters, automatic samplers).
Experience managing grants or regulatory funding for monitoring upgrades, lab improvements, or pilot projects.

Soft Skills

Strong written and verbal communication — able to translate technical wastewater concepts into plain language for stakeholders, municipal boards, and the public.
Project management and organizational skills — manage multiple permitting and compliance projects with competing deadlines.
Analytical thinking and problem-solving — synthesize lab and operational data to identify root causes and recommend corrective actions.
Interpersonal skills and stakeholder engagement — work effectively with operations, engineering, legal, industry representatives, and regulatory agencies.
Attention to detail and documentation rigor — maintain defensible records for audits, inspections, and legal proceedings.
Adaptability and continuous learning — stay current with evolving regulations, emerging contaminants, and treatment technologies.
Negotiation and conflict resolution — handle enforcement conversations and compliance negotiations with industrial users diplomatically.
Leadership and mentorship — provide guidance and training to junior staff, operators, and seasonal technicians.
Time management and prioritization — balance emergency response duties with routine program administration.
Ethical conduct and regulatory integrity — ensure transparency and fairness in enforcement and reporting.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

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

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in Environmental Engineering, Environmental Science, Public Administration with an environmental focus, or related discipline.
Professional certifications such as Certified Wastewater Operator (state-specific), Certified Industrial Pretreatment Professional (CIPP), CWEA certifications, or project management credentials (PMP) are advantageous.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Environmental Engineering
Environmental Science or Studies
Chemistry or Analytical Chemistry
Biology or Microbiology
Civil Engineering
Public Health or Environmental Policy

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–7 years of progressively responsible experience in wastewater monitoring, permitting, pretreatment, or environmental compliance.

Preferred:

4–6+ years of hands-on experience with NPDES permit administration, pretreatment program oversight, wastewater sampling, and regulatory reporting.
Demonstrated experience in municipal utilities or consulting environments that require cross-functional coordination between operations, laboratory, engineering, and regulatory stakeholders.