Materials Lab Specialist

Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) is recruiting for an Inspection, Training and Accreditation Specialist
. This position serves as a Materials Laboratory Specialist within the Materials Bureau’s Inspection Operations Section. This position is responsible for statewide laboratory inspections and laboratory compliance oversite. This position is responsible for maintaining MDT’s central laboratory federally mandated AASHTO-Resource (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) and CCRL (Cement and Concrete Reference Laboratory) accreditation. This includes managing the central laboratory QMS (quality management system).

This position manages the statewide Independent Assurance Program. This position manages Materials e-learning/testing system. This position assists in delivery of the WAQTC (Western Alliance for Quality Transportation Construction) training and certification program. This includes providing WAQTC training courses, remotely and in person, and administering and proctoring written and performance evaluation of internal and external applicants. This position assists in developing testing methods, standards, procedures, and technologies in conjunction with AASHTO, WAQTC, and other regional and national authorities.

The position also performs a variety of other duties as assigned. The Materials Laboratory Specialist reports to the Inspection Operations Supervisor.

For a full job description, please contact Morgan Stibi at mstibi.

• Culture of public service and a commitment to work/life balance
• Potential hybrid remote work arrangement available
• Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Access to Montana Health Centers, low-cost clinics for state employees and their families
• State Retirement plan and additional savings opportunities (deferred compensation)
• Employees in this position receive overtime compensation or compensatory time for all time in a pay status over 40 hours in a workweek
• Paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays
• Eligibility for Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness
• Benefits apply on the first day of employment
• Relocation assistance may be offered to the successful candidate at the time of offer

For information on the Montana Department of Transportation’s mission, vision, and values, please visit our website: https://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below).#values

• The required knowledge and skills are typically acquired through a combination of education and experience equivalent to Bachelor’s Degree in highway construction related field, engineering, physical science, or computer science, or a related field.
• Graduate degrees will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
• This position requires a minimum of 2 years of experience in materials testing or laboratory oversite.
• Certifications, licensure, or other credentials include:
  The successful candidate must possess all required WAQTC certifications within 6 months of hiring. The successful candidate must demonstrate proficiency in training through 80% positive feedback received as part of WAQTC program delivery within the first year.
• Alternative qualifications include:
  Any combination of additional related work experience and education equivalent to the minimum qualifications.

• This position requires extensive knowledge of the principles and practices of materials inspection, sampling, testing, and analysis techniques, properties and characteristics of a variety of materials, new and established sampling and laboratory testing protocols and procedures, state, federal, AASHTO, FHWA, ASTM, and WAQTC testing standards, methods and techniques of highway construction.
• Extensive knowledge of various site-specific characteristics and their potential effects on construction projects (e.g., soils, temperature, weather conditions, gradations, segregation, stability, flows, additives, absorption rates, etc.), and safety practices and procedures.
• This position further requires skill in operating a variety of sampling and testing equipment (e.g., gyratory compaction device, nuclear gauges), operations of monitoring…