Concrete and Soil Testing Lab Manager

Phasor Engineering Inc. (“Phasor”), a Quanta Services Company (“Quanta”), is a premier engineering services provider for the utility industry. Phasor’s diverse service capabilities span the spectrum of engineering including field data collection, FEED design, detailed design, fabrication of panels and buildings, to survey, testing, commissioning and energization. Phasor’s wealth of engineering expertise in the design of Transmission and Distribution Lines, Substations, Renewables (Solar, Wind and BESS), and Foundations coupled with Phasor’s in-house capabilities in data collection and Geomatics, makes Phasor a one-stop solution for comprehensive engineering solutions.

Phasor intends to set up and operate mobile concrete and soil lab testing facilities for its operations in the USA, more precisely to commence this endeavor by performing concrete and soil testing for one of Quanta’s major projects, a transmission line in Oregon and Idaho. Phasor is looking for a specialist capable of setting up and managing the respective testing facilities, from the position of Lab Manager.

This is a very rewarding position with a large degree of autonomy, which requires a very motivated and self-driven specialist.

The following requirements are mandatory:

• Professional engineer licensed in Oregon or Idaho, or licensed in another state and able to obtain a license in Oregon and Idaho, too
• Minimum five years’ experience in construction materials testing
• Good knowledge of ASTM E329, C1077, and D3740 (these three standards must be reviewed in detail by the applicants prior to applying)

Additionally, the following will be considered assets:

• Civil or geotechnical background
• Experience in testing/inspecting concrete and grout
• Experience in testing/inspecting soil and rock
• Good knowledge in some of the following (the more, the better):
• C31/C31M Practice for Making and Curing Concrete Test Specimens in the Field
• C39/C39M Test Method for Compressive Strength of Cylindrical Concrete Specimens
• C143/C143M Test Method for Slump of Hydraulic-Cement Concrete
• C172/C172M Practice for Sampling Freshly Mixed Concrete
• C231/C231M Test Method for Air Content of Freshly Mixed Concrete by the Pressure Method
• C1064/C1064M Test Method for Temperature of Freshly Mixed Hydraulic-Cement Concrete
• C1231/C1231M Practice for Use of Unbonded Caps in Determination of Compressive Strength of Hardened Cylindrical Concrete Specimens
• D75/D75M Practice for Sampling Aggregates
• ASTM D2487 Standard Practice for Classification of Soils for Engineering Purposes (Unified Soil Classification System)
• ASTM D2488 Standard Practice for Description and Identification of Soils (Visual-Manual Procedures)
• ASTM D6913 Standard Test Methods for Particle-Size Distribution (Gradation) of Soils Using Sieve Analysis
• ASTM D698 Standard Test Methods for Laboratory Compaction Characteristics of Soil Using Standard Effort (12,400 ft-lbf/ft3 (600 kN-m/m3))
• ASTM D4318 Standard Test Methods for Liquid Limit, Plastic Limit, and Plasticity Index of Soils
• ASTM D6938 Standard Test Methods for In-Place Density and Water Content of Soil and Soil-Aggregate by Nuclear Methods (Shallow Depth)
• AASHTO R18 Recommended Practice for Establishing and Implementing a Quality System for Construction Materials Testing Laboratories
• Good knowledge of AASHTO’s role and methods to accredit and maintain lab certifications in the USA
• Strong computer skills
• Knowledge of Quality Management Systems, specifically construction related
• Knowledge of typical construction project processes such as RFIs, Change Management, Field Instructions, NCRs, Walk-Down, Commissioning, Turnover, “As-Built” drawings
• Excellent administrative, planning, time management and organizational skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to be assertive in situations as required
• Ability to maintain traceability of many complex documents electronically
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and meet deadlines
• Ability to demonstrate sound judgment and maintain confidentiality when required
• Ability to be resourceful to troubleshoot and solve problems and issues as required

Reporting to Phasor’s Field Operations Manager, this position will start on a 5-2 shift that can be done remotely until the labs are set up and certified. There will be some travel required for purchasing and dressing the trailers, purchasing the tools and equipment, inspecting the labs at various phases and to witness some of the calibrations. A very important part of this phase will be writing the lab manuals and procedures and the other documents necessary for the AASHTO application, and recruiting the lab personnel.

Once the labs are certified and the testing operations commence, the shift may change to ensure proper coverage of the Lab Manager upon the lab activities in accordance with the requirements of ASTM E329, C1077, and D3740, and in accordance with the AASHTO requirements.

Each lab will have its Lab Supervisor, reporting to the Lab Manager. The Lab Supervisors must also meet the requirements of ASTM E329, C1077, D3740, and AASHTO, and may be recruited in advance of commencing the field operations to assist the Lab Manager in creating the manuals and procedures, and in the initial calibration, labelling, registering etc. of the various tools and devices needed for testing.

THIS ENDEAVOR STARTS FROM SCRATCH AND THE GOAL IS TO OBTAIN CERTIFICATION FOR ONE OR TWO LABS IN MAXIMUM ONE YEAR. PHASOR WILL CONSIDER ONLY CANDIDATES WHO MEET THE MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS AND WHO CAN DEMONSTRATE A STRONG COMMITMENT TOWARDS ACHIEVING THIS GOAL IN THE SHORTEST TIME POSSIBLE.

• Dental care
• Disability insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Extended health care
• Life insurance
• On-site gym
• On-site parking
• Paid time off
• 401k
• Vision care
• Wellness program