Apprentice - Utility Technician I

City of Charlotte; Charlotte (NC); On-site; USD 33,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

OSHA 10 certification

On-site gym

Wellness programs

Job summary

The City of Charlotte’s Water Department is seeking an apprentice to become a Utility Technician through a structured one-year program. It combines on-the-job training with classroom work to develop skills in the distribution and wastewater collection systems.

Upon completion, the apprentice will perform skilled tasks in construction, maintenance, and repair under supervision, with hands-on training across various shifts and environments to serve the community effectively.

Qualifications

• Valid North Carolina Driver's License is required.
• Must obtain City Drivers Permit.
• Must obtain Class A CDL permit within 6 months and tanker endorsement within 1 year.

Responsibilities

• Performs manual and semi-skilled tasks related to construction, repair and maintenance.
• Locates utilities on the job and digs out utilities manually or by machine.
• Interprets meter readings and performs routine safety inspections.
• Transports materials and equipment to job sites and sets up traffic control devices.
• Operates locators and tools including hydrants, air compressors, generators.
• Maintains vehicles and clean, safe work areas.
• Performs related work as required.

Skills

Operate power tools

Operate electronic locators

Safety awareness

Customer interaction

Tools

Jackhammers

Air compressors

Front-end loaders

Job description

Welcome to the City of Charlotte

Charlotte is America’s Queen City, opening her arms to a diverse and inclusive community of residents, businesses and visitors alike. Here you will find a safe, family-oriented city where people work together to help everyone thrive. The mission of the City of Charlotte is to deliver quality public services and promote the safety, health, and quality of life for all residents.

• Attracting and retaining a skilled and diverse workforce
• Valuing teamwork, openness, accountability, productivity, and employee development
• Providing all customers with courteous, responsive, accessible, and seamless quality services
• Taking initiative to identify, analyze, and solve problems
• Collaborating with stakeholders to make informed decisions

Department: Charlotte Water Department

Welcome to the City of Charlotte

Charlotte is America’s Queen City, opening her arms to a diverse and inclusive community of residents, businesses and visitors alike. Here you will find a safe, family-oriented city where people work together to help everyone thrive. The mission of the City of Charlotte is to deliver quality public services and promote the safety, health, and quality of life for all residents.

Our Guiding Principles Include

• Attracting and retaining a skilled and diverse workforce
• Valuing teamwork, openness, accountability, productivity, and employee development
• Providing all customers with courteous, responsive, accessible, and seamless quality services
• Taking initiative to identify, analyze, and solve problems
• Collaborating with stakeholders to make informed decisions

Summary

Charlotte’s local government, with more than 9,000 employees and a total budget of $4.49 billion budget, works hard to ensure that the community will be a winning city for everyone – a truly remarkable place to live, work, learn and play.

Charlotte Water is an enterprise department of the City of Charlotte and one of the largest public water and sewer service providers in the southeast with over 330,000 customer accounts and over 1300 employees. Our service area includes the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and the towns of Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, Mint Hill, Matthews, and Pineville. Charlotte Water’s FY 27 operating budget is $685.6 million and a five-year capital program of $2.5 billion.

Candidate Preparation Day

When: Tuesday, August 11, 2026

Where: NC Works 8601 McAlpine Park Dr. Charlotte, NC 28211

Time: 11:30AM - 1:30PM

Salary: $25.00

Work Schedule

• 1st Shift / Monday - Friday 7:00AM - 3:30PM
• 2nd Shift / Monday - Friday 3:00PM - 11:30PM
• On Call/Standby Shift - Hours will change for 1 week to 3:00PM - 11:00PM. On-call shift is every 6-8 weeks, and you must be available 24/7.

Job Summary

This is a one-year apprenticeship position with the goal of preparing the apprentice to be a Utility Technician and will include on-the-job training and classroom work. Upon completion of the one-year apprenticeship, the apprentice will perform various manual and semi-skilled tasks of average difficulty in construction, maintenance, and repair in the Charlotte Water Distribution and Wastewater Collection Systems.

Major Duties And Responsibilities

• Performs manual and semi-skilled tasks related to construction, repair and maintenance, cuts out streets and driveways, manually excavates, backfills and compacts excavated areas to facilitate repair.
• Locates utilities on the job, digs out utilities manually or by machine.
• Performs simple measurements; interprets meter readings, performs routine safety inspections.
• Receives parts and materials from warehouse personnel; interacts with utilities customers.
• Transports materials, tools, and equipment to and from job sites, sets up and removes warning signs and traffic control devices.
• Operates the following: electronic utility locators, hand and power tools, equipment such as jackhammers, tampers, fire hydrants, gas monitors, air compressors, pneumatic tools and generators.
• Based on a checklist, maintains utility vehicles in clean, operating condition.
• Maintains truck inventory, maintains clean and safe work area.
• Performs related work as required.

Minimum Qualifications

• Requires possession of a valid North Carolina Drivers’ License.
• Must obtain and maintain a City Drivers Permit
• Must obtain Class A commercial driver’s license (CDL) permit within 6 months, and license with tanker endorsement within 1 year.

Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Ability to operate power tools and operate small equipment;
• Ability to operate electronic locators, jackhammers, tampers, fire hydrants, front-end loaders, chainsaws, air compressors, generators, and other equipment;
• Knowledge on how to maintain truck inventory and safe work areas;
• Knowledge on how to set up jet/vac units and clean and unblock wastewater lines
• Ability to effectively interact with Charlotte Water customers

Physical Demands

Must be able to walk over rough terrain, jump ditches, and work in adverse conditions (hot and cold). Requires occasional lifting, up to 100 pounds and walking from 1 to 10 miles over various types of terrain. Requires working on noisy construction sites, residential areas and in high traffic areas.

Work Environment

Work is performed in an environment with heavy equipment and machinery that could result in bodily harm to co-workers or others. Requires working in confined spaces.

EMPLOYMENT TYPE

Full-time 40 hours with mandatory overtime

Program Benefits

Assigned mentor/trainer; workplace-ready certification, customized workshops, career pathing, OSHA – 10 certification, wellness programs, on-site gym

Additional Information

This job description is not intended to be and should not be construed as an inclusive list of all the responsibilities, skills, or working conditions associated with the position. While it is intended to accurately reflect the position, activities, and requirements, management reserves the right to modify, add, or remove duties and assign other duties at any time. This job description does not constitute a written or implied contract of employment.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the essential job functions satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary job functions described herein. Since every duty associated with this position may not be described herein, employees may be required to perform duties not specifically spelled out in the job description, but which may be reasonably considered to be incidental in the performing of their duties just as though they were written out in this job description.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

The City’s Background Check Policy requires background checks to be conducted on final internal or external candidate(s) applying for any position with the City of Charlotte. The type of information that will be collected as part of a background check includes, but is not limited to: reference checks, social security verification, education verification, criminal conviction record check, and, if applicable, a credit history check, sex offender registry and motor vehicle records check.

Background checks must be in compliance with all federal and state statutes, such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The checks must be consistent with the guidelines set forth by these laws requiring organizations to obtain a candidate’s written authorization before obtaining a criminal background report, motor vehicle records check or credit report; and to properly store and dispose of information derived from such reports.

Final candidates must pass a pre‑employment drug‑screening test and physical examination. During the selection process, candidates may be asked to take a skills test, and/or participate in other assessments.

The City of Charlotte is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, national origin, marital status, age, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliation or on the basis of actual or perceived gender as expressed through dress, appearance, or behavior.

Our culture is to serve the community honorably.

BENEEFITS

The City of Charlotte provides a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees.

The City of Charlotte is a drug and alcohol-free workplace.