CHIEF HYDROELECTRIC PLANT OPERATOR

State of California; California (MO); On-site; USD 114,000 - 152,000; Full time

Job summary

State of California is seeking a CHIEF HYDROELECTRIC PLANT OPERATOR to oversee planning and scheduling for hydroelectric plants and related facilities in Pearblossom, CA. The role requires supervising a multi-disciplinary team and ensuring safe, efficient operations across dams, pumps, canals, and infrastructure.

This permanent, full-time position offers a non-telework office-based work location within the Department of Water Resources and involves collaboration with engineers, maintenance

Qualifications

• Experience with electrical, mechanical, or operations work in hydroelectric pumping and generating facilities.
• Experience with project management.
• Knowledge of safety policies, procedures, regulations, and guidelines.
• Strong leadership skills with supervisor/leadperson experience.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Experience with SAP (or similar) and planning and scheduling processes.
• Be reliable, punctual and have good work ethic.
• Interpersonal skills: ability to work independently and in team.
• Ability to be accountable.

Responsibilities

• Oversees planning, organizing, and scheduling of maintenance and construction activities at hydroelectric plants and facilities.
• Supervises multi-disciplinary trades and crafts within the planning and scheduling team.
• Ensures safety policies, procedures, and regulations are followed.
• Collaborates with the Lead Planner Scheduler and other departments to coordinate work.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Safety policies

Communication skills

SAP experience

Technical knowledge

Tools

SAP or similar

Job description

Job Posting:CHIEF HYDROELECTRIC PLANT OPERATOR (00106461)

Department of Water Resources

JC-530840 -

JC-530840 - CHIEF HYDROELECTRIC PLANT OPERATOR (00106461)
CHIEF HYDROELECTRIC PLANT OPERATOR

$10,198.00 - $13,654.00 per Month
New to State candidates will be hired into the minimum salary of the classification or minimum of alternate range when applicable.

Final Filing Date: 9/21/2026

Job Description and Duties

This is a non-telework position located in Pearblossom, California.

Under direction of the Lead Planner Scheduler, as a supervisor, the incumbent directly oversees all activities of a multi-disciplinary trades and crafts of planning and scheduling team.These activities include the planning, organizing, and scheduling of routine and major maintenance and construction activities at hydroelectric generating and pumping plants and facilities, including aqueducts, reservoirs, canals, pipelines, dams, spillways, checks sites, roadways, tunnels, and other such civil features.

You will find additional information about the job in the Duty Statement .

Minimum Requirements

You will find the Minimum Requirements in the Class Specification.

• CHIEF HYDROELECTRIC PLANT OPERATOR
• HYDROELECTRIC PLANT ELECTRICAL SUPERVISOR
• HYDROELECTRIC PLANT MECHANICAL SUPERVISOR

CHIEF HYDROELECTRIC PLANT OPERATOR (00106461)

Classification:

CHIEF HYDROELECTRIC PLANT OPERATOR $10,198.00 - $13,654.00 New to State candidates will be hired into the minimum salary of the classification or minimum of alternate range when applicable.

Shall Consider:

HYDROELECTRIC PLANT MECHANICAL SUPERVISOR

$10,198.00 - $13,654.00

HYDROELECTRIC PLANT ELECTRICAL SUPERVISOR

$10,198.00 - $13,654.00

# of Positions:

1

Work Location:

Telework:

In Office

Job Type:

Permanent, Full Time

Department Information

Division of Operations and Maintenance, Southern Field Division, Planning and Scheduling Branch, Pearblossom

Department of Water Resources (DWR) was established in 1956 by the California State Legislature.We manage California’s water resources, systems, and infrastructure, including the State Water Project, in a responsible sustainable way.

At DWR, we are embedding climate change response into every project we undertake. We have set standards to help evaluate how each project incorporates climate resilience principles and ensure consistency across the Department. Our mission is to sustainably manage the water resources of California, in cooperation with other agencies, to benefit the state’s people and protect, restore, and enhance the natural and human environments.

DWR also strives to create a trusting and welcoming workplace where employees embrace diverse viewpoints and treat each other with civility and respect. An important component of DWR’s equal employment opportunity program centers around justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Free virtual career consultation services including one-on-one DWR career consultations, application/resume review, tips for applying, and mock interviews, provided by DWR’s Recruitment and Workforce Planning section can now be scheduled via https://water.ca.gov/About/Careers.

Special Requirements

Must have a valid California Class C license as incumbent will be required to operate automotive vehicles on public roadways, travel to remote areas within the field division is necessary to perform the requirements of this position.

Under the provisions of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation Critical Infrastructure Protection Standard CIP-004 as part of the Energy Policy of 2005, this position has authorized cyber access to, and/or unescorted physical access around, critical cyber assets and is subject to a satisfactory background check prior to appointment and every seven years thereafter.

Desirable Qualifications

In addition to evaluating each candidate's relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate:

• Experience with electrical, mechanical, or operations work in hydroelectric pumping and generating facilities
• Experience with project management
• Knowledge and experience with safety policies, procedures, regulations, and guidelines
• Strong Leadership skills with Supervisor/Leadperson experience
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Experience and knowledge of SAP (or similar) and planning and scheduling processes
• Proficient in the use of various computer word processing, spreadsheet, and database applications and be willing to learn new technological tools and to incorporate them in daily tasks.
• Be reliable, punctual, and work a fixed schedule
• Be self-motivated and have good work ethic
• Interpersonal skills: The ability to work independently, as well as cooperatively and productively, in a team atmosphere with colleagues having different disciplinary backgrounds
• Demonstrate the ability to be accountable.

Click here to read about the outstanding benefits offered to eligible employees

Personal Leave Program 2025: Effective July 1, 2025, state employees are subject to temporary wage reductions in exchange for Personal Leave Program (PLP) accruals. The specific rate and hours earned were negotiated and agreed upon by each bargaining unit.The actual monetary impact of these temporary reductions can vary based on your bargaining unit and/or federal and state tax withholdings. For additional information please visit Human Resources Manual - CalHR

Contact Information

The Hiring Unit Contact is available to answer questions regarding the position or application process.

Please direct requests for Reasonable Accommodations to the interview scheduler at the time the interview is being scheduled.You may direct any additional questions regarding Reasonable Accommodations or Equal Employment Opportunity for this position(s)to the Department's EEO Office.

EEO Contact:
Office of Civil Rights
[phone]
[e-mail]

California Relay Service: 1-800-735-2929 (TTY), 1-800-735-2922 (Voice)TTY is a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf, and is reachable only from phones equipped with a TTY Device.

Special Instructions

To be considered, submit a completed State application (STD. 678) and resume. Please reference SAP Position # 50002567 and Job Control # JC-530840 the “examination(s) or job title(s) for which you are applying” section of your application.

The following basis of eligibility will be considered: List eligibility, transfer, LEAP, reinstatement, and SROA/Surplus.

Resumes,cover letters, and/or other attachments will not be accepted in lieu of a completed application. The hiring unit will receive only the documents specified in the Required Application Package Documents section.

For more information about the State hiring process, click here . To learn more about how to get a State job, click here .

List eligibility can be established by taking and passing the examination/assessment.

Click the examination(s)/assessment(s) information link:

The State of California is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

It is an objective of the State of California to achieve a drug-free work place. Any applicant for state employment will be expected to behave in accordance with this objective because the use of illegal drugs is inconsistent with the law of the State, the rules governing Civil Service, and the special trust placed in public servants.