Distribution System Supervisor

H2O America; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 123,000 - 151,000; Full time

Job summary

San Jose Water Company in California is seeking a Distribution System Supervisor to lead crews responsible for operation, maintenance, construction, and repair of the water distribution system. You will ensure safe, reliable, and regulatory-compliant operations while developing staff and driving continuous improvement.

The role requires workforce planning, labor relations, and effective resource utilization to meet operational and financial goals; on-call and emergency response responsibilities

Qualifications

• An associate or bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience directing union employees.
• Must possess a California D1 Distribution Operator’s License and progress toward a D2 within one year.
• Must possess a valid California driver’s license and be willing to be on call for emergencies.
• Experience in water system inspection, field investigation, or pipeline construction.

Responsibilities

• Directly supervise field employees and contractors.
• Ensure safety rules and high standards of safety.
• Coach and develop employees; create development plans.
• Lead weekly team meetings and training as needed.
• Investigate safety incidents and regulatory compliance issues.
• Coordinate maintenance, emergency response, and field operations.

Skills

Leadership

Team development

Effective communication

Decision making

Change management

Collaboration

Education

Associate or bachelor’s degree

Tools

California D1/D2 License

Job description

Founded in 1866, San Jose Water Company is an investor owned water company headquartered in Silicon Valley. With a service area of 140 square miles, it is one of the largest and most technically sophisticated urban water system in the United States. We serve over 1 million people with high quality, life sustaining water, with an emphasis on exceptional customer service.

Job Title

Distribution System Supervisor

Type of Employment

Regular Full-Time Employee

Job Openings

2

Compensation Range

123,000.00 - 151,000.00

Compensation Type

Annual Salary

Founded in 1866, San Jose Water Company is an investor owned water company headquartered in Silicon Valley. With a service area of 140 square miles, it is one of the largest and most technically sophisticated urban water system in the United States. We serve over 1 million people with high quality, life sustaining water, with an emphasis on exceptional customer service.

Position Summary

The Distribution System Supervisor provides leadership, direction, and oversight for crews responsible for the operation, maintenance, construction, and repair of the water distribution system. The Supervisor ensures safe, reliable, and regulatory-compliant operations while developing employees, fostering a culture of accountability, employee engagement, and continuous improvement, and achieving operational, customer service, and financial objectives. The position is responsible for workforce planning, employee development, labor relations, emergency response, regulatory compliance, and the effective utilization of resources to support company goals.

Supervisor Responsibilities

• Directly supervises field employees, including Crew Leaders, Senior Utility Workers, Utility Workers, and/or contractors.
• Follows all safety rules and regulations and holds self and employees to highest standards with regards to safety.
• Coaches, mentors, and develops employees to build technical proficiency and leadership capability.
• Creates development plans and succession opportunities for employees.
• Conducts regular one-on-one meetings to provide feedback, recognition, and guidance.
• Promotes employee engagement and fosters a respectful, inclusive, and accountable work environment.
• Implements corrective action plans when performance or conduct expectations are not met.
• Ensures maintenance work, including preventative and corrective, is completed as scheduled and to quality expectations while monitoring compliance to standards and specifications.
• Regularly visits work sites to monitor operations and records in accordance with company policy.
• Identifies and reacts to complex field decisions, utilizing technical knowledge and experience to move forward quickly, considering cost, risk, safety, quality, and system impact.
• Effectively utilizes resources by monitoring crew and individual productivity. Ensures time is charged appropriately for each maintenance task while monitoring unit cost and productivity.
• Leads continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, customer service, productivity, and operating efficiency, encouraging employee participation in process improvement initiatives.
• Responsible for investigations related to safety incidents or work procedure errors within the department.
• Facilitates or leads weekly team meetings. Conducts training as needed.
• Takes action on Notice of Violation (NOV), and environmental compliance. Ensure compliance with all regulatory agency requirements.
• Creates or updates Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).
• Ensures asset data is accurately captured and maintained to support regulatory reporting, capital planning, lifecycle management, and operational decision-making .
• Proactively prepares for emergencies, supports company efforts during emergencies, communicates deficiencies in emergency response/preparedness, and resolves issues quickly and efficiently using the correct resources.
• Ensure customer concerns are addressed professionally, promptly, and in accordance with company standards.
• Balances operational priorities with customer service expectations and community impact.
• Process invoices weekly and on time in the month received.

Prepare written reports, budgets, and analyses as required.

On-call responsibilities as outlined in Standard Operating Procedures.

Ability to support on-site emergency response as needed including after hours, holidays and weekends.

Workforce Planning Responsibilities

• Crew staffing plans.
• Overtime management.
• Vacation scheduling.
• Succession planning.
• Training coordination.
• Contractor utilization.

Leadership Competencies

• Leadership and team development.
• Conflict resolution.
• Coaching and mentoring.
• Employee engagement.
• Employee accountability.
• Decision making.
• Change management.
• Effective communication.
• Collaboration and relationship building.
• Emotional intelligence.Labor relations.

Required Knowledge Skills & Abilities

• Good leadership ability. Understands how to motivate, develop, and direct teams as they work.
• Ability to understand, interpret, and communicate work procedures, work methods, standards, policies, and guidelines. Capabilities and limitations of various types of light and heavy construction equipment.
• Use and care of tools and equipment used in maintenance work and safety precautions pertaining to the work.
• Demonstrates the ability to perform effectively under deadlines and in emergencies.

Demonstrates skill in achieving cooperation from others to achieve a goal.

Ability to analyze costs and develop and implement improved work procedures.

Read and interpret plans, drawings and specifications.

Analyze service and maintenance problems and develop and implement effective solutions.

Use resourcefulness, initiative, and independent judgment, particularly in emergency situations.

Organize and prioritize work to meet varied and changing operational needs.

Utilize technology and current applications software programs.

Good written and oral communication skills.

Proactively works to develop collaborative relationship with union leadership.

Required Education And Experience

• An associate or bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience directing the work of union employees engaged in construction and maintenance activities, operation of transmission and distribution facilities and experience in water system inspection, field investigation, or construction of pipeline projects.
• Must possess a California D1 Distribution Operator’s License upon appointment, make satisfactory progress towards a California D2 Distribution Operator’s License within 6 months, and obtain a D2 within one year of appointment.

Other Requirements

• Must possess a valid California driver’s license and have a satisfactory driving record. Must be willing to be on call for emergency situations.

EEO Statement

Our company provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics.