Operations & Maintenance Management Professional Senior

County of Santa Barbara; California (MO); On-site; USD 99,000 - 126,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Retirement reciprocity

Advanced vacation accrual rate

Job summary

County of Santa Barbara invites applications for a full-time Operations & Maintenance Management Professional Senior at the Tajiguas Landfill near Gaviota, CA. The position oversees complex administrative and analytical duties related to operations, budgets, and policy studies with broad public impact.

The ideal candidate will provide senior staff support, supervise teams, and coordinate with engineers, regulators, and contractors.

Qualifications

• Equivalent of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university in renewable energy technology, engineering, environmental science, biological sciences, chemistry, microbiology, environmental engineering, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, or a closely related field; and,

Responsibilities

• Prepare, review and analyze reports for organizational, operational, and budgetary functions.
• Lead and oversee projects and programs with county departments and community.
• Coordinate with operations, maintenance, engineering, contractors, and regulators on digester and environmental projects.
• Respond to after-hours alarms and emergencies while maintaining accurate documentation.

Skills

Leadership

Regulatory compliance

Data analysis

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related field

Tools

SCADA software

Job description

Notice of Change: This recruitment's deadline is open until filled, first review of applications on 8/26/26 at 4:59 PM.

Salary: $99,071 - $126,440 Annually

The Public Works Department is accepting applications to fill one (1) full-time Operations & Maintenance Management Professional Senior vacancy at the Anaerobic Digestion Facility located at the Tajiguas Landfill located near Gaviota, California.

Important: This position is located near Gaviota, California. To be considered for this vacancy, please select "Santa Barbara" as your preferred work location on the application, as Gaviota is not listed. Please select which vacancy location(s) you would like to be considered for current and future vacancies on your application. If you qualify for this position and pass the required selection steps your name will be sent to the hiring manager(s) of the vacancy location(s) where you have expressed that you are willing to work.

THE POSITION:

Under general direction, performs difficult and complex administrative/analytical functions related to the preparation, review and analysis of a variety of functions pertaining to organizational, operational, and/or budgetary operations within County government and departments; policy and procedure studies in support of assigned department(s) and/or job family; functions as subject matter expert in specific areas of assigned duties; plans, directs, and oversees projects and programs with others in the County and the community; provides advanced level staff assistance to management staff and executives; and performs other duties as assigned.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

This is the third (advanced journey) level in the Management Professional job family. This class is distinguished from subordinate classes within the series by the greater level of responsibility assumed, complexity of duties assigned, independence of action taken, and by the nature, impact, and scope of the public contact. Incumbents in this job class perform the most difficult and responsible types of duties assigned to classes within this series. Incumbents at this level are required to be fully trained in all policies, procedures, and operations related to assigned areas of responsibility.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED

Reports to a higher-level manager or may report to an executive. Oversees the work of a team or teams of individual contributors through subordinate managers. May exercise direct and indirect supervision over assigned management, professional, technical, and administrative staff.

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT

The County's Public Works Department employees are committed to efficiently providing, operating and maintaining public works infrastructure,facilities and services to make everyday life as safe and convenient as possible for the public we serve. The Department is comprised of six Divisions: Administration, Resource Recovery & Waste Management, Surveyor's Office, Transportation, Laguna County Sanitation District and Water Resources/Flood Control District. To learn more about the Public Works Department, please visit: https://www.countyofsb.org/pwd/

BENEFITS

For more information on County benefits, please visit here. In addition, applicants from other public sector employers may qualify for:

• Retirement reciprocity
• Time and service credit towards an advanced vacation accrual rate

The Ideal Candidate possesses:

• Experience preparing reports for regulatory agencies such as CalRecycle and the Local Enforcement Agency, Air Pollution Control District, Certified Unified Program Agencies including reporting on Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) trends, emergency events, hazardous waste screening outcomes, odor management measures, and compliance documentation.
• Solution and customer service-oriented mindset with the ability to support operators, maintenance staff, engineering teams, contractors, regulatory partners, and the public.
• Experience working in a public sector, municipality or special district with familiarity in solid waste, landfill, digestion, composting, wastewater, or environmental compliance operation.
• Ability to lead and effectively manage multiple situations occurring simultaneously such as equipment failures, alarm events, routine digester purging, and construction-related operational impacts.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills including the ability to produce clear reports, operating procedures, emergency documentation, project updates, maintenance logs, performance metrics, and stakeholder communications.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with operations/maintenance staff, engineers, regulatory inspectors, contractors, consultants, and diverse people and personalities.
• Strong understanding of best practices in performance management including use of SCADA data analytics, predictive maintenance indicators, monitoring of operational KPIs (biogas output, digester temperature and pressure, compost quality metrics), and continual evaluation of system reliability and staff performance.

Examples of Duties

These examples are not intended to reflect all duties performed within the job and not all duties listed are necessarily performed by each individual.

• Monitor and operate the CADA system to track anaerobic digester, gas collection, and power generation operations. Respond to system alarms, review camera feeds, and monitor equipment performance to ensure safe, efficient, and compliant facility operations.
• Analyze operational data including biogas quality, digester throughput, contamination rates, odor control system performance, energy generation output, percolate system efficiency, and compost processing metrics to identify trends, forecast loading, and recommend optimization.
• Work with engineering technicians to troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, automation, and process control issues across the facility’s critical systems (digesters, percolate pumps, blowers, valves, CHP engines, flare, compressors, activated carbon vessels, roof equipment, aeration piping). Investigate operational problems and implement corrective actions to maintain continuous facility operations.
• Coordinate with operations staff, maintenance teams, contractors, compliance and engineering personnel, utility providers, and regulatory agencies on issues related to biogas treatment, power generation, odor management, vector control, equipment repair, and compliance monitoring.
• Respond to after-hours alarms and operational emergencies, document activities, and provide information to support seamless transitions between shifts.
• Assist with monitoring operational budgets, maintenance planning, repair prioritization, service contract oversight, procurement coordination, and cost-benefit analyses related to equipment replacement, odor control upgrades, and facility improvements.
• Recommend and implement process improvements that enhance operational efficiency, equipment reliability, odor and vector management, regulatory compliance, and overall facility and system stability.

Education and Experience

The knowledge, skills, and abilities listed below may be acquired through various types of training, education, and experience. A typical way to acquire the required knowledge and abilities would be:

• Equivalent of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university in renewable energy technology, engineering, environmental science, biological sciences, chemistry, microbiology, environmental engineering, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, or a closely related field; and,
• Four (4) years of progressively responsible experience involving planning, analysis, coordination, and evaluation of industrial or utility process operations, including biological treatment systems, anaerobic digestion, biogas systems, wastewater treatment, solid waste processing, renewable natural gas production, or other closely related process facilities.

Licenses and Certificates

For specific positions, possession and maintenance of a valid California driver’s license and the ability to meet automobile insurability requirements of the County or the ability to provide suitable transportation needs as a condition of continued employment.

Knowledge of:

• Principles and practices of leadership, motivation, teambuilding and conflict resolution.
• Public-sector operations including budgeting, procurement, contract oversight, and regulatory compliance related to solid waste, anaerobic digestion, composting, and environmental health.
• Pertinent local, state, and federal laws, guidelines, regulations, and statutes such as CalRecycle digestion and composting standards, APCD permit conditions, stormwater requirements, and hazardous waste screening protocols.
• Principles and practices of public finance, budgeting, and fiscal control.
• Operational best practices for process monitoring, SCADA systems, maintenance planning, safety procedures, and performance tracking.
• Standard research techniques, data collection, and analytical techniques to evaluate workflows, system performance, and operational trends.
• Modern office and reporting tools, including word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and digital record-keeping systems.
• English usage, spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

Ability to

• Interpret, analyze, and summarize technical and regulatory information including SCADA data, operational reports, budgets, maintenance logs, and compliance documentation.
• Compose, coordinate, and edit a variety of educational, informational, and promotional materials for dissemination and use by the County, other agencies, news media, and the general public.
• Apply the principles and practices of motivation, teambuilding and conflict resolution with staff and maintain effective working relationships with diverse stakeholders.
• Identify operational issues, evaluate alternatives, and recommend data-driven solutions that support safety, regulatory compliance, and system reliability.
• Interpret and apply pertinent local, state, and federal laws and regulations.
• Exercise sound judgment and problem-solving during routine operations and unexpected situations, including equipment failures, alarm events, and emergency condition.
• Organize work, manage multiple priorities simultaneously, and adapt to evolving conditions or ambiguity in a complex facility environment.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing with technical staff, leadership, regulators, and the public, including delivering presentations and explaining complex processes clearly.

• Analyze systems and administrative and management practices and identify opportunities for improvement.

May be required to work a varied schedule of hours, which may include evenings, weekends, and holidays.

Supplemental Information

1. Review applications and supplemental questionnaires to determine those applicants who meet the employment standards.
2. Supplemental Questionnaire Ranking: Response s to the required supplemental questionnaire will be evaluated and scored. Candidates' final score and rank on the eligibility list will be determined by their responses to the supplemental questionnaire. This process may be eliminated if there are fewer than 11 qualified candidates.

Candidates must receive a percentage score of at least 70 on the Supplemental Questionnaire Ranking assessment to be placed on an employment list. An adjustment may be made to raw scores based on factors listed in Civil Service Rule VI. Those candidates who are successful in the selection process will have their names placed on the employment list for a minimum of three months. At the time the employment list is established, all candidates will receive an email notice of their score on the exam(s), rank on the employment list, and exact duration of the employment list.

Conditional Job Offer: Once a conditional offer of employment has been made, candidates will be required to successfully complete a background check, which includes a conviction history check, and satisfactory reference checks. Appointee may be subject to a post-offer medical evaluation or examination. The appointee must satisfactorily complete a one-year probationary period.

Recruiters will communicate with applicants by e-mail during each step in the recruitment process. Applicants are reminded to check spam filters continuously during the Recruitment & Selection Process steps listed above to ensure they do not miss required deadlines.

Disaster Service Worker: Pursuant to Governmental code section 3100, all employees with the County of Santa Barbara are declared to be disaster service workers subject to such disaster service. Activities as may be assigned to them by their superiors or by law.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS: The County of Santa Barbara is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants. Qualified individuals with disabilities who need reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process should contact the recruiter listed on the job posting. We require verification of needed accommodation from a professional source, such a Medical Provider or a learning institution.

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Statement The County of Santa Barbara provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants and prohibits discrimination, harassment, and retaliation of any type with regard to any characteristic or status protected by any federal law, state