Water Treatment Facilities Program and Operations Manager

City-of-Richmond,-Va; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 95,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

City of Richmond, VA is seeking a Treatment Facility Program and Operations Manager to direct daily water treatment plant operations and staff, ensuring compliance with VDH, SDWA, and other regulations. The role reports to the Deputy Director of Water Services and focuses on normalizing plant operations in a post-pandemic environment.

The incumbent will lead a team, monitor procedures, manage complex projects, and maintain effective communication with regulators and the public.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering or related field.
• Six years of professional experience in water and wastewater engineering, particularly in wastewater treatment plant operations.
• Two years of supervisory experience.
• Equivalent combination of training and experience may be used to meet qualifications.

Responsibilities

• Manage water treatment plant activities and functions to protect health and safety; provide leadership and guidance; ensure compliance with regulations.
• Monitor operations to ensure procedures are followed; initiate actions to correct violations and problems.
• Oversee implementation of complex projects; align resources and develop strategies; encourage effective communication protocols.
• Delegate and mentor staff on major treatment processes.
• Identify repairs and upgrade requirements; oversee projects; compile data and generate reports.
• Manage regulatory reporting; respond to incidents; coordinate with state and regional agencies.
• Support public relations by interacting with citizens and City staff; promote City goals and values.
• Lead staff to increase efficiency of water treatment systems and prioritize resources.

Skills

Treatment plant operations

Regulatory compliance

Staff leadership

Project management

Communication skills

Contract management

Microsoft Office

Technical writing

Education

Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

The Treatment Facility Program and Operations Manager is directly responsible for managing the daily operations and all treatment staff at the water treatment plant to ensure compliance with VDH, regulatory procedures and reporting practices. Treatment plant program and operations manager monitors federal, state, and local regulations and environmental guidelines and creates and updates water treatment procedures to adhere to those regulations. This position will report to the Deputy Department Director, Senior of Water Services, and have a significant role in helping to normalize plant operations in a post-pandemic environment.

Incumbents serve as an Essential employee, which means that the incumbent is required to work when the City is closed due to public emergencies, critical or hazardous conditions, or inclement weather.

• Manages water treatment plant activities and functions to protect the health and safety of the citizens and the environment; provides leadership, direction, and guidance to assure effective water treatment; assures compliance with state and Federal environmental and water quality regulations and standards, and City policies, procedures, and goals.
• Monitors operations to assure that operating procedures are followed; initiates actions required to correct environmental and safety violations, and potential problems.
• Overseeing implementation of complex projects, including aligning resources, developing design and construction strategies, and encouraging effective communication protocols
• Delegating and mentoring both technical and administrative duties to treatment staff, particularly on major and intricate treatment processes
• Identifies repairs and upgrade requirements; oversees special projects; compiles data and generates operational reports; assures effective communication of trends and issues.
• Manages regulatory agency reporting; responds to critical incidents and takes command when appropriate; coordinates plan and resolves issues with other state and regional agencies.
• Supports the relationship between the City and the general public by demonstrating courteous and cooperative behavior when interacting with citizens, visitors, and City staff; promotes the City goals and priorities, vision, values and complies with all City policies and procedures.
• Leads staff to increase the efficiency of the Water treatment systems, reviews progress of projects and work assignments, and assists staff in prioritizing, organizing, and allocating resources.

MINIMUM TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering or related field.
• Six years of professional experience in water and wastewater engineering, particularly in wastewater treatment plant operations.
• Two years of supervisory experience
• An equivalent combination of training and experience (as approved by the department) may be used to meet the minimum qualifications of the classification.

LICENSING, CERTIFICATIONS, and/or OTHER SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Must possess a Class I Virginia Operators License in water treatment issued through the Virginia Board of Certification of Water and Wastewater Works Operators.
• Requires a valid Driver's License or a valid Commonwealth of Virginia Driver's License within 30 days of hire.
• PE license is a plus.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

TYPICAL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES: These are a representative sample; position assignments may vary.

• Treatment plant operational policies, procedures, and training
• Federal laws such as the VDH and Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)
• State and Federal environmental inspection, documentation, and reporting protocols
• Contract management and interdisciplinary team coordination for intricate infrastructure projects
• Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and Department of Health audits of wastewater and drinking water systems, respectively.
• Process control and facility maintenance strategies.

Skills (some combination of the following):

• Computer programs such as Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook)
• Presentations, both creating and presenting
• Written and verbal communication
• Cognitive reasoning
• Team building
• Public speaking
• Interpersonal communication
• Robust communication and technical writing skills.
• Adeptness in drafting contract documents for intricate water and sewer projects.

Abilities (some combination of the following):

• Think critically
• Be accountable
• Exhibit fiscal responsibility
• Analyze information
• Problem solve
• Manage time effectively
• Ability to understand other points of view and how to bring together diverse personalities in the workplace

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. Prospective and current employees are invited to discuss accommodations.

ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS:

Working conditions may include exposure to travel to other locations within the City of Richmond as well as outside of the City of Richmond; exposure to hazardous physical conditions such as mechanical parts, electrical currents, vibrations, etc.; atmospheric conditions such as fumes, odors, dusts, gases, and poor ventilation; inadequate lighting; intense noise; and environmental hazards such as disruptive people, imminent danger, and a threatening environment.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT:

Due to the nature of work assignments, incumbents must be able to perform detailed work on multiple, concurrent tasks, with frequent interruptions and under time constraint. The essential duties of this classification may require the ability to regularly talk, hear, see, and perform repetitive motions; frequently finger; and occasionally climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, reach, stand, walk, list, grasp, and feel. The working conditions may include environmental hazards. In terms of the physical strength to perform the essential duties, this classification is considered to be light work, exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects.