Water Service Technician

Department: Charlotte Water Department

Salary: $25.00 - $28.50 Commensurate with Experience

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.

SALARY: The salary for this position is $25.00 Hourly

WORK SCHEDULE AND HOURS:

Selected candidates must be available to work any assigned schedule, including days, evenings, nights, weekends, holidays, and overtime as required by operational needs.

1st Shift – 7:00AM – 3:30PM

2nd Shift – 2:30pm – 11:00pm

1st Shift Weekend/Holiday / Thursday – Monday 7:00AM – 3:30PM

2nd Shift Weekend/Holiday / Thursday – Monday 2:30PM – 11:00PM

JOB SUMMARY

This position performs a variety of work involving field work orders associated with water services and metering equipment.  Work involves turning service on/off; validating meter readings; installing, maintaining, and removing meters; investigating water quality and pressure complaints; handling move-out orders when service is cancelled; fixing minor leaks; cleaning out meter boxes; serving as a first responder for water/network emergencies; marking meter box locations; and utilizing mobile equipment and peripheral devices to manage work orders. This position makes decisions concerning field conditions, takes corrective actions, handles customer interactions, cleans and stocks the work truck, and maps out routes. 

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:         

• Receives and completes assigned service work orders within a specified time period; accurately records the water meter readings; and enters pertinent notes associated with the work performed along with any notable conditions at each service address into a portable laptop.
• Performs comprehensive field inspection of the water meter, register/wiring, and transmitter; validates proper and accurate reading match with register; and provides readings for billings.
• Replaces inoperable or malfunctioning meter and/or metering equipment as required.
• Performs water flow test on meter to ensure equipment is functioning properly.
• Inspects water meter connections for leaks and replaces material as needed to repair leaks. 
• Investigates customer complaints regarding such matters as high meter readings, noise, leaks, water quality, low/high water pressure, etc.; escalates situation if required.
• Performs meter box maintenance by cleaning out dirt and debris; ensures box lid fits correctly; and reports any meter box deficiencies or service line repairs.
• Repairs meter equipment.
• Reads maps to ascertain accurate location of customer addresses, lines, and right of ways.
• Performs preventative maintenance and daily inspections of vehicle and field computer equipment for proper function and reports malfunctions or deficiencies.
• Reports on fire hydrant leaks, water main leaks, and other water distribution issues in a timely manner. 
• Reports on missing manholes covers and valve lid covers.
• Communicates to internal and external customers on how a meter and transmitter operate.  
• Serves as first responder to water distribution and network emergencies.
• Performs other related job duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• High school diploma or GED from an accredited school.
• Two (2) years of related work experience preferably experience in customer service and water utility operations.

LICENSES, CERTIFICATIONS, OR REGISTRATIONS:

• Requires a valid driver’s license.
• Must obtain and maintain a City Driver’s Permit.
• Desires AWWA Meter Technician Certification.

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KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Knowledge of water utility operations
• Knowledge of principles of customer service.
• Skill in communicating, both verbally and in writing.
• Skill in reading map.
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely.
• Ability to maintain effective working relationships.
• Ability to follow directives and instructions.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The work is light work and requires applying 10 pounds of force frequently exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally to move objects. Additionally, the following physical abilities are required: balancing, , crouching, feeling, manual dexterity, grasping, handling, perceiving sounds at normal speaking levels, distinguishing among sounds, kneeling, lifting, mental acuity, pulling, pushing, reaching, repetitive motion, speaking, standing, stooping, expressing ideas by spoken word, shouting above noises, visual acuity in equipment, and walking..

WORK ENVIRONMENT:      

Work is performed in a dynamic environment that requires sensitivity to change and responsiveness to changing goals, priorities, and needs. Requires: working outdoors in all weather conditions, near traffic, and tolerating foliage, seasonal pollen, dirt, dust, mud, water, insects, pests, reptiles, and animals; being able to have a flexible schedule; and the ability to report for emergency situations.

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 herein described. 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.

HOW TO APPLY

Apply online.

Federal law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please tell us if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job.

You are welcome to visit the City of Charlotte Human Resources Department lobby, where self-service application kiosks are available. They are located in our office at 700 East 4th Street, Suite 200, Charlotte, NC 28202. We are open Monday through Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (EST), excluding official City holidays.

For questions about your application or the hiring process, please email [email protected]

The City of Charlotte is committed to making our services and programs accessible to all. Upon request, auxiliary aids, written materials in alternate formats, language access, and other reasonable accommodations or modifications will be provided. To make a request, please fill out the Innovation & Technology ADA request form or call 704.336.4120.

BENEEFITS

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

Click here to learn more about the City of Charlotte’s benefits.

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