Senior Water Treatment Plant Operator

The City of West Sacramento is seeking an experienced and highly skilled Senior Water Treatment Plant Operator to join the City's Water Treatment Plant team. This is the senior-level classification in the Water Treatment Plant Operator series and is responsible for performing the most complex and technically demanding operational duties while providing lead supervision, training, and direction to lower-level treatment plant personnel.

Under general direction from the Water Treatment Plant Superintendent, the Senior Water Treatment Plant Operator assists with the daily operation, maintenance, and administration of the City's water treatment plant, storage reservoirs, and related facilities. The position provides ongoing guidance and training to plant operators; assigns, monitors, and reviews work; develops work schedules; performs inspections; oversees preventative maintenance activities; and assists with equipment, parts, and supply procurement.

The Senior Water Treatment Plant Operator performs advanced treatment plant operations, including monitoring and adjusting treatment processes, operating and inspecting pumps, motors, piping, control systems, and related equipment, conducting and evaluating laboratory testing, performing calculations, maintaining accurate operational records, and preparing reports required for regulatory compliance. The position is expected to recognize abnormal operating conditions, troubleshoot complex operational and equipment problems, and exercise sound independent judgment in determining appropriate corrective actions.

This position also serves as a technical resource and mentor to other operators. The Senior Operator is responsible for providing effective training and direction, ensuring that established procedures and safe work practices are followed, and helping less-experienced staff develop the knowledge and skills necessary to safely and effectively perform their duties. The Senior Operator may provide overall plant supervision in the absence of the Water Treatment Plant Superintendent.

The ideal candidate will have substantial experience operating a high-level surface water treatment facility, strong knowledge of water treatment processes and equipment, excellent troubleshooting and analytical skills, and demonstrated ability to lead and train others. Candidates should be comfortable balancing hands-on plant operations with administrative responsibilities, including scheduling, reporting, recordkeeping, preventative maintenance, procurement, and regulatory compliance.

This position is an excellent opportunity for an experienced treatment plant operator who is ready to take on greater responsibility, provide leadership to an operating team, and serve as a key technical resource in the safe, reliable, and compliant operation of the City's water treatment system.

The ideal candidate will possess some or all of the following:

• Demonstrated experience operating a T5 surface-water treatment plant or similarly complex drinking water treatment facility.
• Experience performing lead work, assigning and reviewing work, or providing day-to-day direction to water treatment plant operators.
• Experience training, mentoring, or developing less-experienced treatment plant personnel.
• Thorough knowledge of surface-water treatment processes, including coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, disinfection, and related treatment processes.
• Experience monitoring and adjusting treatment processes in response to changing raw water quality, treatment conditions, flow, turbidity, chemical demand, or other operational conditions.
• Strong knowledge of pumps, motors, valves, piping, chemical feed systems, instrumentation, control systems, and other equipment used in water treatment facilities.
• Experience troubleshooting complex mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, instrumentation, or process-related problems.
• Experience with SCADA or other computerized monitoring and control systems.
• Experience performing, evaluating, and interpreting laboratory tests and treatment process calculations.
• Experience developing, implementing, or updating standard operating procedures, operating policies, or emergency response procedures.
• Experience preparing regulatory, operational, maintenance, or other technical reports.
• Experience maintaining and evaluating treatment plant records, logs, and regulatory documentation.
• Experience developing work schedules and coordinating staffing to maintain continuous or reliable plant operations.
• Experience overseeing or coordinating preventative maintenance activities and identifying equipment, parts, or supply needs.
• Experience with purchasing, procurement, budgeting, or administration related to water treatment plant operations.
• Knowledge of current and emerging drinking water regulations, treatment technologies, and water quality issues affecting surface-water systems.
• Experience responding to treatment process upsets, equipment failures, water quality concerns, or other operational emergencies.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise sound independent judgment and make timely operational decisions.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare clear and concise reports and communicate technical information to operators, supervisors, maintenance personnel, and other stakeholders.
• A California State Water Resources Control Board Grade T5 Treatment Plant Operator Certificate.
• A California State Water Resources Control Board Grade D4 or higher Water Distribution Operator Certificate.

DEFINITION:  The Senior Water Treatment Plant Operator performs a variety of tasks required to operate, maintain, and supervise employees engaged in the operation and maintenance of the City’s water treatment plant, storage reservoirs and related facilities, programs and activities. 

SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED:  Receives general direction from the Water Treatment Plant Superintendent.  A Senior Water Treatment Plant Operator is considered a senior level operator class in the Water Treatment Plant Operator series, providing lead supervision and training to subordinate personnel. 

CLASS CHARACTERISTICS:  The Senior Water Treatment Plant Operator provides ongoing guidance and training to lower-level staff including assigning, monitoring, and reviewing work.  Positions at this level are distinguished from those in the Water Treatment Plant Operator III class by the independence with which they perform their duties of handling the most difficult and complex work and performing lead work.  This class is further distinguished from the Water Treatment Plant Superintendent in that the latter performs full supervisory and management duties.

EXAMPLES OF ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: (Illustrative Only):   Management reserves the right to add, modify, change or rescind the work assignments of different positions and to make reasonable accommodations so that qualified employees can perform the essential functions of the job.

• Assists the Water Treatment Plant Superintendent to implement goals, objectives, policies, and priorities.
• Provides technical training and lead supervision of lower-level personnel with directing staff in the operation and maintenance of the water treatment plant, storage reservoirs, and related facilities.
• Performs the most complex and highly skilled operational duties such as the preparation of plant budget and administration, preparing operating procedures and policies.
• Prepares and submits reports to ensure the plant’s compliance with state and federal regulations.
• Oversees the preventative maintenance programs including parts and equipment procurement.
• Develops and maintains work schedules.
• Conducts inspections and investigates complaints.
• Operates and monitors a variety of water treatment plant equipment.
• Assists with maintenance of plant equipment.
• Performs a variety of laboratory tests and calculations.
• Maintains and inspects plant records and logs.
• Performs relief work for subordinate personnel.
• Provides overall plant supervision during the Superintendent’s absence.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:  Any combination of training and experience which would provide the required knowledge and skill.  A typical way to obtain the required knowledge and skill would be:

Education:   Any combination of education and experience required to possess a State Water Resources Control Board Treatment Operator Grade T4 Certificate and Grade D3 Water Distribution System Certificate as issued by the State of California Department of Public Health.  

Experience:   Three (3) years as a shift operator at a T5 Surface Water Treatment Plant facility.

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATES:  Valid California driver’s license.  Grade T4 or higher Certificate and Grade D3 or higher Water Distribution System Certificate issued by the State of California Department of Public Health.

WORKING CONDITIONS:  This position is normally scheduled to work a traditional 40-hour work week.  This position may require occasional shift work to provide coverage during illness, vacation, or for any other reason that would cause the absence of subordinate workers; work in confined spaces.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:  Ability and mobility to work in a water treatment plant and field environment; walk, stand and sit for prolonged periods of time; frequently stoop, bend, kneel, crouch, crawl, climb, reach, twist, grasp and make repetitive hand movements in the performance of daily duties; climb heights on ladders; lift, carry, push, and/or pull moderate to heavy amounts of weight up to 50 pounds.

ENVIRONMENTAL ELEMENTS:  Work is performed in a water treatment plant and field environment and in inclement weather conditions; exposure to dust, hazardous materials, chemicals, fumes, unpleasant odors, noise, and other environmental substances; work in and/or around water; travel to and from various job sites; exposure to hazardous traffic conditions.