Water Utilities Manager

The City of Arkadelphia is seeking a Water Utility Manager. This position is responsible for managing all aspects of the city’s water and wastewater operations. This includes water treatment, wastewater treatment, distribution systems and wholesale customer management.

Job Summary

The purpose of this classification is to provide leadership to and perform managerial, planning, and administrative work functions associated with short-term and long-term operations, repair, and maintenance of the drinking water treatment facilities, the wastewater treatment facilities, water booster pump stations, water tanks, water distribution system, wastewater collection systems, meters, raw water supply lines, and sanitary sewer pump stations.

Job Duties & Responsibilities

ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBITIES

• Provides needed information and assistance in moving overall department vision and goals forward; oversees day-to-day tasks; trains on and develops core understanding of activities in all other water and wastewater divisions.
• Provides clear and concise information through organization channels (up and down) as needed to inform subordinates and superiors of significant issues that arise; provide clear written and oral communications on all matters of concern.
• In conjunction with superintendents, oversees the continued development and asset management of water treatment plants, wastewater treatment plant, water booster stations, water tanks, and wastewater pump stations.
• Supervises, directs, and evaluates assigned staff, processing employee concerns and problems, directing work, counseling, recommending disciplinary action and completed employee performance evaluations.
• Prepares division budgets for City Manager’s review for all subordinate divisions (meters, collections, distribution, water treatment, wastewater treatment, and pump stations, etc.); monitors expenditures and revises operating budgets as needed.
• Prepares and/or completes correspondence, forms, reports, or other documents to meet state and federal reporting requirements, forwards or maintains.
• Directs the preparation of division reports to all agencies; receives reports, charts, blueprints, forms, correspondence, and contracts; monitors water quality from operational and chemical reports/date; reviews, processes or forwards, maintains documentation for reference.
• Responds to calls from the public concerning system problems, complaints, or emergency situations, dispatches service requests.
• Coordinates training activities for new employees and existing staff; provides guidance, assistance, and technical expertise to staff members.
• Establish operating reports that provide daily, monthly, and year-to-date summaries of activities in operating divisions.
• Attends meetings and serves on committees.
• Document functional activities of this position and provide a permanent repository of this information for departmental reference.
• Assess job descriptions, job classifications, work functions, and pay grades for all staff positions within the assigned areas.
• Provides review and approval of consultant designs and specifications for new process assets.
• Processes documentation pertaining to payroll and personnel; completes, reviews, and/or forwards and maintains records.

DAILY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Implementation of asset management program for all assets in the water and sewer departments; assists in setting metrics for staff activities; oversees the improvement of maintenance costs and efficiencies through use of asset management database and work order planning tools to include cost improvements such as material changes, task scheduling, functional coordination actions, operational changes, model, changes, etc.
• Provides capital-planning input to insure the reliable long-term asset life of all water and sewer department assets both in terms of capacity requirements and in terms of condition; reviews activities, condition assessments, policy needs, and other relevant information to direct in developing short and long-term capital planning needs for subordinate divisions.
• Assist in planning and organizing departmental projects, process projects, and production needs, and workload; assigning work; developing employee work schedules to provide coverage; monitoring status of work activities and performing inspections.
• Exhibits decision making skills to promptly resolve acute and chronic issues facing the distribution system, collection system, treatment plants, pump stations, and water tanks.
• Oversees maintenance and repair of water and sewer assets; monitors and inspects procedures, equipment, and operations for safety and proper process operations in compliance with state regulations; initiates problem resolution.
• Maintains an awareness of new trends/advances in the profession; investigates and approves the use of new materials, methods and processes, in conjunction with third party professional engineers, supervisors, and regulatory agencies.
• Attends workshops, training sessions, and other professional development educational opportunities to remain cognizant of the major issues arising that may impact subordinate divisions; stays abreast of new technologies, techniques, and other operational updates to insure most efficient and effective long-term asset management.
• Coordinates with Supervisors on water and wastewater treatment and conveyance issues and problems of a non-maintenance nature to include system process modeling, capacity requirements, process changes, process energy and material uses, etc.; on all regulatory or permitting requirements from state and federal government.
• Consults with supervisors, regulatory agency personnel, the legal department, and other agency officials to review departmental operations, discuss problems, coordinate activities, develop long-term plans, provide technical expertise, and receive advice/direction.
• Provides information and education to the public through the Communications Director regarding water and wastewater processes and issues.
• Establish benchmarking processes to ascertain performance of process operations relative to industry as a whole.
• Coordinates with Finance Department to ensure the meter reading system and billing system are maintained in a way that customers are accurately charged for the utility services provided; prepares special reports for auditing purposes; ensures the maintenance and repair of water and sewer meters serving the customers of the city.
• Works closely with customer billing and support activities to ensure exceptional customer service delivery; oversees meter services to ensure accurate monthly meter reads; responds to complex customer inquiries and/or complaints.
• Must accomplish the essential functions of the department, with or without reasonable accommodation, in a timely manner.
• Incorporates continuous quality improvement principles in day-to-day activities.

DEVELOPMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develops succession planning for this position to ensure organizational continuity and stability; document all functional activities within the divisions managed by the position in support of succession planning and employee development needs; develop succession planning to include functional individual development plan for staff successor that includes all normal function duties.
• Develops long-range and short-range plans and specifications for expansion, modification, and repair of water treatment plant, wastewater treatment plant, water booster stations, water tanks, and wastewater pump stations; coordinates with third part consultants and contractors as needed to insure proper execution of asset repairs and system or asset improvements.
• Develops standard operating procedures (SOP’s) for all routine tasks or jobs performed by subordinate operating division’s staff; in conjunction with Supervisors, ensures all work performed by staff or contractors on or around water and wastewater process assets of the department conforms to city standards and is performed safely; insure SOP’s are updated to reflect changes or additional safety concerns as they arise; insure personnel are adequately trained on all safety procedures and requirements for duties required in water and wastewater divisions.
• Assists in developing department policies and procedures to ensure compliance with state and federal guidelines to include identifying proactive operational and maintenance activities or programs that ensure proper function, maximize service life of those assets, improve service reliability to customers and reduce long-term operating costs.
• Establishes department goals and objectives for all subordinate divisions; consults with City Manager, regulatory agencies, and others for this purpose; implements department rules, regulations and policies.
• Along with Supervisors, developing and recommending policies and procedures to ensure compliance with state and federal guidelines within the process divisions under their supervision; prepares and/or completes correspondence, forms, reports, or other documents to meet state reporting requirements; forwards or maintains.
• Recommends policies and procedures that guide and support the provision of quality services by the department.

Performs all other reasonably related duties in a safe manner as assigned by immediate supervisor or other supervisor as required.

JOB SPECIFICATIONS

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering field, public administration, or business administration, or related field preferred.
• Four (4) to seven (7) years of progressively responsible management experience in water or wastewater plant or field operations, or related chemical process management is required.
• Must possess and maintain a valid Arkansas driver’s license.
• Must posses or able to achieve within 12 months of employment: Arkansas Class 3 Wastewater Treatment License, Arkansas Class 4 Water Treatment License and an Arkansas Class 4 Water Distribution License.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES:

• Must meet regular attendance requirements.
• Must be able to maintain good interpersonal relationships with staff, co-workers, managers, and citizens.
• Must be generally computer literate; must be able to use basic office software packages; must be able to utilize software to construct, modify, and maintain spreadsheets (MS Excel); must be able to produce and modify documents in word processing software (MS Word); must be able to produce slide shows in software applications for presentation needs (MS Power Point); should be able to use asset management software application and geographical information systems software application.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

The following requirements are normal for this classification. Specific requirements may not apply to all positions within this classification but are determined by the normal requirements for the particular position.

• Must be able to operate a variety of automated office equipment including computer, calculator, copiers, fax machines, two-way radio, and telephone. Physical demand requirements are at levels of those for light work.
• Requires the ability to compare and/or judge the readily observable functional, structural, or compositional characteristics (whether similar to or divergent from obvious standards) of data, people, or things which may include forms, reports, blueprints, electrical diagrams, procedural manuals, personnel manuals, and operations manuals.
• Requires the ability to speak with and/or signal people to convey or exchange wastewater treatment, engineering, mechanical, electrical, personnel, financial, and legal information, including giving/receiving assignments and/or directions to/from co-workers, assistants, managers, or supervisors as well as communicating with government officials, the media, engineers, and the general public.
• Requires the ability to read a variety of wastewater treatment, environmental engineering, personnel, financial, and legal documentation, directions, instructions, and methods and procedures. Requires the ability to write job related documentation and reports with proper format, punctuation, spelling and grammar, using all parts of speech. Requires the ability to speak with and before others with poise, voice control, and confidence using English and well-modulated voice such as in public speaking situations before City Board of Directors and community groups.
• Requires the ability to learn and understand relatively complex mechanical, electrical, personnel, legal, financial, and wastewater utility-related principles and techniques, to understand departmental policies and procedures, to make independent judgements in absence of supervision, and to acquire and be able to expound on knowledge of topics related to primary occupation.
• Requires the ability to record and deliver information, to explain procedures, and to follow verbal and written instructions.
• Requires the ability to add and subtract totals; multiply and divide totals, determine percentages; determine time and weight; interpret statistical date; utilize algebraic formulas, comprehend integral and differential calculus, and perform statistical calculations.
• Requires the ability to visually inspect items for proper length, width, and shape using job related equipment which may include scales, standard measuring devices, and test kits.
• Requires the ability to coordinate hands and eyes in using automated office equipment and to operate a motor vehicle.
• Requires the ability to handle a variety of items, automated office equipment, control knobs, switches, etc. Must have the ability to use one hand for twisting motion or turning motion while coordinating other hand with different activities. Must have minimal levels of eye/hand/foot coordination.
• May require the ability to discern color.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: From $65,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Flexible schedule
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan

Schedule:

• 10 hour shift
• 4 hour shift
• Day shift
• Monday to Friday
• On call

Ability to Relocate:

• Arkadelphia, AR 71923: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $65,000