Operator - Water

Objective & Relationships

The residents of Janesville choose this community, not just as a place to live, but as a place to realize life’s opportunities. We strive to sustain a community culture where differences are recognized, understood, and appreciated. As such, the City of Janesville recognizes the importance of developing an environment where diversity is not merely accepted but embraced and celebrated. As public servants, we believe everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect. To this end, we will diligently recruit and retain the most talented employees in an environment that fosters maximizing one’s potential. Therefore, we encourage individuals from all backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences to consider employment with the City of Janesville and serve the residents of “Wisconsin’s Park Place”.
OBJECTIVE:
Under the direct supervision of the Water Operator Crew Leader, The Water Operatorperforms manual, unskilled or semiskilled tasks in a wide variety of Utility maintenance operations. Work involves participating in water and sanitary sewer maintenance activities. The incumbent will also assist any water and sanitary sewer investigations for service complaints.
RELATIONSHIPS:
Reports to: Water Supervisor

Has regular work contact with appointed and elected City officials, Department, Division, and Office Heads, City employees, other governmental agencies, customers, and the general public.

Supervises: Has no supervisory duties.

Essential Duties

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. This list is illustrative only and is not a comprehensive listing of all functions and duties performed by the incumbent. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Assists in repairing water mains, services, fire hydrants and valves.
• Assists in tapping new services and valves into water mains.
• Assists in maintaining sanitary sewers.
• Assists in locating Utility facilities buried underground.
• Operates valves and fire hydrants and reports any needed repairs.
• Reports to the Water Operator Crew Leader any vehicle or equipment malfunctions for repair or damage to City facilities.
• Reports to Water Operator Crew Leader daily assignments completed, work activities and records.
• Maintains proper daily maintenance of City equipment and vehicles.
• Operates City Trucks and vehicles (e.g. dump trucks, pickup trucks, end loaders and backhoes) on and off the public roadways.
• May assist in snow plow operations.
• Responds to basic citizen operational inquiries or refers to the proper supervisor for response.
• Performs other special projects and duties as assigned or required during regular and non-business hours, including providing support as a part of any City response to essential or emergency operations.
• All employees may be assigned by the City Manager or their designee to perform duties and assume responsibilities that are outside the scope of their work duties when the City Manager has declared a City disaster or the City Emergency Operations Center has been initiated.

Minimum Position Requirements/Qualifications

The requirements listed below are necessary to perform the essential duties of the position.

• A high school diploma or equivalent is required.
• Minimum one (1) year experience in heavy equipment operation, general construction, or applicable trade.
• Possession of a valid state-issued Class “B” Commercial Driver’s License, or ability to obtain such license within one (1) year of hire.
• A valid, state-issued driver’s license at time of hire is required.

• An associate degree or trade school coursework in a closely related field from an accredited college or university is desirable.

• General knowledge of principles and practices of modern water and sanitary collection system infrastructure maintenance and operations.
• General knowledge of the City of Janesville (the City) geography and location of the City utilities.
• General knowledge of materials, tools, equipment, and procedures used for Water Utility equipment.
• General knowledge of work zone safety, confined space safety, and excavation safety practices and procedures.
• General knowledge of appropriate and effective snow and ice control methods.

• Organizational and time management skills to prioritize duties and accomplish a high volume of work product while adapting to constant changes in priority.
• Exceptional communication skills, paired with a strong customer service background, and effective interpersonal skills.
• Proficient level of technical proficiency skills, including computer applications and software such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat.
• Collaboration skills to effectively work with others to achieve common goals through communication, teamwork, and problem-solving.

• Ability to safely install and repair all types of water mains, sanitary mains, lift stations, and associated components.
• Ability to use locating and leak detection equipment.
• Ability to perform strenuous labor for extended periods of time under varying weather conditions, and to do so in a safe manner.
• Ability to perform basic mathematical calculations, including the ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals, and to compute percentages.
• Ability to make decisions according to applicable laws, regulations, established procedures, and the directives of the City Manager and City Council.
• Ability to learn and apply new technology and computerized systems/building systems in order to detect and diagnose operational problems and maintenance needs.
• Ability to comply with all safety policies, practices, and procedures, and report all unsafe activities or conditions to supervisor.
• Ability to work without direct supervision and within the boundaries of areas of responsibility.
• Ability and skill to operate City trucks, vehicles, and equipment is a safe manner.
• Ability to maintain a valid, state-issued driver’s license.
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team.
• Ability to assist in and maintain plant cleanliness and general maintenance.
• Ability to identify, report, and repair malfunctioning equipment and/or machinery.

• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with City appointed and elected officials, Department, Division, and Office heads, City employees, consultants, developers, architects, engineers, realtors, surveyors, community interest groups, other governmental agencies, and the general public.
• Exhibit exceptional professionalism, tact, and decorum in all areas of work duties.
• Strong ethics base built upon integrity, honesty, initiative, and respect; maintain strict confidentiality.
• Interact positively with a diverse group of individuals and work effectively both as part of a team and independently.
• Embrace and actively promote an inclusive and equitable work environment.
• Conduct all business and working relationships in an accurate, fair, equitable and highly ethical manner.
• Work with the public in a fair and consistent manner, maintaining objectivity and excluding personal bias while performing job duties
• Reliable, timely, and proactive in the completion of duties, meeting deadlines and responding to inquiries.
• Work with others in a positive and supportive manner to solve problems, generate ideas, and accomplish division and City goals.

Supplemental Information

EQUIPMENT, INSTRUMENTS, AND MACHINES:
Machinery and equipment, including personal computer, printer, telephones, fax machine, copier, scanner, 10-key calculator, Govern and GIS software, City vehicles including pickup truck, dump truck, and end loaders, utility locating equipment, water meters, metal detectors, a variety of hand-held power tools, and other standardized or specialized office equipment.
WORKING CONDITIONS AND PHYSICAL FACTORS:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee regularly works in an outdoor environment and may, on occasion, be exposed to adverse weather conditions, including extreme heat and extreme cold, high winds, and wet/humid conditions. The employee may work near moving mechanical parts in precarious places; and is occasionally exposed to fumes or airborne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals, dust, and vibration. The noise level in the work environment is generally quiet to moderately noisy. This position frequently walks, stands, stoops, kneels, crouches, crawls, and exerts up to 100 pounds of force by lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling objects. The employee is frequently required to see/observe, talk/speak, and listen/hear; use their hands to finger, handle, feel, or operate objects and equipment; repetitive arm, wrist, hand, and eye movements are included. There is frequent twisting, reaching, wrist turning, and grasping. The employee may be required to climb or balance.
Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. Hand-eye coordination is necessary to operate computers and various pieces of equipment. Employee is required to use cognitive ability to reason, analyze, and verbalize thoughts and ideas. Requires the ability to recognize and identify similarities or differences between characteristics of colors, shapes, and sounds associated with job-related objects, materials or tasks.
A regular, Monday – Friday, 40-hour work schedule is required for this position. Additionally, this position will respond to emergency situations twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week as needed.
DISCLAIMER
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position, or is responsive to the needs of the City of Janesville.
The job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.
The City of Janesville, Wisconsin, is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.