Safety & Security Specialist

The District:
Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD) is a progressive, values-driven agency, with an international reputation for its leading-edge financial management practices, water recycling program, water use efficiency practices, water banking, urban runoff treatment, and energy generation and storage. Established in 1961 as a California Water District under the provisions of the California Water Code, IRWD is an independent special district serving central Orange County. IRWD provides high-quality drinking water, reliable sewage collection and treatment, ground-breaking recycled water programs, and environmentally sound urban runoff treatment to its customers. As an independent, not-for-profit public agency, IRWD is governed by a publicly elected five-member Board of Directors. The Board is responsible for the District's policies and decision-making. Day-to-day operations are supervised by the General Manager. Additional information can be found at the District's website: www.IRWD.com.
 
IRWD Corporate Values 
 Irvine Ranch Water District believes that its values drive the character, culture, and capacity of our organization. IRWD was built on values, and we weave them into the fabric of everything we do. Values are the ingredients in our recipe for both institutional and individual success. They are a code of conduct to promote positive outcomes for others and ourselves. They are more than words on a wall or a website. We live by them every day. We pledge to keep them relevant in an ever-changing world.  
IRWD's employees enjoy working in a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment where they form strong bonds with fellow employees. To ensure effective communication and promote a collaborative team environment, employees report to work each day in the office or in the field, depending on their positions.  

The Position

Under general supervision, the Safety & Security Specialist assists with the development and promotion of the District-wide safety and emergency preparedness programs.  This includes, but is not limited to, delivery of training, program development, inspections and audits for process improvements, as well as the identification, evaluation, and correction of workplace hazards.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED 
Receives general supervision from assigned supervisory or management personnel. Exercises no direct supervision over staff. 

DISTINGUISHINGCHARACTERISTICS
A Safety & Security Specialist performs professional duties administering the District’s safety and security programs to ensure compliance with applicable workplace safety and environmental regulations, including timely completion of mandatory training requirements by all applicable employees. The incumbent is expected to independently coordinate District-wide safety and security programs, projects and activities and perform assigned duties with initiative, independence and judgment. Employees typically report to the Safety & Security Supervisor. Safety & Security Specialist is distinguished from Safety & Security Supervisor in that an incumbent in the latter class is responsible for developing safety policies and programs and ensuring the District is in compliance with all federal, state and local regulations.

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.

• Participate in the development and implementation of the District’s Safety Program, including revisions and updates of existing written programs when necessary.
• Conduct periodic audits and inspections to identify unsafe conditions and provide recommendations for controlling hazards within the workplace. 
• Respond to requests from agencies such as the Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA) for Hazardous Materials inspections, Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) inspections and others as required.
• Update the Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA) Hazardous material Disclosure and Business Emergency Plans and support the maintenance of the California Accidental Release Prevention (CalARP) program.
• Work with all levels of staff to ensure the District is in compliance with regulatory requirements and that all employees are aware of and adhere to such requirements.
• Review contractors’ safety submittals and provide written responses based on exposure and scope of work.  
• Review incident reports and support supervisors in conducting root cause analyses for work-related incidents.
• Participate in the development and implementation of safety training and learning opportunities; participate in training of new hires on health and safety procedures and regulatory requirements; assist with scheduling, assigning, and coordinating training with outside training vendors; enter training-related data into the District’s safety management platform.
• Conduct ergonomic evaluations and provide feedback to staff and supervisors related to ergonomic issues, make recommendations, and maintain records related to ergonomic evaluations.
• Perform administrative duties as needed for the effective and efficient operation of the District Safety program such as file and record maintenance.
• Assist with the development of emergency response plans to prepare the District for all-hazard incidents.  
• Support the maintenance and update of the District's emergency preparedness plans, including the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP), Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Plan (HMERP), and other Emergency Action Plans (EAPs). 
• Perform a full range of duties to ensure the District is prepared to handle a disaster, including supporting the coordination of emergency exercises, drills, and emergency notification tests.
• Support the readiness of the District’s Emergency Operation Center (EOC), including the maintenance of the primary and alternate EOCs, as well as maintaining plans, resource lists, and equipment. 
• May serve as a District liaison to the Water Emergency Response of Orange County (WEROC) and provide member agency updates on the District’s training, exercise development, and other preparedness efforts upon request.
• Evaluate risk and develop procedures and physical security measures designed to safeguard personnel, property, and operations from unauthorized access, terrorism, damage, and theft.
• Ensure security requirements and appropriate safeguards, cameras, and panic and intrusion alarms are implemented.
• Assist in reviewing and developing security procedures.
• Respond to security incident reports and investigate with corrective actions.
• Support facility access control and lost badge requests. 
• Monitor and evaluate existing and planned security projects to ensure timely and quality service conforms to contractual and technical requirements.
• Generally, work is performed during normal business hours, but may be required to work nights and weekends in critical situations. 
• Comply with safety work-related practices and attend relevant safety training.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Disaster Service Worker: In accordance with Government Code Section 3100, Irvine Ranch Water District employees, in the event of a disaster, are considered disaster service workers and may be asked to respond accordingly.Education and Experience:
Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying.  A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be:

Education:

• Equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in occupational health and safety, emergency preparedness, or a related field is required.   

Experience:

• Three (3) years of experience in occupational safety program administration and/or emergency response planning, training and administration is required.  
• Three (3) years experience with CAL-OSHA regulations and emergency management principles is required.  
• Public utility experience highly desired. 

License/Certifications:

• A valid Class 'C' California Driver's License is required.
• Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) and FEMA National Incident Management System (NIMS) certificates are desirable.
• A Certified Safety Professional (CSP) or Associate Safety Professional (ASP) is desirable. 

Knowledge of:

• Basic principles, policies, practices and methods for administering an employee safety and security and chemical and hazardous materials program.
• Principles and practices for administering health and safety training programs, curriculum and materials.
• Basic principles, practices and trends in the field of emergency and disaster management for a public utility.
• Federal, state and local laws, policies and directives applicable to areas of responsibility including Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA).
• Methods and practices for conducting accident and workplace safety audits and investigations.
• Agency safety policies and procedures.
• Agency operations and associated potential health and safety issues and mitigation/avoidance opportunities.
• Standard safety equipment used in utility and public works occupations.

Ability to:

• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with all levels of office, management, and field employees. 
• Represent the District in a professional manner when dealing with outside professionals and vendors. 
• Add, subtract, multiply, and divide and calculate percentages, decimals and fractions. 
• Effectively use Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and keyboarding abilities sufficient to perform the job. 
• Use good personal judgment and discretion in performing all job functions. 
• Effectively research and interpret regulations and consensus standards. 
• Remain calm in crisis and emergency situations. 
• Use discretion when handling and disseminating sensitive information. 

Physical Demands
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, walk and stand; talk and hear; use hands to finger, handle, feel or operate objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; perform repetitive movements of hands or wrists; climb or balance on ladders or stairs; stoop, kneel, bend at the waist, crouch or crawl; and smell. The employee is required to lift up to 25 pounds unaided when conducting field investigations and safety audits. Specific vision abilities required for this job include close vision, distance vision, use of both eyes, depth perception, color vision and the ability to adjust focus.

Environmental Conditions
The employee works in an office and field environment where the noise level is usually moderately quiet. The employee frequently works in outdoor weather conditions subject to extreme heat or cold; and near moving mechanical parts, equipment and heavy traffic. The employee is frequently exposed to fumes or airborne particles and toxic or caustic chemicals. The employee is occasionally exposed to loud or prolonged noise and equipment with heavy vibrations.

Work requires responding to emergency calls and situations.

All applicants are required to complete and submit a District application form online and answer the supplemental questionnaire. Stating "See Resume" is not an acceptable substitute for a completed application.  Resumes or faxed copies will not be accepted in lieu of the District online application.  To apply, click on the "Apply" link located at the top of this page.
 
New users must create an account first. Click on this link for instructions on how to set up your account and apply for the first time: Online Employment Application Guide
 
Applications will be reviewed by the Human Resources Department and the subject matter expert.  Those applicants possessing the most pertinent qualifications will be invited to continue in the selection process, which will include:

Spark Hire: a one-way video interview, evaluating the candidates' ability to convey their training and experience. 
 
Oral Interview Examination (tentatively scheduled for December 18, 2024): will evaluate the candidates' experience, training, education, and abilities in relation to those factors which are essential for successful performance on the job.
 
Communication regarding your application and/or status will be sent to the email address listed on your application.  Please check your email regularly throughout the recruitment process as you will not receive communications by any other method.
   
Equal Opportunity Employer
Irvine Ranch Water District is an Equal Opportunity Employer and provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. If you consider yourself a person with a disability, you may contact the Human Resources Department for a reasonable accommodation.  
 

Salary : $84,781 - $120,557