This position is responsible for operating multiple Veolia contracted client water and wastewater facilities. The primary purpose of this position is to cover vacations & absences at existing facilities, assist in the training and development of local operations teams, and to serve in a support role at new account start-ups.
This position will be responsible for assisting with the overall operation and maintenance of accounts in their area. This includes process changes to meet compliance, troubleshooting processes & equipment, maintenance (routine, reactive, and preventive), process & compliance sampling, laboratory testing, and writing and distributing a daily shift report.
In between time at designated accounts, this position will be responsible for the development of training resources for general water and wastewater industry knowledge, as well as site specific treatment training for all technicians in their region. This position requires significant travel, sometimes for extended periods of time - This can range from 1-2 weeks away from home at a time, all the way up to a month for extenuating circumstances.
Essential Operational Duties and Responsibilities
- Maintain complete operational coverage of the Veolia operated facilities in your designated region as vacations and unplanned absences arise. Coverage will be required on both day shifts and night shifts as absences arise, requiring significant schedule flexibility.
- Assist in the operational development of all local technicians within your designated region. This includes in-person hands on training visits to multiple sites, assisting in the development of electronic training materials & resources, and directing training efforts of individual technicians. Additional training time will also be required with all new technicians as they are hired.
- Ensure that industry standards and best practices are in use at all Veolia operated facilities in your designated region. This includes but is not limited to: record keeping methods, lab testing procedures, operational practices, preventative maintenance practices, etc..
- Support new account start-up projects as they arise. This will involve working closely with the Senior Wastewater Operational Technician (SWOT) team to develop operational tasks, procedures, and goals, in addition to training newly hired technicians.
- Provide knowledgeable support to local technicians within your designated region to assist in troubleshooting process issues as they arise. Ensure that proactive decisions are being made by local technicians on a regular basis.
- Operate and control electric motors, pumps, and valves to regulate flow of water into the Wastewater treatment plant.
- Collect and test Wastewater samples to determine concentration levels and impurities at the designated testing frequency.
- Responsible for accurate record keeping of client data such as residual content of chemicals, water turbidity, and water pressure.
- Comply with all Veolia and multiple's safety parameters/programs.
- Analyze lab data to uncover potential treatment issues and then implement process changes to prevent non-compliance.
- May be responsible for compiling data for the Environmental Protection Agency or state regulatory body.
- Coordinate with other operators throughout the multiple's facility in order to maintain the plants Wastewater treatment equipment.
- Consult with multiples and Veolia management in the operations of their Wastewater plant to determine the best treatment for their Wastewater.
Essential Maintenance Duties and Responsibilities
- Coordinate with multiple to schedule third-party maintenance support for all maintenance projects that are outside of Veolia's scope of work.
- Complete all preventative maintenance defined by Veolia and multiple management at the designated frequency. Completion of all preventive maintenance must be documented accordingly. PM tasks include, but are not limited to; changing filters, changing oil, greasing bearings, documenting operating temperatures, exercising valves, etc...
- Complete, or assist in the completion of, all minor maintenance projects that may arise to ensure the Wastewater treatment facility remains operating effectively and efficiently. These maintenance items include, but are not limited to: chemical pump repair & replacement, small PVC piping installation, valve replacement, AOD pump repairs, check-valve cleanouts and repairs, etc...
- Complete, or assist in the completion of, all intermediate maintenance projects that may arise to ensure the Wastewater treatment facility remains operating effectively and efficiently. These maintenance items include, but are not limited to: replacing mechanical pump seals, replacing packing seals, replacing impellers, full PVC line replacements, centrifugal pump replacements, displacement pump replacements, check-valve cleanouts and repairs, etc...
Supervisory Responsibilities
- Willingness and availability to work with fellow operators on off-shifts when problems arise or if the operator needs assistance
- 24/7 availability to the Wastewater operators and multiple management.
- Communicate frequently with the Veolia Account Manager regarding the operation of the Wastewater plant regarding the current status of the operation, including compliance, treatment issues, maintenance, and personnel issues.
- Provide supervision and leadership to the other team members by exemplifying hard work, attention to detail, fair treatment of each member of the team and taking responsibility for results.
- Provide direction to the team on the daily operation and maintenance of the Wastewater plant to ensure compliance. This includes but is not limited to: process changes, chemical feed rates, maintenance activities, and additional sampling to evaluate treatment and compliance.
- Provide training and/or facilitate training of operators for all facets of the operation / management of the multiple Wastewater facility
- Provide clear verbal and written instructions to the team on the proper operation and maintenance of the Wastewater treatment plant and the equipment. This includes being responsible for creating and maintaining facility specific SOPs.
- Continually optimize the operation of the wastewater treatment plant, chemistry, and equipment; to improve operating efficiency and reduce operating costs.
Innovation / Planning / Budget
- Problems encountered by this job are usually well outlined by a standard set of instructions describing the procedures for handling specific problems. Requires the ability to develop creative and/or innovative ideas related to improvements to processes related to their own job or department.
- Independent scheduling of work load.
- Management of inventories including lab supplies, consumable items, and equipment parts. No responsibility for handling or administering a budget.
- The ability to develop creative and innovative ideas to improve the processes related to the operation / management of the WWTP
- Management of maintenance program inventories, consumable items, and equipment parts.
Decision Making
- Assignments are received in the form of results expected, due dates, and general procedures to follow.
- Make process changes based on lab data and general process knowledge to correct compliance issues or improve the treatment process.
- Duties are varied in nature, requiring independent action and judgment involving commonly encountered problems. Unusual cases or questionable matters are referred to the supervisor.
- Issues and concerns of a significant matter should be discussed with the account manager to ensure actions taken are reasonable and in compliance with the contract.
- Evaluate the skills and abilities of the other operators in order to properly assign/delegate tasks such as lab analyses, maintenance, preventive maintenance, manage chemical inventories, and manage waste disposal.
- Evaluate maintenance projects and determine what outside support is needed and then coordinate and schedule with client maintenance teams or contractors.
- Communication & Teamwork Expectations
- Participation in team meetings and discussions is required. Collaboration with team members on a regular basis is expected.
- All team members are responsible for covering each others absences to the best of their ability, to ensure that the contracted coverage of the facility is never broken.
- Continuous communication with client and Veolia management is expected.
- Communicate with Veolia management frequently on the training progress of technicians, and the overall status of site operations
Compensation - The salary range is tied to the market for similarly bench marked roles. The range is not an absolute, but a guide, and offers will be based on the individual candidate’s knowledge, skills, experience, and market conditions, as well as internal peer equity. Depending upon all the preceding considerations for the final selected individual candidate, the offer may be lower or higher than the stated range: $28-$32/hourly.