Director of Water Operations

South Norwalk Electric and Water (SNEW), a water and electric utility owned and operated by the Second Taxing District, Norwalk, Connecticut, is currently accepting applications for the following position:

DIRECTOR OF WATER OPERATIONS

 

The Director of Water Operations is directly accountable to the General Manager, and is responsible for the complete operation, maintenance and construction of the water system, including the filtration plant, the watershed, dams, reservoirs, pumping stations, tanks, pipelines and other related facilities.

The Director of Operations shall be responsible for water quality as it relates to the facilities under his/her control. The Director of Operations shall insure that all projects, improvements, operations, maintenance procedures and construction methods conform to proper current quality control, procedures and practices, and are consistent with water quality and service delivery goals. The Director of Operations shall coordinate with the Director of Finance and Services to insure that proper accounting procedures are implemented for all operations. The Director of Operations must be able to assure that water delivered to customers meets the most stringent utility standards.

 

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

1. Bachelor degree in engineering or related field.
2. Valid Connecticut driver’s license.
3. Seven (7) years significant job related experience in the field of public water supply systems, three (3) years of which must be at a supervisory level.
4. A Master’s degree in science or business may be substituted for two years of experience.
5. Must live within 45 minutes commute to the One State Street office.

 

JOB SPECIFICATIONS

1. Ability to manage and direct the activities of others while still maintaining a high-level of motivation among employees.
2. Knowledge of accounting as it pertains to budgeting, cost control, and long-term planning.
3. Technical knowledge of engineering, science, chemistry and biology for maintenance of high water quality and laboratory decisions.
4. Ability to express oneself technically and non-technically, both in written and oral communications as well as possess public speaking skills.
5. Ability to assess emergency situations, and make decisions to assure water supply to all consumers.
6. Ability to maintain good working relationships with other utilities.
7. General knowledge of laws and regulations governing hiring procedures and human rights.
8. Knowledge of or ability to learn company policies and regulations.
9. General knowledge of local political structures, local planning and zoning regulations, environmental and wetland laws.
10. Knowledge of safety as it relates to chemical hazards, OSHA regulations, and confined spaces.
11. Physical stamina to enter confined spaces.
12. Physical stamina to work around hazardous chemicals and water system construction sites, and the mental stamina to handle all emergency situations and respond appropriately.
13. Ability to be on call 24 hours per day for emergency situations.
14. Ability to represent the organization professionally at evening meetings as directed.
15. Technical knowledge and mental stamina to deal with customer complaints regarding water systems.
16. Knowledge and mental ability to make sound judgments regarding water operations (long and short term), judgments regarding emergency situations, and judgments regarding personnel issues.
17. Knowledge and ability to evaluate staff performance.
18. Mental stamina to perform in a work environment with constantly changing priorities.
19. Ability to interface with all departments within the organization.
20. Working knowledge of computers and complex operations and data base software.
21. Ability to keep updated on constantly changing technical and regulatory information.
22. Ability to attend non‑local conferences and seminars as necessary to keep current on new and improved methods regarding water quality.
23. Availability for occasional evening meetings.

 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. With the General Manager, sets performance goals and directs the employees under his/her supervision towards the achievement of those goals. Evaluates organizational and individual performance and takes action as appropriate.
2. Continually evaluates the operations and effectiveness of the filtration plant water system, including the water distribution system.
3. Manages cost control of operations.
4. Maintains liaison between Operations, Customer Care, Finance & Services and Management.
5. Travels nationwide to attend educational seminars as directed by the General Manager.
6. Prepares annual budget for the operations department.
7. Reports, studies and researches water quality problems concerning the distribution system, filtration plant and source of supply.
8. Responsible for overall safety of operations and the implementation of safety procedures by its staff.
9. Is available to direct responses to system emergencies as required by weather, system conditions, and/or customer outages.
10. Performs other miscellaneous duties, as assigned.

 

SNEW offers a competitive salary plus a comprehensive benefit package. The application is available at South Norwalk Electric and Water, One State Street, Norwalk, CT 06854, by emailing Hr@snew.org or on our Website at www.snew.org. Applications must be submitted by November 25, 2020 for consideration. EOE