Chief of Water Plant Operations

All applicants must apply online at www.
bjwsa.
org/jobs.
SUMMARY: Responsible for the operational management and water quality compliance of water treatment activities for the Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority (BJWSA), including two (2) major surface water treatment plants, groundwater wells, operation of distribution system pumping, storage, and associated facilities, distribution system water quality and compliance, and laboratory operations.
Ensures operations, processes, and plant systems function reliably and in a cost-effective manner while meeting legal, ethical, local, state, and federal regulations; organizational, operational objectives; and customer/user needs specified in BJWSA’s Strategic Plan and best practices.
Provides significant input in determining and implementing policy, procedures, and continuous improvement initiatives.
Specific emphasis on the importance of maintaining a safe working environment for employees.
Duties include but are not limited to: Oversees the daily management activities associated with water treatment operations, laboratory operations, distribution system pumping and storage operations, and associated plants and facilities.
Duties include daily plant and system operations, regulatory compliance, coordination with maintenance planning and repair, contract administration, permitting, budgeting, special project management and supply requisition.
Ensures activities are managed in an efficient and cost-effective manner following established safety policies as well as all federal, state, and local regulations.
Manages the treatment process so water produced and delivered to customers consistently meet or exceed state and federal regulatory quality standards.
Stays abreast of current, proposed and future potential regulatory requirements for public drinking water treatment and distribution systems.
Initiates cost optimization studies as needed and troubleshoots operational issues.
Manages process control and power usage to ensure efficient and effective water treatment is maintained.
Coordinates with BJWSA Technical Maintenance staff to ensure that required preventative maintenance is scheduled and performed per manufacturer’s specifications in order to maintain the efficient and safe operation of facilities.
Determines the need for repair, rehabilitation or replacement of facility equipment.
Works with Technical Maintenance staff to coordinate required and unscheduled maintenance.
Ensures requisitions for supplies are approved to meet operation requirements.
Oversees the analysis, scheduling, and recording of appropriate data to meet regulatory, internal and performance measuring reporting requirements.
Ensures proper logs, forms, and reports are collected, managed, and distributed as necessary.
Oversees the assessment, development, and planning for short and long-range water treatment and laboratory facilities’ requirements ensuring the necessary facilities are in place to support the current and projected needs of the service area.
Ensures proper disposal of process residual and waste streams in accordance with these agreements, DHEC regulations and the Authority’s need.
Performs duties as the first point of contact for all aspects of DHEC’s regulatory requirements including reports, correspondence, inspections, and permitting associated with the operation of BJWSA’s water treatment and laboratory facilities.
Acts as an Authorized Agent for Authority’s permit administration requirements.
Ensures all relevant water quality and compliance protocols are established and implemented including the management of associated regulatory documents.
Works with staff to establish the annual operations budget associated with water operations, and laboratory.
Monitors activities and expenditures based upon budget limitations.
Develops and recommends capital improvement budget based on current and projected needs.
Reviews and approves engineering design plans and specifications for the construction of new and expanded water treatment, storage, and pumping facilities.
Provides technical assistance in the planning, development and implementation of these projects.
Participates in the review of completed projects to ensure that these systems are ready to be accepted by BJWSA.
Coordinates all water, and laboratory division activities associated with BJWSA’s emergency response plans.
Supports the coordination of relevant capital improvement projects with the Engineering division.
Alerts of needed and regulatory based communications and provides content for external communications to customers and others (e.
g.
, Consumer Confidence Reports, Boil Water Notices, Lead and Copper, etc.
) Prepares information for and attends various meetings with engineers, consultants, regulatory agencies, contractors, professional associations, innovation organizations, community groups, and customers.
Makes presentations and represents the Authority at public and community meetings.
Responds to specialized water quality questions.
Supports preparation of content for annual Water Quality Report.
Updates annually the Water Operations Division’s portion of the Hurricane Response Plan and serves as a member of the hurricane stay-behind team.
Participates, as necessary, in optimization programs including the Partnership for Safe Water and others as determined.
Oversees the algae control program to prevent taste and odor events.
Fulfills successfully the following leadership functions: safety, recruitment, learning and development, succession planning, employee relations concerns/resolutions, counseling, performance management, promotions, salary administration, policy development/adherence, ethics, budget preparation/adherence and disciplinary actions.
Ensures employee issues are dealt with sensitively resulting in legal, fair, consistent and defensible actions.
Monitors adherence to safety and security policies and implements changes when needed.
Performs other duties as required.
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.
The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE: Requires Bachelor’s Degree in engineering, environmental science, biology, chemistry, or related area.
Minimum eight years of progressive experience working in public drinking water treatment plant operations required.
Experience must include work associated with surface water plants greater than 5 MGD, wells, and operation of large water distribution systems, must have at least 6 years’ experience at the management level.
Requires proficiency with computer systems and applications.
CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS: Must possess a South Carolina Class “A” Surface Water Treatment Operator Certification or obtain within four years of hire.
Requires a valid driver's license.
Data Conception: 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.
Requires the ability to evaluate, deduce and/or assess data using established criteria.
Includes exercising discretion in determining actual or probable consequences and referencing such evaluation to identify and select alternatives.
Interpersonal Communications: Requires the ability of speaking and/or signaling people to convey or exchange information.
This includes interacting with various departments on various levels to guide and direct activities, receiving information from the Deputy General Manager and providing guidance and direction to subordinate staff members.
Must be able to effectively communicate technical concepts to technical and non-technical audiences and manage multiple concurrent projects.
Requires the ability to perform effectively in a leadership capacity with subordinate staff.
Language Ability: Requires the ability to read and create a variety of documents, informational and technical documentation, directions, instructions, policy and procedure manuals, reports, and other materials using proper format, punctuation, spelling and grammar.
Requires the ability to communicate effectively with the Board of Directors, General Manager, Deputy General Manager, Leadership Team, Managers, Supervisors, Employees, Customers, Contractors, Vendors, Developers etc.
with clarity, poise, voice control, and confidence using correct English and well-modulated voice.
Computer Proficiency: Must be proficient with computer software processing, including, but not limited to, word processing, spreadsheet, database, and general ledger applications.
Must possess strong keyboarding skills.
Intelligence: Requires ability to apply principles of rational systems to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
Must be able to interpret and respond effectively to a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagrammatic, or schedule form.
Must possess excellent analytical skills.
Requires the ability to influence and manage teams, learn and understand relatively complex principles and techniques, make independent judgments in absence of supervision and acquire knowledge of topics related to role and the Authority.
Must have the ability to comprehend and interpret received information.
Verbal Aptitude: Requires the ability to record and deliver information, to explain procedures, to follow verbal and written instructions, to counsel and teach employees using a wide variety of reference, descriptive, advisory and/or design data and information.
Must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently with persons from a variety of educational backgrounds using technical terminology as required.
Numerical Aptitude: Requires the ability to accurately utilize mathematical formulas, add and subtract totals, multiply and divide, determine percentages and decimals and determine time and weight.
Writing Skills: Requires proficiency in written communication, particularly documentation of business practices and procedures.
Form/Spatial Aptitude: Requires the ability to inspect items for proper length, width and shape and visually read various documents.
Motor Coordination: Requires the ability to coordinate hands and eyes when operating equipment and motor vehicles.
Manual Dexterity: Requires the ability to operate variety of equipment: keyboards, office equipment, control knobs, buttons, switches, catches, tools, etc.
Must have moderate levels of eye/hand/foot coordination.
Color Discrimination: Requires the ability to differentiate colors and shades of color.
Interpersonal Temperament: Requires the ability to deal with people beyond giving and receiving instructions.
Must be adaptable to perform in uncomfortable physical conditions and under stress when confronted with emergency situations, difficult personalities or tight deadlines.
Incumbent may be subject to danger or risk to a slight degree and to tension as a regular, consistent part of the job.
Physical Communications: Requires the ability to talk and/or hear: (talking: expressing or exchanging ideas by means of spoken words; hearing: perceiving nature of sounds by ear).
All applicants must apply online at www.
bjwsa.
org/jobs.