Wastewater Operator Trainee - Environmental Services Department

Wastewater Operator Trainee

The Environmental Services Department is currently seeking to fill multiple full-time Wastewater Operator Trainee vacancies at the San Jos - Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility (RWF).

The salary range for this classification is: $65,561.60- $79,726.40.

The actual salary shall be determined by the final candidates' qualifications and experience.

The Wastewater Operator Trainee position is in the Wastewater Operations and Management Division. The Operator in Training (OIT) performs routine operational duties at the Facility including but not limited to the following:

• Works closely with higher-level facility operation personnel to learn the various aspects of the wastewater treatment process and the control operations for the various sections of the Facility.
• Learns basic operation of the distributed control computer system to obtain the ability to locate trends, graphics, and single points and make process or control changes as needed.
• Takes samples of wastewater throughout the treatment process to perform simple tests for process control.
• Learns to read and interpret gauges and other control instrumentation.
• Recognize and diagnose alarms and other warning indications, and to follow corrective procedures to maintain a stable process control and meet government permit requirements.
• Participates in the operation and periodic maintenance of a variety of process equipment such as valves, sluice gates, pumps, blowers, samplers, dissolved oxygen sensors, suspended solids meters, chlorination/dichlorination and other wastewater analyzers and related equipment.

The Facility is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Operations staff may work 12-hour shifts, nights, weekends and holidays. Shift assignments change every 12 weeks.

Interested candidates with mechanical aptitude, math skills, good interpersonal skills, knowledge and use of hand tools, and are willing to work in different shifts, are encouraged to apply. Candidates selected for the OIT positions will be provided with on-the-job training through an Operator Trainee program. Some study time will be required outside of the regular work shift and trainees will be required to show satisfactory completion of required course work.

About the Wastewater Operator Series: The Wastewater Operator Trainee is the entry-level classification into the Wastewater Operator series. Trainees who successfully complete the OIT training program may have an opportunity to be promoted to Wastewater Operator through the qualifying promotional process. The career path for Operators is Wastewater Operator I/II/III.