Wastewater Treatment Operator -Senior Operator in Charge- Day Ops & Dewatering (South Plant)

This 3-year Special Duty opportunity is open to current Wastewater Treatment Division Senior Operators, Local SEIU 925 Members.

No external applications are being considered for this recruitment.

Take the Next Step in Your Career: Lead the Flow.

Are you a Senior Operator ready to transition from technical execution to tactical leadership? These two internal openings are for Wastewater Treatment Operators - Senior Operators in Charge are designed for the high performer who is ready to influence our operations at a higher level. This recruitment is aiming to fill two positions: one that willoversee the Dewatering Teamand the other for the Day Ops at the East Offsite.

About the Role

The Senior Operator In Charge serves as the vital link between our field teams and strategic leadership. Your primary goal is to provide the direction and oversight necessary for our crew to succeed. You will step into a "Lead" capacity, taking ownership of planning, scheduling, and reviewing work for your unit.

This is an opportunity to tackle high-level challenges, such as coordinating large-scale special projects and optimizing our existing work-order systems. By stepping into this role, you directly support our division’s commitment to operational excellence and workforce development, ensuring that our institutional knowledge is passed down and our systems remain the gold standard in the region.

As a Senior Operator In Charge, you aren’t just a member of the crew, you are the engine driving our daily success. This role offers you the platform to bridge the gap between field operations and management, allowing you to mentor your peers and shape the future of our plant's processes.

About the Team

You already know our commitment to public health and environmental safety. As an internal leader, you will play a primary role in sustaining our culture of mutual respect, safety, and continuous improvement. You will work closely with the Wastewater Treatment Supervisor to foster an equitable environment where every operator has the resources they need to excel. This role is central to our current initiatives and upcoming infrastructure improvements within our capital projects group, giving you a seat at the table for the division’s most critical operational decisions.

The Day Ops team is a versatile team that steps up to perform construction support, plant process outages and is a team lead in isolating and securing with Safety HECP locks to prepare other maintenance crafts to follow. It is a team challenged by the diversity work. The Day Ops SOIC is a leadership opportunity to expand skills and prepare individuals for leadership roles. This position works to coordinate cross craft process maintenance work leading a trained team of operators. The SOIC works directly with the plant operations to support daily staffing by providing trained support staff.

Commitment to Equity, Racial and Social Justice:
King County, named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is a diverse and vibrant community that represents cultures from around the world. Our True North is to create a welcoming community where everyone can thrive. We prioritize equity, racial and social justice, making it a foundational and daily expectation for all employees. As a Wastewater Treatment Operator - Senior Operator in Charge, you will actively apply these principles in all aspects of your work. Learn more about our commitment athttp://www.kingcounty.gov/equity.

Apply now for a rewarding career at the Wastewater Treatment Division of King County Department of Natural Resources & Parks (DNRP). Join our talented workforce in protecting and restoring the natural environment and promoting more resilient, sustainable, and equitable communities. Enjoy training, comprehensive benefits, and growth opportunities.What You Will Be Doing:

• Tactical Leadership: Plan, schedule, and coordinate the daily activities of the work crew; monitor work quality and ensure all treatment processes meet our rigorous standards.
• Project & Vendor Coordination: Lead large-scale special projects and prioritize work orders across multiple units, acting as the primary liaison with vendors and contractors.
• Technical Mentorship: Serve as the "Subject Matter Expert" for assigned systems, providing technical guidance to crews and conducting specialized equipment training.
• Operational Administration: Manage inventory and purchasing procedures for your unit, providing essential data to the supervisor for budget forecasting.
• Professional Development: Assist the supervisor in providing performance feedback and identifying improvement measures to help elevate the skills of the entire team.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications You Bring:

• Advance level experience operating, maintaining, and troubleshooting preliminary wastewater treatment equipment and processes.
• Advance level experience operating, maintaining, and troubleshooting primary wastewater treatment equipment and processes.
• Advance level experience operating, maintaining, and troubleshooting secondary wastewater treatment equipment and processes.
• Advance level experience operating, maintaining, and troubleshooting solids handling equipment and processes.
• Advance level experience operating, maintaining, and troubleshooting gas system equipment and process.
• Experience serving as a technical resource.
• Skill in facilitating short-term workload planning, training and performance management.
• Skill in operating and providing training on specialized equipment such as forklifts, vactor trucks, portable pumps, cranes, generators, and safety equipment
• Ability to work independently and as a team member
• Demonstrated proficiency with business applications, such as Microsoft Office suite

Physical Requirement:

• Ability to work during adverse and inclement weather conditions.
• Ability to regularly lift and carry equipment weighing up to 50 pounds.
• Ability to work in confined spaces, climb in and out of tanks using ladders, and work around noxious odors, heat and high noise levels.

Workplace Exposures:

• Outdoors environment during wet weather, confined space and maybe exposure to hazardous chemicals and noxious odors.
• Regularly exposure to chemicals, noise, confined space, respirator use, and viral contaminants

Competencies you bring:
Manages Complexity:Making sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.
Collaborates:Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
Builds Effective Teams: Building strong-identity teams that apply their diverse skills and perspectives to achieve common goals.
Ensures Accountability: Holding self and others accountable to meet commitments.
Optimizes Work Processes:Knowing the most effective and efficient processes to get things done, with a focus on continuous improvement.
Manages Ambiguity:Operating effectively, even when things are not certain, or the way forward is not clear.

Required Licenses:

• Valid unencumbered Washington State Driver’s License.
• Washington State Group III Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator certification from the Washington State Department of Ecology or out-of-state equivalency which must be converted to a Washington certification within one year of employment

It Would be Great if You Also Bring:

• Demonstrated skill in operating and providing training on specialized equipment (e.g., vactor trucks, cranes, portable pumps) and navigating complex treatment processes.
• Demonstrated ability to use business applications (like Microsoft Office and Maximo) to prepare reports, track inventory, and assist with budget forecasting.
• Demonstrated experience monitoring, troubleshooting, and optimizing centrifuge dewatering processes, including polymer feed systems, cake solids optimization, and centrat quality control.
• Experience training junior operators on the safe startup, shutdown, and cleaning procedures specific to dewatering equipment.

Working Conditions:

• Work Location:South Treatment Plant-1200 Monster Rd SW, Renton, WA 98057.Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.
• Work Schedule: 4/10 schedule working Monday through Thursday
• Union Representation:This position is represented by SEIU Local 925.

Application and Selection Process:
This special duty position is open to all qualified Wastewater Treatment Division SeniorOperators. Application materials will be screened for clarity, completeness and alignment with the experience, qualifications, knowledge, and skills essential for this role to determine which candidates may be invited to participate in one or more panel interviews.

AnticipatedTimeline for this recruitment: (subject to change)

• Interviews: first two weeks of May (tentative)

To apply, submit a:

• Complete Application (Required)
• Resume (Required)
• Cover Letter (Required)
• Responses to the supplemental questions (Required)

Note: Additional documents won't be considered during minimum qualification screening.

Who to Contact:For more information regarding this recruitment, please contact Emiliya Makaryan at emiliya.makaryan@kingcounty.gov.

Discover More About the Wastewater Treatment Division: Visit our websiteand check us out at Facebook,X (formerly Twitter),Instagram,YouTube, and theWTD Blog.

Discover More About DNRP: Visit ourDNRP website, explore aninteractive mapof our recent accomplishments and check us out atFacebook,X (formerly Twitter),LinkedIn,TikTok,Instagram,YouTubeandKeeping King County Green News.

Sign up forJob Alerts to be notified of additional career opportunities with King County. Select theNatural Resourcescategory for DNRP opportunities and explore other categories of interest.

Forbes named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.
Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference?Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.

Guided by our" True North",we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles - we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer
No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

To Apply
If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions, please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.