Water Plant Operations Supervisor

Overview

What You Can Expect:
As a Water Plant Operations Supervisor at the University of Iowa, you will oversee the daily operation of the main drinking water treatment plant, which utilizes surface water as its primary source with supplemental well water available. You will lead the team responsible for delivering safe, reliable, and compliant drinking water to campus customers. Your role includes directing plant activities, ensuring operational readiness, and maintaining alignment with evolving regulatory requirements that govern public water systems.

• Develops and implements water treatment methods and technologies to provide water quality meeting all standards.
• Directs Operational activities of Water Plant to achieve water quality and service reliability standards required by campus customers.
• Ensures that data collected from sampling and monitoring efforts are utilized to inform team members for determining and tracking the water quantity and quality produced and determining maintenance needs, including development of preventative maintenance schedules.
• Recommends staffing plans to provide enhanced quality and efficiency of service delivery while managing O&M costs.
• Supports full compliance with corporate safety program and promotes safety culture.
• Provides technical review and oversight of capital projects within the Water Plant.
• Interfaces with the ENGIE CAPEX team and the University of Iowa Design and Construction to provide input to design projects and support projects as required.
• Maintains compliance, including thorough documentation, with all Safe Drinking Water Act and other environmental regulatory requirements.
• Creates purchase requisitions and receives invoices.
• Orders chemicals and other supplies for water plant and lab operations.
• Responsible for staff development and training, including overseeing the important university intern development program for student Water Plant Operator.
• Implements corporate policies, procedures and directives.
• Carries out other duties as assigned.

• Minimum of a High School Diploma/GED with six (6) years of experience in water treatment plant operations. An Associate degree with five (5) years of relevant experience, or a Bachelor’s degree with three (3) years of relevant experience.
• Certification as a Grade III Water Treatment Plant Operator in Iowa, or the ability to obtain this certification within one year.
• Minimum of three (3) years’ experience in water treatment plant operations, including hands-on work in a surface water treatment plant with a production capacity above 2 MGD.
• Direct experience supervising staff performance and development.
• Practical experience meeting safety and environmental compliance requirements for utility operations.
• Demonstrated knowledge of sampling and reporting requirements for domestic water plants.
• Knowledge of reverse osmosis system operations and maintenance requirements.
• Knowledge of quantitative laboratory procedures including tests for alkalinity, water hardness, stability index, free and total chlorine, turbidity, color, total dissolved solids, suspended solids, pH, corrosion rates, phosphate, lead, copper, coliform bacteria, heterotrophic bacteria plate counts, and other water testing procedures.
• Knowledge of mathematics including English/Metric system conversion factors and formulas for area, volume, density, dosage, pressure, flow, detention time, chemical feed rates, and solution strength.
• Knowledge of biology, microbiology, and human health including the life cycles, pathogenic characteristics, and water treatment disinfection strategies for algae, bacteria, protozoa, viruses, and other organisms.
• Knowledge of computers, instrumentation, and software systems for process analysis, supervisory control and data acquisition, data processing, and report generation.
• Knowledge of safety programs including confined space entry, falls, forklift, lockout, process safety and risk management, respirator, and chemical right to know.
• Knowledge of Iowa Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations for water treatment, water distribution, wastewater…