SENIOR ASSISTANT DIRECTOR (EXE LEV) - WASTEWATER OPERATIONS

City of Houston, TX • Houston, TX

43d • Onsite

About The Position

Working for the City of Houston and Houston Public Works is an exciting and challenging career choice that you will be proud to be a part of. Together, we build a strong foundation for Houston to thrive. The Houston Public Works Department is a team of talented, diverse staff that provides many of the basic services that affect the daily lives of everyone who lives and works in Houston and the surrounding region. Primarily, the department is responsible for all the things we take for granted daily: the administration, planning, maintenance, construction management, and technical engineering of the city's infrastructure. This includes the production and distribution of over 146 billion gallons of water per year and the treatment of over 90 billion gallons per year of wastewater. That is enough to fill the Astrodome four times per day with fresh water and over twice per day with wastewater. It also includes the maintenance of the city's over 16,000 lane miles of streets, over 60,000 stormwater manholes, over 100,000 stormwater inlets, over 1,100,000 street name and traffic control signs, over 17,000 freeway and under bridge light fixtures. Houston Water has over 1500 employees and is made up of Drinking Water Operations, Planning, Regulatory Compliance, Customer Service/Account Services, and Wastewater Operations. Wastewater Operations has over 600 employees. The City of Houston is working under a wastewater Consent Decree, and this creates an opportunity to make a lasting impact on the city's infrastructure and improve operations. You will be a part of a large interdepartmental team working together to meet the requirements of the Consent Decree and this will be both challenging and very rewarding and meaningful work. The Senior Assistant Director will perform the following duties:

Requirements

• Requires a thorough understanding of both theoretical and practical aspects of an analytical, technical or professional discipline; or the basic knowledge of more than one professional discipline.
• Knowledge of the discipline would normally be obtained through a formal 4-year degree from a college or university and a professional certification/licensing is required.
• Directly related professional experience may be substituted for the education requirement on a year-for-year basis.
• More than ten years of experience is required.
• Valid driver's license and compliance with the City of Houston driving policy (A.P. 2-2).

Nice To Haves

• Understanding of federal and state regulatory requirements, including the EPA/DOJ Consent Decree
• Large scale operations and maintenance experience
• Experience managing large scale budget
• Experience working with elected officials

Responsibilities

• Leads over 600 very talented and diverse Wastewater Operations branch's personnel, policy definition, adoption, and interpretation.
• Promotes and aligns the branch's practices with the purpose and values of Houston Water and Houston Public Works centered on Respect, Ownership, Communication, Integrity, and Teamwork.
• Working with and leading a diverse and very talented multi-disciplinary (Regulatory Compliance, Capital Delivery, Legal, Finance, Consent Decree Group) team to ensure compliance with all federal and state regulatory requirements, including the EPA/DOJ Consent Decree, which is presently in year 5 of 15.
• Responsible for the overall operations and maintenance of 38 WWTP, 382 lift stations, and over 6,000 miles of collection systems to ensure regulatory compliance.
• Develops, analyzes, and monitors key performance indicators to meet service and financial objectives, balance resources, and improve overall effectiveness and organizational efficiency.
• Build the branch's public relations as well as participate in state and national professional organizations.
• Develops an annual budget and ensures effective operations protection of public assets and ratepayers' interests. Must be able to lead and communicate and build relationships with entry-level front-line staff, plant operators, engineers, executives, elected officials, and members of the community from all walks of life.
• Responds to the needs of the public, administration, City Council, and executive management. Directs the development, implementation, and evaluation of program initiatives across multi-functional lines. Implements various program initiatives.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Industry: Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees