Senior Water Quality Program Specialist

City of Charlotte • Charlotte, NC

6h • $84,905 - $94,339

About The Position

Charlotte’s local government, with more than 9,000 employees and a total budget of $3.65 billion budget, works hard to ensure that the community will be a winning city for everyone – a truly remarkable place to live, work, learn and play. Charlotte Water is an enterprise department of the City of Charlotte and one of the largest public water and sewer service providers in the southeast with over 330,000 customer accounts and over 1100 employees. Our service area includes the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and the towns of Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, Mint Hill, Matthews and Pineville. Charlotte Water’s FY 26 budget is $651 million and a five-year capital program of $2.2.28 billion. We enjoy the highest credit ratings from Moody’s and S&P Global as a result of sound financial planning and management and strong support from our City Council. We value competent, skilled candidates with a customer service focus to work in a team environment. Salary : The salary for this position is $84,905.10 - $94,338.99 commensuration with experience. JOB SUMMARY: This position is responsible for providing regulatory support to six wastewater treatment plants with a permitted capacity of 124.2 MGD. This position supports the monitoring of regulatory requirements set forth in the Federal Clean Water Act and NC water quality regulations as they relate to wastewater treatment, storm water discharges, biosolids, and reclaimed water usage. Work includes the technical analysis of treatment plant data, development of compliance related documents, reporting of compliance related data, and involvement/planning of compliance strategies; supports various environmental permit programs; collaborates with consultants, contractors, and regulators for evaluating existing facilities and meeting permit requirements; and periodically includes the collection of wastewater samples, training of plant operations staff, and field work related to investigating illicit discharges and treatment plant upsets. This position also prepares reports resulting from these interactions; provides direct support to management staff through review of regulations and analysis of impacts; addresses customer concerns; and supports EMD’s Environmental Management System to promote continuous improvement.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in environmental science, natural science, engineering, or related science-based field is required.
• Five (5) years related work experience, preferably in wastewater treatment, stormwater, and/or industrial pretreatment is required.
• Requires a valid driver’s license.
• Knowledge of federal, state, and local laws, policies, procedures, regulations, codes and ordinances applicable to stormwater management, wastewater treatment, reclaimed water usage, biosolids land application, and industrial pretreatment.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work well independently, with others, and as a part of a team.
• Ability to collect, analyze, and interpret sampling data.
• Ability to read and interpret maps and engineering drawings.
• Ability to interpret environmental permit requirements, regulations, and laws.
• Ability to coordinate with federal, state, and regional agencies.
• Ability to perform a wide variety of duties and responsibilities with accuracy and speed under pressure of time-sensitive deadlines.
• Skill in using Microsoft Office Suite, especially Word and Excel.
• Must have the ability to obtain a City driving permit.

Nice To Haves

• Desired credentials as follows: Grade I Wastewater Operator License; Grade III NCPC certification, Laboratory Analyst I certification.

Responsibilities

• Serves as the backup to the Water Quality Program Administrator and maintains program continuity in the Administrators absence.
• Supervises the Water Quality Program Intern.
• Supports regulatory requirements set forth in the Federal Clean Water Act and NC water quality regulations as they relate to NPDES and Non-Discharge Permitting.
• Assists with the development of sampling plans, training of operations staff, development of internal policies, and all aspects of NPDES and Non-discharge permitting and compliance.
• Collaborates with appropriate local, state, and federal agencies on special projects, facility inspections, and permitting initiatives at the directive of, or in the absence of, the Water Quality Program Administrator.
• Provides quality control and review of regulatory data and reports; reviews existing and proposed regulations at the local, state, and federal level and determines the potential impacts to the department and provides recommendations to the Water Quality Program Administrator.
• Assists with the review and troubleshooting of process control issues that have regulatory implications; provides guidance and recommendations to the Water Quality Program Administrator.
• Coordinates laboratory work and special sampling projects with Laboratory Services Division.
• Assists in the evaluation of novel wastewater processes and new technologies that facilitate enhanced treatment performance and compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Provides education and training as needed on sampling, permit requirements, and other requirements.
• At the directive of the Water Quality Program Administrator, this position may represent Charlotte Water at public outreach opportunities, on key task forces, and committees related to wastewater treatment and regulatory compliance.
• Manages and oversees the regulatory requirements set forth in the Federal Clean Water Act and NC water quality regulations as they relate to stormwater management at six CLTWater facilities.
• Responsible for updating Integrated Congingency Plans, training of operations staff, and all aspects of stormwater permitting, monitoring, and compliance.
• Provides review and oversight of work products and activities that support CLTWater’s Industrial Pretreatment Program by reviewing and updating industrial user allocation tables, long term monitoring plans, and completing technical headworks analysis as required.
• Assists the pretreatment program with trunkline monitoring and illicit discharge investigations that result in treatment plant upsets and potential compliance issues.
• Supports EMD’s Environmental Management System (EMS) by performing work with a focus on environmental protection, customer service, and continual improvement, and participating in corrective action investigations, efforts to meet division objectives, and continuous improvement projects.
• Provides leadership and coordinates on special projects related to continuous improvement programs.
• Serves on the EMS Management Review Team.
• Supports CLTWater’s Biosolids and Residuals Program including reviewing data and annual reports, participating in special projects, and through assistance with permitting and compliance related activities.
• Works to streamline internal and external compliance processes; assists with the preparation of data summaries, reports, and other correspondence, as needed, to ensure regulatory compliance.
• Works with consultants and contractors to coordinate efforts related to the evaluation of wastewater treatment plant performance, updating of manuals and plans, and on other permitting and compliance related activities.
• Ensures all data is complete and accurate and reported appropriately on monthly discharge monitoring reports.
• Manages, reviews, and interprets analytical data and collaborates with Laboratory Services to resolve issues, tracks performance indicators, completes data surveys, and prepares award applications.
• Maintains documents as required.
• Performs other related job duties as assigned.

Benefits

• The City of Charlotte provides a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees. Click here to learn more about the City of Charlotte’s benefits.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees