Wastewater Operator IV

City of Portales•Portales, NM

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The City of Portales, New Mexico, is hiring a non-exempt Wastewater Operator IV for its Utilities – Wastewater Treatment Department. The position serves as the City’s Level 4 Wastewater Operator, performing and directing advanced technical work at the Portales Wastewater Treatment Plant and associated reuse systems. The operator makes process-control decisions, oversees regulatory compliance, maintains operating records, trains lower-level operators, and responds to emergencies. This is a safety-sensitive position subject to drug and alcohol testing under City policy and applicable law. The role operates, monitors, adjusts, and troubleshoots the treatment plant’s activated-sludge and biological nutrient removal processes and associated systems. It reviews operational and laboratory data, manages sampling and compliance documentation, implements operating and emergency procedures, inspects and maintains equipment, and provides technical direction and training. The operator also coordinates with regulators, laboratories, engineers, contractors, manufacturers, and City departments as directed. The regular schedule is 40 hours per week and may include rotating shifts, evenings, weekends, and holidays. Additional hours, on-call rotation, and emergency call-back are required, with response times set by City policy. Limited travel for meetings, certification, training, conferences, equipment inspections, and regulatory coordination may include overnight stays. Salary is $29.50–$38.51 per hour ($61,360–$80,101 annually).

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent and at least 18 years of age.
Active, unrestricted New Mexico Level 4 Wastewater certification at hire and throughout employment, including required renewal training.
Experience operating an activated-sludge wastewater treatment facility.
Thorough knowledge of wastewater treatment, activated-sludge microbiology, nutrient removal, hydraulics, chemistry, disinfection, clarification, filtration, residuals, and reclaimed-water operations.
Knowledge of 20.7.4 NMAC, 20.6.2 NMAC, DP-887, applicable reuse, sampling and reporting requirements, and operator professional-conduct standards.
Ability to interpret laboratory results, flow and loading data, trends, plans, specifications, schematics, manuals, permits, and regulatory correspondence; calculate treatment and process-control values; diagnose problems; and select corrective actions.
Ability to use computers, SCADA, spreadsheets, maintenance-management and electronic reporting systems; prepare accurate technical records; communicate professionally; lead and train staff; organize priorities; and work independently and calmly during emergencies.
Valid New Mexico driver’s license, satisfactory driving record, and continued insurability under City requirements.
Obtain and maintain City-required first aid, CPR, confined-space, lockout/tagout, respiratory protection, and other safety training within City-established timeframes; maintain medical qualifications and ability to use assigned protective equipment.
Pass a background investigation, which may include work history, criminal and driving records, certification verification, and other necessary records; provide Level 4 certification documentation and authorize NMED verification.
Pass a post-offer pre-employment drug screen administered by a City-designated facility.
Meet the physical demands of the position, including frequently lifting and carrying up to 50 pounds and climbing, bending, kneeling, crouching, crawling, reaching, and working on wet, uneven, elevated, confined, or slippery surfaces.
Work indoors and outdoors in varied weather and environmental conditions, with potential exposure to wastewater, sludge, reclaimed water, chemicals, infectious materials, aerosols, fumes, odors, gases, machinery, electrical and pressurized systems, open tanks, and deep water.
Use required protective equipment and enter confined spaces only when trained, medically qualified, authorized, and working under an approved entry program.

Nice To Haves

College coursework, technical education, or approved wastewater training.
Experience with Aero-Mod or comparable extended-aeration systems, biological nutrient removal, tertiary filtration, disinfection, reuse, and solids handling.

Responsibilities

Operate, monitor, adjust, and troubleshoot the Aero-Mod activated-sludge and biological nutrient removal process, clarifiers, disinfection systems, tertiary disc filters, residuals handling, and associated blowers, pumps, chemical feed, reuse, storage, and disposal systems.
Serve as the facility’s appropriately certified operator and provide operational supervision consistent with 20.7.4 NMAC, City policy, other applicable requirements, and written NMED direction.
Evaluate flow and loading, dissolved oxygen, mixed liquor, solids inventories, return and waste activated sludge rates, clarification, nutrient removal, disinfection, and filtration; document process adjustments and evaluate results.
Review laboratory and field data for abnormal trends or potential permit exceedances, initiate corrective action, and promptly report actual or anticipated noncompliance through the required chain of command.
Collect or oversee representative samples and ensure proper locations, methods, preservation, chain of custody, laboratory coordination, quality control, and reporting schedules.
Prepare, review, certify, or assist with operating logs, monitoring and compliance reports, incident reports, and corrective-action records within assigned authority.
Implement approved operating and corrective action plans, contingency procedures, reclaimed-water requirements, standard operating procedures, and emergency-response protocols.
Inspect facilities and equipment; prioritize maintenance according to operational, safety, security, and compliance risks; and perform or assist with preventive and corrective maintenance within assigned training and authorization.
Respond to treatment upsets, power or equipment failures, alarms, spills, unauthorized discharges, reuse-system problems, and severe weather.
Provide technical direction, hands-on instruction, and documented training to lower-level operators; support certification development and assign work consistent with employees’ certification, training, and demonstrated competence.
Maintain chemical, spare-parts, safety, sampling, and equipment inventories; recommend purchases and prepare documentation; develop operating, sampling, compliance, maintenance, and on-call schedules as assigned.
Coordinate with NMED, laboratories, engineers, manufacturers, contractors, and City departments as directed; provide operational input for planning, design reviews, construction, start-up, testing, and acceptance of improvements.
Follow applicable safety procedures, including confined-space, lockout/tagout, respiratory protection, chemical handling, bloodborne-pathogen, and fall-protection procedures; keep facilities, vehicles, tools, work areas, and grounds safe, secure, orderly, and serviceable.