Water Systems Manager

Forest Lawn Mortuary•Glendale, CA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Forest Lawn is seeking a Water Systems Manager to provide senior technical leadership for water resource planning, water distribution and treatment system design, hydraulic modeling, asset management, capital improvement planning, and regulatory compliance. The role supports reliable, sustainable water infrastructure, system operations and maintenance, and water-use management across Forest Lawn’s parks. Projects may include wells, pipelines, pump stations, pressure zones, controls, reservoirs, treatment, storage, and SCADA systems and instrumentation. The position also supervises staff and oversees consultants, contracts, and project delivery. Under direction, the manager leads long-range planning for potable water, recycled water, groundwater, and new supplies; develops infrastructure solutions and capital improvement and renewal strategies; and prepares project priorities, justifications, estimates, budgets, and schedules. The role develops and uses hydraulic models, establishes a GIS-based asset inventory and asset management program, evaluates system performance and infrastructure risks, and recommends operational, maintenance, and capital improvements. The manager leads and coordinates project design and delivery with internal departments, utility operators, consultants, contractors, and public agencies. Responsibilities include procurement and contract administration, design review, construction oversight, commissioning and closeout, permitting and regulatory coordination, and support for grant activities. The role also coordinates water-use data and water budgets, reports monitoring results to leadership, and trains Operations personnel in water conservation practices. The position requires a bachelor’s degree in Civil or Mechanical Engineering, at least 15 years of progressively responsible water systems engineering experience, and a California Civil or Mechanical Professional Engineer license in good standing. The role requires AutoCAD experience and the ability to work in a hybrid setting and travel to multiple Southern California locations.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Civil or Mechanical Engineering.
Minimum 15 years of progressively responsible experience in water systems engineering.
California Civil or Mechanical Professional Engineer (PE) license in good standing.
Valid California Driver’s License, including state-required levels of active auto insurance.
AutoCAD experience, particularly with schematic and diagrammatic drawings, scaled plan drawings, scaled mechanical and civil engineering details, dimensioning, and creation and manipulation of highly formatted drawings.
Demonstrated leadership in project and program management, staff supervision, consultant oversight, contract administration, or construction management.
Ability to lead cross-functional teams, internal staff, and external consultants or vendors.
Proficiency in reading and reviewing technical drawings, construction documents, and project specifications.
Strong knowledge of permitting processes with municipalities and public agencies.
Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously and deliver quality results within deadlines.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
Ability to work in a hybrid setting and travel to multiple locations around Southern California.

Nice To Haves

Experience with municipal water utilities, special districts, public agencies, engineering consulting firms, or comparable organizations.
Knowledge of water distribution system operations, capital improvement planning, hydraulic modeling, and infrastructure asset management.
SWRCB Water Distribution Operator Grade D3 or higher.
Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
GIS-related certifications.
Asset management certification.
SCADA, controls, or instrumentation-related certifications.

Responsibilities

Lead long-range master planning for potable water, recycled water, groundwater, and new water supplies.
Develop solutions for current and future water storage, treatment, distribution, renewal, and expansion needs.
Develop long-term water system capital improvement and renewal strategies; prioritize projects and prepare justifications, engineering estimates, budgets, and schedules.
Conduct water resource planning with internal departments, consultants, regulatory agencies, water utilities, and other utility providers.
Prepare and review technical reports, represent Forest Lawn in public forums, and advocate for reliable, diversified, and sustainable water supplies.
Develop and maintain hydraulic models to evaluate demands, pressures, flow capacity, storage, pumping strategies, emergency supply scenarios, and water quality considerations.
Use modeling and SCADA data, field observations, and engineering analysis to evaluate operations, inform decisions, and optimize system performance.
Establish a GIS-based water system asset inventory and support an asset management program, including standards, procedures, and performance metrics.
Use ArcGIS Pro and related tools for asset mapping, condition assessments, maintenance scheduling, risk prioritization, and master planning.
Assess infrastructure condition, remaining useful life, replacement value, operational criticality, vulnerabilities, and risks; recommend maintenance and capital priorities.
Coordinate with Construction Management, Operations, Landscape Maintenance, utility operators, consultants, and contractors to deliver projects safely and effectively.
Monitor project budgets, schedules, risks, and performance; coordinate startup, testing, commissioning, operational acceptance, and closeout.
Develop scopes of work, requests for proposals, and contract documents; evaluate proposals and qualifications; and procure and administer professional services, supplier, and construction agreements.
Ensure design quality and constructability; develop, supervise, review, and when required stamp technical drawings, specifications, and plans.
Review and act on requests for information, submittals, cost proposals, schedules, test results, and change orders.
Lead technical design of water production, distribution, storage, pumping, and SCADA projects; conduct field inspections and document construction observations.
Identify infrastructure maintenance needs, research methods and materials, and coordinate with electrical engineers on pump equipment, controls, and electrical demand loads.
Represent Forest Lawn before public agencies, municipalities, counties, cities, and water purveyors; coordinate utility and regulatory activities and obtain required approvals and permits.
Support applicable grant funding activities and coordinate compliance, water production, permitting, reporting, and payment obligations.
Collect and analyze water-use records, CIMIS evapotranspiration data, and other information for water budgets; distribute monitoring reports to leadership and train Operations personnel in water conservation.