Plant Manager II

Aqua, an Essential Utilities company, employs people in a variety of roles within our eight-state footprint, ranging from field workers and customer service representatives who are on the front lines working with customers, to scientists and engineers who help ensure we're delivering reliable water and wastewater services to our communities. If you're looking for a rewarding career helping improve our environment and protect our natural resources, we encourage you to join our team!

About Essential Utilities

Essential Utilities, Inc. delivers safe, clean, reliable services that improve quality of life for individuals, families, and entire communities.

Operating as the Aqua (water and wastewater services) and the Peoples and Delta (natural gas) brands, Essential serves approximately 5.5 million people across 10 states. We are committed to sustainable growth, operational excellence, a superior customer experience, and premier employer status - including a competitive and comprehensive benefits package as well as a commitment to career growth opportunities.

We are advocates for the communities we serve and are dedicated stewards of natural lands, protecting more than 7,600 acres of forests and other habitats throughout our footprint.

Our company is one of the most significant publicly traded water, wastewater service and natural gas providers in the U.S.

Are you looking for a fantastic career at Aqua? We have an outstanding opportunity for a Plant Manager II in the Massillon, OH area!

The Plant Manager is the lead supervisor responsible for the management and supervision of Water Production Department activities supporting Division and company activities in accordance with OEPA and PUCO compliance requirements. The Production Department is comprised of the Division's source and treatment facilities, booster stations, tanks, and valve/meter pits, along with all associated equipment. Responsibility may include Satellite or remote site locations.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Supervisor in charge of all Production Department's source and treatment facilities, booster stations, tanks, and valve/meter pits, along with all associated equipment. Responsible for ensuring the timely repair, maintenance and management of assets and operations via an electronic work order management system
• Responsible for attaining established Department objectives, including established performance metrics. This includes the training and developing of Production Department employees with an understanding and compliance with Aqua America policies, procedures, and practices.
• Serves as the Operator of Responsible Charge (ORC) for the Division's Production Department systems and may serve as the ORC for Satellite operations managed by the Division or other jurisdictions as required within operating contracts.
• Responsible for timely management and reconciliation of accounts payable to all vendors providing support to the Department's activities; responsible for management of material, chemicals, equipment, fleet procurement, and inventory control/reconciliation.
• Responsible for identifying, developing, and managing capital expenditures within the Production Department. Coordinates with external engineering, operational and compliance staff to ensure capital expenditures are in accordance with established budgets and operational plans.
• Works closely with the Construction Coordinator and Engineering Department to review all capital and private development plans; and assisting with the local backflow compliance efforts. Works with team to help in the planning of viable distribution system projects.
• Manages the procurement, accountability and charge-out of inventory items in support of the Department. Ensures needed material and chemicals are on hand for daily work and that invoices are reconciled in a timely fashion.
• Supervises others who perform chemical and bacterial analyses in water treatment plant and distribution system and performs testing as needed.
• Supervises all production employees at the division level including treatment technicians/ operators and maintenance staff, all with laboratory responsibilities.
• Establishes and monitors work schedules for department employees to ensure timely execution, optimized efficiency and expense management while meeting internal and external customer needs.This includes monitoring and dispatching of service orders in ServiceLink, integrating asset management and work programs (SAP) and planning/coordinating long term or recurring efforts such as sludge plan disposal and plant cleaning.
• Responsible for compliance with all OEPA and PUCO regulatory requirements related to the Department operations. Prepares, reviews, and submits regulatory agency required reporting and monitoring, with oversight by the Area Manager and Compliance Manager. Responsible for maintaining compliance with sampling schedules and parameter limits for water quality. Evaluates new treatment processes through pilot studies and develops capital projects or process changes to implement improvements in quality or efficiency of operation.
• Receives and investigates customer water quality complaints and formulates appropriate responses.
• Manages overall operational ready status of plant equipment including computerized control systems and monitoring sensors.
• Available after business hours for on call duties, backs up the Field Service Supervisor as needed and performs all other duties assigned.
• Oversight of department safety programs, safety leadership and training of employees. Utilize and support Aqua safety program and policies in conjunction with Regional Safety Manager.
• Must possess the ability to motivate oneself and others to accomplish required tasks, and the ability to work with and motivate people of diverse backgrounds. Ability to prepare clear, concise, and grammatically correct written communication.
• Ability to analyze technical problems, to organize work and develop effective working methods as well as the ability to work harmoniously and effectively with public officials, staff, and management. Ability to establish meaningful, timely and attainable goals and effectively coordinate multiple projects.
• Ability to effectively communicate with professional and non-professionals

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Associate's or Bachelor's Degree in chemistry, biology, engineering, or a related field is preferred.
• Between 5 and 10 years of industry experience with at least two years supervisory experience (as defined by the Ohio EPA) in a Class III water treatment plant.
• Must hold a OEPA Class III Certification or have the ability to obtain it within a reasonable and agreed to amount of time.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Previous experience should also include managing capital improvement projects, work with computer control systems and programming, environmental chemistry and laboratory procedures, computational skills to calculate chemical dosages and determine calibration of chemical feed systems, basic mechanical skills to maintain large pumps, drives, motors, piping systems, chemical feeders and storage tanks, knowledge of electrical power distribution and control systems.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with an ability to effectively conduct business with internal and external customers and represent the company; excellent computer skills especially with customer accounting, database applications and service order/asset management systems. Strong organizational skills essential with an ability to manage multiple people and priorities.

BUDGETARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Responsible for planning and managing the Production Department's operations and capital budgets. Both budgets vary annually but can exceed $1.0 M each.
  

PERSONNEL RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Union: 7 or more
  Non-Union: 1 or more

Aqua, an Essential Utilities company is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer. Equal employment opportunity is provided to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to the following legally protected characteristics: race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions, including medical conditions related to lactation), physical or mental disability, covered-veteran status, genetic information (including testing and characteristics), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression or any other characteristic protected by applicable local, state or federal law.
Aqua is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you have a condition that may prevent you from applying for a job online or need to request an accommodation during the interview process, please call (1-877-271-9012).
To maintain the integrity of the recruitment process and to avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest due to employment and/or assignment of family members and personal referrals, specific guidelines apply to the hiring and assignment of these individuals including, but not limited to:

• Family members cannot result in a supervisor/subordinate reporting relationship
• Family members cannot work in the same department.