Career Opportunity

Supervising Wastewater Control Inspector – Wastewater Enterprise - SFPUC (6116) - (149040)

Recruitment: RTF0149039-01112849

Published: September 06, 2024

Apply using SmartRecruiters, the City and County of San Francisco's application portal.

About:

Amended on 8/18/2024 to update name of certification in the Minimum Qualifications section.

Amended 8/27/2024 to extend the filing deadline. Candidates who have already applied do not need to re-apply.

Amended 9/6/2024 to extend the filing deadline. Candidates who have already applied do not need to re-apply.

This is a Position-Based Test conducted in accordance with CSC Rule 111A.

•    Application Opening: August 21, 2024
•    Application Filing Deadline: September 13, 2024
•    Annual Salary: $134,212 - $163,124
•    Recruitment ID: PBT-6116-149040, RTF0149039-01112849

WHO ARE WE? 
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC)
Headquartered in San Francisco, we have 2,300 employees operating across eight counties serving more than 2.7 million customers in the San Francisco Bay Area – 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

Our Mission: To provide our customers with high quality, efficient, and reliable water, power, and wastewater services in a manner that values environmental and community interests and sustains the resources entrusted to our care.

Our Vision: We are an innovative utility leader, recognized for excellent results in service, safety, stewardship, and inclusiveness.

We are an award-winning and industry-leading utilities organization committed to our customers, community interests, and the environment. To learn more about our organization, please visit our website at https://www.sfpuc.org/.

We are proud of our infrastructure and programs, but most importantly, we value our highly qualified and dedicated workforce which ensures that this vision becomes a reality. 

To learn more about working at the SFPUC, visit our career site at https://www.sfpuc.org/about-us/careers-sfpuc

Wastewater Enterprise:

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) Wastewater Enterprise (WWE) operates and maintains San Francisco's combined sewer system to protect public health and the environment. These services extend across eight urban watersheds, over 1,900 miles of pipe, and benefit every resident and visitor of San Francisco.

WWE operates three all-weather wastewater treatment plants, one wet-weather facility, 27 pump stations, eight transport/storage facilities, and 36 combined sewer discharge structures to treat an estimated 34.5 billion gallons of wastewater in a typical year. Of that 34.5 billion gallons, approximately 24 billion gallons per year receive full secondary treatment, 9 billion gallons per year receive primary or decant treatment and are discharged to deep-water outfalls, and 1.5 billion gallons per year receive the equivalent to wet weather primary treatment and are discharged through nearshore outfalls.

In addition to treating wastewater, WWE also produces biosolids, a nutrient-rich soil-like product used as a synthetic fertilizer-replacement and soil amendment across the Bay Area.

Role description

Under general direction of the Pretreatment Program Manager and/or the Field Monitoring Section Manager, the Supervising Wastewater Control Inspector supervises and participates in the inspection of wastewater and storm water facilities, commercial, industrial wastewater, and storm water dischargers to determine compliance with the federal, state, and local laws and ordinances governing waste and storm water discharges to the sewer system, and may develop and implement Wastewater and Storm Water Pollution Prevention Programs. The Supervising Wastewater Control Inspector also assigns field crews for wastewater sampling, odor complaint investigations, and other special projects; manages inventory and supplies for the Field Monitoring Section; trains/supports field crew; and performs document control.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include: 

• Plans, directs, and evaluates the work of Wastewater Control Inspectors and Water Quality Technicians, which includes training and coaching staff.
• Supervises the Division’s Field Monitoring Section (FMS), which performs wastewater monitoring activities in the collection system and of industrial users and reports to FMS Manager.
• Develops and implements standard operating procedures (SOPs) for performing essential tasks required of the Division.
• Interprets and explains federal, state, and local laws, codes, ordinances, and technical procedures.
• Investigates, reports, and responds to complaints or referrals of illegal discharges of toxic substances into sewers odor issues.
• Assists in the preparation of semi-annual and annual reports to the Regional Water Quality Control Board, as well as the section’s budget, by researching relevant data.
• Performs inspections of commercial and industrial businesses to evaluate the compliance of their waste discharges with applicable regulations under the City’s Pretreatment, Pollution Prevention, and Stormwater Programs.
• Reviews analytical results from wastewater sampling for compliance with applicable discharge standards and limitations, and prepares any necessary correspondence or enforcement action.
• Reviews requests for wastewater discharge permits.
• Other related duties as assigned.

How to qualify

Education and Experience:

1a. Possession of a baccalaureate degree from a recognized college or university in natural science, mechanical, chemical, civil or sanitary engineering or closely related field AND two (2) years of experience in a wastewater treatment facility, laboratory services, storm water and pollution prevention, or sanitary engineering capacity performing duties comparable to a sanitary engineering/water quality technician; OR

b. Two (2) years of coursework from a recognized college or university in natural science, mechanical, chemical, civil or sanitary engineering or closely related field AND four (4) years of verifiable experience in a wastewater treatment facility, laboratory services, or sanitary engineering capacity performing duties comparable to a sanitary engineering/water quality technician; OR

c. A combination of education and experience totaling six years. Coursework from a recognized college or university in natural science, chemical, mechanical, civil, or sanitary engineering or closely related field can be combined with experience as a sanitary engineering/water quality technician on a year-for-year basis up to a maximum of four (4) years. (45 quarter/30 semester units is equivalent to one (1) year of experience.)

License/Certificate:

1. Current valid driver's license.

2. Environmental Compliance Inspector Grade II Certification issued by the California Water Environment Association within one year from the date of hire. (Previously called Industrial Waste Inspection Grade II Certificate issued by the California Water Environment Association.)

One year of full-time employment is equivalent to 2000 hours. (2000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40-hour work week.) Any overtime hours that you work above forty (40) hours per week are not included in the calculation to determine full-time employment.

Applicants must meet the minimum qualification requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.

Desirable Qualifications:

The stated desirable qualifications may be considered at the end of the selection process when candidates are referred for hiring:

• Environmental Compliance Inspector Grade II Certification issued by the California Water Environment Association
• Knowledge and experience with a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS)
• Wastewater field experience including sampling, investigations, and inspections
• Expertise with computer databases - querying, sorting, and statistical calculations
• Intermediate to advanced level in Excel
• Ability to work in a team-oriented collaborative environment

Every application is reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications as listed in the job ad. Please review our articles on Employment Application and Minimum Qualifications and Verification of Experience and/or Education for considerations taken when reviewing applications. 

Verification: Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at https://sfdhr.org/how-verify-education-requirements.

Note: Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.

All work experience, education, training and other information substantiating how you meet the minimum qualifications must be included on your application by the filing deadline. Information submitted after the filing deadline will not be considered in determining whether you meet the minimum qualifications. 

Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application. 

Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility, disqualification or may lead to lower scores.

Selection Procedures: After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following: 

Minimum Qualification Supplemental Questionnaire (Weight: Qualifying): Candidates will be required to complete a Minimum Qualification Supplemental Questionnaire (MQSQ) as part of the employment application at a later time. This MQSQ is designed to obtain specific information regarding an applicant's experience in relation to the Minimum Qualifications (MQ) for this position. The MQSQ will be used to evaluate if the applicant possesses the required minimum qualifications.

Supplemental Questionnaire Examination (Weight: 100%): Candidates who meet minimum qualifications will be invited via a separate link to complete the Supplemental Questionnaire Examination. The purpose of the Supplemental Questionnaire Examination is to evaluate the competencies that candidates possess in job-related areas, which have been identified as critical for this position and include, but are not limited to: 

• Knowledge of principles and methods related to wastewater pretreatment, storm water and/or pollution prevention
• Knowledge of current federal, state and local laws, codes, and ordinances regarding wastewater and stormwater
• Knowledge of safe sampling and inspection practices and procedures
• Ability to adhere to regulatory and managerial deadlines in a high-pressure environment
• Clear written and oral communication skills

A passing score must be achieved on the Supplemental Questionnaire Examination in order to continue in the selection process and be placed on the eligible list.

Candidates will be placed on the eligible list in rank order according to their final score. Candidate scores on this examination may also be applied to other announcements involving other job titles, when directed by the Human Resources Director.

The department may administer additional position-specific selection procedures to make final hiring decisions.

What else should I know?

Eligible List/Score Report: A confidential eligible list of applicant names that have passed the civil service examination process will be created, and used for certification purposes only. An examination score report will be established, so applicants can view the ranks, final scores and number of eligible candidates. Applicant information, including names of applicants on the eligible list, shall not be made public unless required by law. However, an eligible list shall be made available for public inspection, upon request, once the eligible list is exhausted or expired and referrals resolved. The eligible list/score report resulting from this civil service examination process is subject to change after adoption (e.g., as a result of appeals), as directed by the Human Resources Director or the Civil Service Commission. 

The duration of the eligible list resulting from this examination process will be 12 months, and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director. 

To find Departments which use this classification, please see https://sfdhr.org/sites/default/files/documents/Forms-Documents/Position-Counts-by-Job-Codes-and-Department-FY-2023-24.pdf. 

Certification: The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this examination will be Rule of 10 Scores.

Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights: Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations. Clerical errors may be corrected by the posting the correction on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.smartrecruiters.com/CityAndCountyOfSanFrancisco1/ .

The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 111A.35.1. The standard for the review of such appeals is ‘abuse of discretion’ or ‘no rational basis’ for establishing the position description, the minimum qualifications and/or the certification rule. Appeals must include a written statement of the item(s) being contested and the specific reason(s) why the cited item(s) constitute(s) abuse of discretion by the Human Resources Director. Appeals must be submitted directly to the Executive Officer of the Civil Service Commission within five business days of the announcement issuance date.

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

• Information About The Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview
• Equal Employment Opportunity
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Veterans Preference
• Seniority Credit
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

HOW TO APPLY
Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit https://careers.sf.gov and begin the application process. 

•    Select the “Apply Now” button and follow instructions on the screen 

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment and, therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure that their registered email address is accurate and kept up-to-date. Also, applicants must ensure that email from CCSF is not blocked on their computer by a spam filter. To prevent blocking, applicants should set up their email to accept CCSF mail from the following addresses (@sfgov.org, @sfdpw.org, @sfport.com, @flysfo.com, @sfwater.org, @sfdph.org, @asianart.org, @sfmta.com, @sfpl.org, @dcyf.org, @first5sf.org, @famsf.org, @ccsf.edu, @smartalerts.info, and @smartrecruiters.com). 

Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received. 

Exam Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the exam analyst, Queena Poon, at QPoon@sfwater.org.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.