Posting number: 26-001
Department: PUBLIC WORKS
Division: Waste Water Treatment Plant
Job classification: Waste Water Treatment Plant Operator
Posting type: Open
Categories: Public Works, Waste Management, Wastewater
This position is responsible for skilled technical work in the operation, maintenance and repair of the City’s Wastewater Treatment Plant and its ancillary sewer, leachate and flood control pumping facilities and equipment.
Under general supervision, the employee is familiar with the work routine and uses initiative in carrying out recurring assignments independently with specific instruction. The supervisor provides additional, specific instruction for new, difficult or unusual assignments, including suggested work methods. The employee refers unusual situations to the supervisor for advice and further instructions.
The work requires examining, analyzing and evaluating facts and circumstances surrounding individual problems, situations or transactions, and determining actions to be taken within the limits of standard or accepted practices. Guidelines include a large body of policies, practices and precedents which may be complex or conflicting, at times. Judgment is used in analyzing specific situations to determine appropriate actions. Employee is expected to weigh efficiency and relative priorities in conjunction with procedural concerns in decision making. Requires understanding, interpreting and applying federal, state and local regulations.
The work consists of the practical application of a variety of concepts, practices and specialized techniques relating to a professional or technical field. Assignments typically involve evaluation and interpretation of factors, conditions or unusual circumstances; inspecting, testing or evaluating compliance with established standards or criteria; gathering, analyzing and evaluating facts or data using specialized fact finding techniques; or determining the methods to accomplish the work.
Relationships are primarily with co-workers and involve giving and receiving factual information about the work. Ordinary courtesy and tact are required. Contacts with the public may be required on an occasional basis.
Associate’s Degree in science or related field; one to three years of experience in the operation, maintenance and repair of a wastewater treatment plant or similar industrial facility; equivalent combination of education and experience.
A valid driver’s license is required. Other licenses are required after date of hire and are defined in the NAME Union contract.
Knowledge: Knowledge of wastewater treatment process; knowledge of federal and state regulations concerning wastewater treatment; knowledge of the methods and techniques for conducting wastewater treatment analysis.
Abilities: Ability to read and interpret plans, drawings, gauges and recording devices; ability to use tools and equipment; ability to perform laboratory analysis.
Skills: Mechanical skills; computer skills; recordkeeping skills.
The nature of duties may involve continuous presence of unpleasant or irritating elements, such as considerable noise, odors, chemical fumes, dust, smoke, heat, cold, oil, dirt, grease or adverse weather conditions. Work may be continually performed outdoors or in confined spaces, regardless of weather conditions. Work may require emergency response outside of normal business hours. Travel may be required during adverse weather conditions.
Physical Skills: Work requires moderate physical strength and effort daily, such as lifting heavy objects, carrying the object(s) and stacking them or moving them. In addition, pulling, pushing, standing or walking for the full work day may also be involved.
Motor Skills: The work may involve assignments requiring application of hand and eye coordination with finger dexterity and motor coordination. The work requires the ability to perform laboratory tests.
Visual Skills: Essential position functions require the ability to operate a motor vehicle and to use hand and power tools. In addition, essential position functions require good close, distant, color and peripheral vision and depth perception at correctable ranges.
The City of Northampton, known as "Paradise City" is situated between the Connecticut River and the foothills of the Berkshires 20 miles north of Springfield. Offering a sophisticated rural lifestyle rich in cultural, artistic, academic, and business resources, with one of the most vibrant downtown centers in New England, the Town of Northampton (originally the town of Nonotuck) was granted its Charter in 1654, and incorporated as a city in 1884.
The city has been recognized in recent years by numerous publications as top rated for the arts, for families, for historic preservation and for outdoor activities. Northampton is home to Smith College and is strongly influenced by Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College and the University of Massachusetts as part of the five-college system in the region. The superb quality of life in Northampton contributes to its strong economic base with growing manufacturing, technology and service sectors. The local labor force is diverse, well educated and highly skilled.
Northampton's blend of traditional neighborhoods, forged by the great care of generations of good neighbors, and a lively and sophisticated cultural community would make any great city proud. We have worked hard to blend the needs of a growing economy with our many buildings of historic significance. We honor our traditions, retaining the historic character of downtown and the mill villages of Florence, Leeds, and Bay State. We are proud to have been home to many generous and thoughtful individuals, whose legacies continue to inspire us: Jonathan Edwards, Sojourner Truth, Leonard Baskin, Lydia Maria Child, Amelia Earhart, Calvin Coolidge, Sylvia Plath and Richard Yarde, among others who have called this city home.
Here, you will find what many of us have found - a lively, caring community where people from all walks of life feel welcome and empowered to participate in the work of maintaining this remarkable, diverse city. Welcome to Paradise!
