Operations Director for Water/Wastewater Utility at Essential Utilities

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 a great opportunity for a operations director in charge of day-to-day operations activities for the state of New Jersey (currently 185,000 people served).  This includes, but is not limited to, management of operations and initiatives for water and wastewater systems, communicating with upper management to improve company operations and productivity, working with finance on the creation and implementation of the Operations Budget, overseeing client support services and managing procurement and resource allocation.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Supervises staff including employee selection, mutual development of performance goals and measurements; performance evaluation; providing training and growth opportunities; planning and directing work assignments; creating atmosphere of trust and support; fairly administering Company policies affecting staff; and communicating information for effective job performance.
• Drives operational excellence initiatives using continuous improvement methodologies focused on operating efficiency, cost control, environmental compliance, and health & safety.
• Responsible for ensuring appropriate health and safety measures are carried out.
• Assesses problems and events daily and assigns appropriate personnel to resolve accordingly.
• Responsible for Area Supervisor’s adherence to the collective bargaining unit agreement within the divisions as well as being an active participant in union negotiations, grievance resolutions, and maintaining strong business agent relationships.
• Prepares and administers operating and capital budgets within each division. Supervises maintenance and capital renovations and additions to water and wastewater systems.
• Works with Engineering team to prepare operating and capital budgets within each division.
• Maintain open and effective lines of communication with external community groups, developers and governmental agencies.
• Overall responsibility for all State purchasing and control in accordance with Company policies and procedures.
• Work with upper management to ensure financial obligations and initiatives of the company are met.
• Assist with business development opportunities and with preparation of pro formas.
• Interacts with regulators regarding current regulations, permit compliance and other matters regarding water and wastewater operations.
• Provide management assistance on corporate strategy as needed.
• Provide input to the preparation of developer and main extension agreements, and provide local administration for said agreements.
• Manage and provide guidance related to water distribution, water treatment, sewer collection, and sewer treatment operations for well based and surface water as well as local wastewater systems.
• Interacts with customers regarding problems or issues, prioritizes and addresses them promptly; notifies customers of upcoming service adjustments or maintenance procedures.
• Coordinates and negotiates with vendors regarding supplies and/or services needed.
• Institutes and supervises Aqua New Jersey’s Safety Program in their area.
• Works with others in the organization to develop performance matrices to assure that all resources are used in the most cost effective manner possible. Uses technology where appropriate to monitor and manage. Continues to maintain and search for new methods of increasing productivity and quality in the most cost effective manner within their area.
• Overall responsibility for developing and controlling the Company's operating and maintenance and capital budgets, as well as providing direction in the areas of construction, purchases or other acquisitions, operations, maintenance and protection of all property, facilities and equipment required to maintain water quality standards and continuity of service.
• Other duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Engineering or related field and 7 years’ experience required in the management of personnel and general operations of a water and/or wastewater utility is required.

• Ideal candidate will have Possession of a valid NJ DEP T, W, S or C operator licenses.
• Ideal candidate is a Registered Professional Engineer in the state of New Jersey.
• Must have a valid U.S. Driver’s License.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Email, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

• Excellent written and verbal communications skills; communicate effectively (clearly, concisely, and professionally) with internal customers.

• Strong customer service skills.

• Ability to work well under pressure.

• Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously and adapt to changing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

• A collaborator able to work effectively with colleagues and staff in a cross-functional, team-fostered multi-tasking environment.   

WORKING CONDITIONS/PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Perform sedentary work- exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time.

• See, hear, talk, and perform tasks requiring manual dexterity.           

• Working conditions include travel to work sites of Essential Utilities. 

• Time spent in the field involves exposure to the elements, noise, and potentially hazardous substances and conditions.

• Available for company daily travel up to 40% of time.

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.