Human Resource Services
Alameda Skyline

Water Plant Operator II, Zone 7

Recruitment #17-4943-01

Introduction

THE EXAMINATION

THIS IS A NEW ASSEMBLED EXAMINATION.  The eligible list resulting from this examination will cancel any existing list and may last approximately one year, but can be extended.

Applications and Supplemental Questionnaire: A properly completed Supplemental Questionnaire must be submitted with each application. Applications and Supplemental Questionnaires must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing. Postmarks are not accepted. Failure to submit the Supplemental Questionnaire will result in disqualification.

 

IN ADDITION TO COMPLETING AN ONLINE APPLICATION AND SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE, APPLICANTS MUST ALSO SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING:

1. Valid California Driver's License

2. Grade II Water Treatment Operator Certificate Issued by the State of California

COMPUTER PRINTOUTS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.  FAILURE TO SUBMIT ALL OF THE MATERIAL LISTED ABOVE WILL RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION FROM THIS RECRUITMENT.

All of the above material must be uploaded to the online application through the "Resume" tab; please upload and submit only one (1) PDF that contains all of the above material.  DO NOT try to upload multiple documents.

DESCRIPTION

THE AGENCY

Zone 7 provides treated drinking water to four major water retailers serving around 220,000 residents and businesses. The retailers are: the City of Pleasanton; the City of Livermore; California Water Service Company - Livermore; and Dublin San Ramon Services District, which provides water service to Dublin and the Dougherty Valley area of San Ramon

THE POSITION

Under general supervision, to operate, inspect, and maintain water treatment plant, well field and distribution system equipment and facilities; and to perform related duties as required. 

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications stated below, the ideal candidate will have demonstrated a track record of success in the following areas:

  • Possession of a valid Grade 2 or higher Water Treatment Operator Certificate issued by the State of California;
  • Passed Grade 3 Water Treatment Operator examination desirable;
  • Performs treatment plant and distribution system operations and basic maintenance activities using sound independent judgment within established guidelines;
  • Basic understanding of key regulations, as well as reporting procedures and requirements;
  • Knowledge of safety rules, regulations and work practices regarding water treatment plant chemicals and equipment;
  • Ability to follow established standard operating procedures, initiating action as appropriate to correct or notify others of quality issues;
  • Decision-making skills in order to identify and understand issues, problems, and opportunities and determine alternatives and appropriate action;
  • Proficiency in water treatment math and chemistry;
  • Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook) and SCADA;
  • Ability and willingness to work in a variety of conditions, including outdoors in various weather conditions; rotating shifts, weekends, holidays and in emergencies; and with and around hazardous chemicals and equipment.

 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Either I

Experience:

The equivalent of one year of full-time experience involving the use of pumps, motors, and piping systems, such as are used in sewage works, refineries, food processing plants, large marine equipment installations, or similar facilities.

And

Possession of a valid Grade Ill Water Treatment Operator Certificate issued by the California Department of Health Services within 2-1/2 years of appointment to the class of Water Plant Operator II.

Or II

The equivalent of one year of full-time experience in operating a water treatment plant with a system capacity of 1OMGD.

And

Possession of a valid Grade Ill Water Treatment Operator Certificate issued by the California Department of Health Services within 2-1/2 years of appointment to the class of Water Plant Operator II.

License:

Possession of a valid California driver’s license.
Possession of a valid Grade II Water Treatment Operator Certificate issued by the California Department of Health Services.

NOTE: The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

The most suitably qualified candidates will possess the following competencies:

Knowledge of:
• Water treatment principles, practices, methods, tools and equipment.
• Operation, basic maintenance and cleaning of water treatment plant and distribution system equipment and facilities, including centrifugal pumps, electrical motors, and piping and control systems.
• Mechanical, electrical and hydraulic principles.
• Safety rules, regulations and work practices, particularly in reference to hazardous chemicals.
• Standard chemical and physical tests of water.
• Basic arithmetical calculations.

Abilities:
• Performing treatment plant and distribution system operations and maintenance activities, using sound independent judgment within established guidelines.
• Recognizing unusual, inefficient or dangerous operating conditions and taking appropriate action.
• Making operating and maintenance adjustments to water treatment and distribution equipment and facilities.
• Performing standard water quality tests.
• Reading, interpreting and recording data from charts, gauges and meters.
• Keeping accurate records and preparing simple reports.
• Making basic arithmetical calculations quickly and accurately.
• Using a computer keyboard to enter and retrieve information.
• Establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Requires willingness and ability to:
• Work outdoors in a variety of weather conditions
• Work rotating shifts, weekends, holidays, and in emergencies
• Work with and around hazardous chemicals
• Wear respiratory protection equipment

Requires sufficient physical strength and agility to perform equipment operation, inspection and maintenance tasks, and to unload, store and transfer supplies and equipment.

EXAMINATION COMPONENTS

The examination will consist of the following steps:

  1. A review of candidates' application to verify possession of minimum requirements.  Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the class will move on to the next step in the examination process.
  2. A review of the supplemental questionnaire to determine the best qualified.
  3. An oral interview which will be weighted as 100% of the candidates' final examination score.  The oral interview may contain situational exercises.

Candidates must attain a qualifying rating on each portion of this recruitment. 

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE ANNOUNCED EXAMINATION STEPS.

Alameda County utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit.  Such a system is competitive and based on broad recruitment efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to test in an examination process designed to determine the qualifications, fitness and ability of competitors to perform duties of the vacant position.  Many of our recruitments are targeted and specific to the needs of a current vacant position, in which case, the eligible list may be exclusively used for that current vacant position.  Other recruitments may be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work. To learn more about our recruitment and selection process, please visit the “What You Need to Know” section of our website, www.acgov.org/hrs.

Selection Plan

 Applicants will be informed via email with reasonable notice in advance of any examination process which will require their attendance.  The following dates are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency:

TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN

*Last Day to File extended from 9/11/17 to 9/25/17 (9/6/2017 - LD)

Deadline for Filing:

5:00 p.m., Monday, September 25, 2017 

Review of Minimum Qualifications:

*Monday, September 25, 2017

*Thursday, October 5, 2017

Review of Supplemental Questionnaire for Best Qualified:

*Tuesday, October 10, 2017

*Monday, October 16, 2017

Oral Interviews:

*Thursday, October 26, 2017

*Wednesday, November 8, 2017

*Updated Tuesday, August 22, 2017

*Updated Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Alameda County and the Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination and/or selection process to accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the State Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Alameda County’s Reasonable Accommodation Policy and applicable statutes.  To request an accommodation due to a disability/medical condition during this or other phases of the examination/selection process, please contact the assigned Human Resources Representative listed on the job announcement before the last date of filing.   Alameda County requires applicants to provide supporting documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable accommodation. In order to qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants must have a disability/medical condition pursuant to the ADA, FEHA and applicable statutes.

For more information regarding our Reasonable Accommodation procedures, please visit our website, www.acgov.org/hrs

BENEFITS

Alameda County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many different employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall well being.  These benefits include but are not limited to*:

For your Health & Welfare Benefits

  • Medical – HMO & PPO Insurance
  • Dental – PPO & DHMO Insurance  
  • Vision
  • Basic Life Insurance 
  • Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage) 
  • County Allowance
  • Health Flexible Spending Account
  • Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
  • Accident, Critical Illness & Hospital Indemnity
  • Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

  • Short-term Disability Insurance
  • Long-Term Disability Insurance
  • Retirement Plan – (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
  • Deferred Compensation Plan

For your Work/Life Balance

  • 11 paid holidays
  • Vacation and sick leave accrual
  • Vacation purchase program
  • Management Paid Leave**
  • Group Auto/Home
  • Commuter Benefits Program
  • Guaranteed Ride Home
  • Employee Wellness Program (e.g. At Work Fitness, Incentive Based Programs, Gym Membership Discounts)
  • Employee Discount Program (e.g. theme parks, cell phone, etc.)
  • Child Care Resources
  • 1st United Services Credit Union 

*Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement.  This provides a brief summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change.

** Non-exempt management employees are entitled to up to three days of management paid leave. Exempt management employees are entitled to up to seven days of management paid leave.

Conclusion

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @acgov.org and alamedacountyHR@acgov.org as accepted addresses to any email blocking or spam filtering program you may use. If you do not do this, your email blocking or spam filtering program may block receipt of the notices regarding your application for recruitments. You are also strongly advised to regularly log into your County of Alameda online application account to check for notices that may have been sent to you. All email notices that will be sent to you will also be kept in your personal online application account. You will be able to view all of your notices in your online application account by clicking on the 'My applications' button on the Current Job Openings page.

Please take the steps recommended above to insure you do not miss any notices about a recruitment for which you have applied. The County of Alameda is not responsible for notices that are not read, received or accessed by any applicant for a County recruitment.

NOTE: All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box alamedacountyHR@acgov.org are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. If you have questions please go to our website at www.acgov.org/hrs. You may also contact the Human Resources Analyst listed on the bulletin for the recruitment for which you have applied.

Leticia Diaz, Human Resources Analyst
Human Resource Services Division, County of Alameda
510-272-6469; Email: Leticia.Diaz@acgov.org
www.acgov.org/hrs

 Alameda County is an Equal Opportunity Employer