Wastewater Attendant – Environmental Services Department

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The City of San José is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants for all job openings will be considered without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful under any federal, state or local laws. The City of San José is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at 408-535-1285, 711 (TTY) , or via email at CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov .

About the Department

The Environmental Services Department (ESD) is a national leader in pollution prevention, watershed protection, utility service provision, and climate action. Together, ESD employees positively impact every resident and business in San Jose.

Our department is an exceptional place to start or grow your career. We have a supportive leadership team, numerous professional growth opportunities, and an inclusive workplace culture that is welcoming of your talents! We offer an array of meaningful career paths and value flexibility. Additionally, the City offers excellent health and pension benefits, as well as 15 paid holidays!

To learn more about ESD, follow @sjenvironment on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and San Jose Environmental Services on LinkedIn.

Position Duties

The Environmental Services Department (ESD) is recruiting to fill multiple Wastewater Attendant positions (WWA) positions at the San José - Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility (RWF). The Facility is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Assignments may be made to any shift in an around-the clock operation. There may be times when WWAs must also be available to work Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays.

Under immediate supervision, the WWA assists in the operation and maintenance of equipment at the RWF. Working in a learning capacity, the WWA works with experienced Wastewater Mechanics (WWMs), Wastewater Operators (WWOs), Heavy Equipment Operators (HEOs), Industrial Painters, Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Technicians, Instrument Control Technicians, Landscapers, and others.

Duties require a heavy level of physical exertion, including exerting up to 100 pounds of force. Incumbents may be required to utilize self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) equipment, which requires the ability to pass an annual fit and spirometry test.

Depending on the area assignment, typical duties may include, but are not limited to the following:

Maintenance:

• Assisting with minor sheet metal work, rough carpentry and simple plumbing repairs
• Assisting with connecting various fixtures, pumps, filters, and tanks to piping systems and installs valves, regulators, gauges and similar devices
• Assisting with inspections and preventive maintenance on equipment
• Maintains tool crib, tool check out, inventory, minor repairs.
• Clean equipment, structures, and facilities such as tanks, clarifiers, handrails, outsides of buildings, and shop areas. May require use of power washer.
• Assist operator/mechanics with trenching work.
• Provide services in refueling and maintaining of vehicles and equipment
• Assisting with welding and grinding operations
• Assisting with inspecting, testing, dismantling, overhauling, repairing and re-assembling wastewater facility machinery, equipment, and engines
• Assisting with the operation of engines and auxiliaries, as required under variable power and air demands
• Assisting with adjusting feeds and fills lubricant containers for individual bearings and other parts of machinery
• Check temperature of bearings by touch or thermometer
• Assisting with tests on engine cooling water

Residual Solids Management (RSM):

• Assist the Heavy Equipment Operators (HEOs) in the bed restoration phase of the RSM operations
• Assisting with pre-operation inspections and operates forklifts, boom lifts, and scissor lifts
• Assist with sand blasting operations
• Perform minor irrigation repairs
• Assist with weed patrol affecting wastewater processes
• Assist with set-up, movement and hook-up of pumps and hoses for dredging operations

In addition to the position-specific duties, Wastewater Attendants also:

• Set up and act as standby for confined space operations
• Participates in maintaining records and preparing reports
• Performs other duties of similar nature or level

For additional information regarding the Wastewater Attendant position, please visit the class specification.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions as mentioned above and other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in these classifications, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Minimum Qualifications

1. Education: Successful completion of high school, General Educational Development (G.E.D.) Certificate, or California Proficiency Certificate.

2. Experience: One (1) year of experience performing minor repairs or servicing of industrial machinery and equipment found at the wastewater treatment facility or similar heavy industrial facility.

3. Licenses: Possession of a valid State of California Class C driver's license. As a condition of employment in some designated positions, possession of a valid State of California Class A or B driver's license with applicable endorsements may be required in the performance of job duties.

As stated above, candidates must have at least one (1) year of experience performing minor repairs or servicing of industrial machinery and equipment. For this entry-level position, candidates should note that any trade-related experience of one year will be considered. The one year of industrial experience required can involve assisting with service or repairs of industrial equipment in any number of relatable trades.

Other Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history.

Competencies

The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history. Desirable competencies for this position include:

Job Expertise - Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies and federal and state rules and regulations. Additional specific desirable job expertise competencies include:

• Knowledge of safety practices and procedures to be observed in a heavy industrial facility
• Experience performing minor repairs, service or operating of industrial machinery and equipment
• For some positions, experience with HVAC systems, instrument controls, industrial painting, or large stationary diesel engines is a plus

Teamwork & Interpersonal Skills - Develops effective relationships with co-workers and supervisors by helping others accomplish tasks and using collaboration and conflict resolution skills

Problem Solving - Approaches a situation or problem by defining the problem or issue; determines the significance of problem(s); collects information; uses logic and intuition to arrive at decisions or solutions to problems that achieve the desired outcome.

Initiative - Exhibits resourceful behaviors toward meeting job objectives; anticipates problems, is proactive, and avoids difficulties by planning ahead; displays willingness to assume extra responsibility and challenges; pursues continuing education opportunities that promotes job performance.

Continuous Improvement - Actively identifies new areas for learning and regularly creates and takes advantage of learning opportunities; courses in wastewater operations or mechanical technology is desirable

Customer Service - Demonstrates the ability to anticipate customers' needs and deliver services effectively and efficiently using professional demeanor

Flexibility - Makes effective decisions and achieves desired results in the midst of major changes in responsibilities, work processes, timeframes, performance expectations, organizational culture, or work environment

Computer Skills - Experienced with common business computer applications including but not limited to: MS Outlook, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Access, and MS Excel.

Communication Skills - Communicates and listens effectively and responds in an timely, effective, positive and respectful manner; written reports and correspondence are accurate, complete, current; well-organized, legible, concise, neat, and in proper grammatical form responds to statements and comments of others in a way that reflects understanding of the content and the accompanying emotion; asks clarifying questions to assure understanding of what the speaker intended, ensures consistent communication takes place within area of responsibility.

Selection Process:

The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to all the job specific questions. You must answer all questions to be considered or your application may be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Only those candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to proceed in the selection process. Additional phases of the selection process will consist of one or more interviews.

If you have questions about the duties of these positions, the selection or hiring processes, please contact Irina Orozco at
Irina.Orozco@sanjoseca.gov

Additional Information:

Employment Eligibility: Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will NOT sponsor, represent or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1-B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.

You must answer all job-specific questions to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applicants are expected to write their own essays/responses. Please be advised that use of AI content in your responses may result in your removal from the hiring process.

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third party job board application system.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov and we will research the status of your application.

The City of San Jose offers a wide range of core health benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Disability, and Savings Plans. Please visit the City's benefits pagefor detailed information on coverage, cost, and dependent coverage.

For information on the City’s Retirement Plan(pension for full-time employees), please visit the Office of Retirement Services website. You will be able to view information based on different Sworn/Federated job classification.

In additional to the benefits above, there is an additional perks siteto explore further benefits of working for the City of San Jose like paid leave, educational reimbursements, and holiday pay are specific to the job classification and union membership.

Closing Date/Time: 6/9/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

• 

• City of San Jose

• 408-535-1285

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