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Job Description
Description
About the Position:
The City of Palo Alto is excited to announce an opportunity to join our Public Works Department as an Electrician - Lead. This open recruitment invites qualified candidates from all backgrounds to apply for a hands-on leadership role supporting the City’s vital electrical infrastructure. Under direct supervision, the Electrician - Lead provides on-site leadership and guidance to a team that includes Electricians, Electrical Assistants, Metering Personnel, and Apprentices. The Electrician - Lead position is responsible for both supervising and mentoring staff while performing hands-on work in the installation, maintenance, and repair of the City's essential electrical systems. This role will primarily support the Storm Drains team.
Storm Drains Team Assignments:- Daily/Weekly: Review PA311 work orders, SCADA system, and supervisor tasks; inspect vehicles, tools, and equipment; follow safety guidelines; conduct safety meetings; inspect pump stations inside/outside; test pumps; and keep facilities clean.
- Monthly: Test UPS, generators, phone alarms, pump start/stop levels, and lighting; clean creek cameras and sensors.
- Every 6 Months: Inspect/calibrate gas detectors, reset PLC clocks, and check tide gate/SCADA readings.
- Yearly: Perform preventive maintenance on MCC/UPS, refill generators, clean/test rain gauges & creek sensors, clean Wet Wells, inspect pumps, and complete thermal imaging tests.
- Every 2 Years & Ongoing: Megger test motor windings; consider vibration analysis, load bank testing, and improved checklist documentation.
Key Responsibilities:- Lead and oversee the daily work of electrical personnel
- Provide instruction, mentorship, and technical support to team members
- Perform skilled electrical work, including installation, maintenance, and repairs
- Assist in training and developing apprentices and junior staff
Distinguishing Characteristics:
This is a lead-level classification within the skilled trades, responsible for on-site direction and technical support across a variety of systems. These include:- Power distribution substations
- Street lighting and traffic signals
- Coaxial and fiber optic communication systems
- SCADA systems
- Programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and instrumentation
- Electrical metering systems
Benefits Highlights- CalPERS Pension- Lifetime retirement income with up to 100% of your highest salary.
- Fully Paid Medical, Dental & Vision- Coverage for you and eligible dependents.
- Six Weeks Paid Parental Leave.
- Up to $10,000/year in Childcare Assistance.
- Generous Time Off- Up to 200 hours of vacation plus 13 paid holidays.
- Commuter Perks- Unlimited Bay Area transit with Clipper BayPass, including Caltrain, BART, VTA, MUNI, and more
- View Memorandum Of Agreements between the City and its employee groups
Work Schedule: 9/80, Monday - Friday
This position is represented by Service Employee International Union (SEIU).
Compensation (SEIU): Comprehensive compensation plan, to learn more click HERE .
Essential Duties
Essential and other important responsibilities and duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:- Services and maintains solid state and electrical/mechanical components such as traffic signal controllers, coaxial cable and components, fiber optics system and components, remote transmitting units (RTU), instrumentation components, installation of conduit, boxes and cable, lighting, power systems and various apparatus
- Services and maintains distribution substations, street lighting, and electrical metering
- Installs, maintains and repairs electric control panels, motor control centers (MCC), PLCs, variable frequency drives VFDs, soft starters, AC and DC motors, loop-controllers, electric valve controllers/positioners, hazardous chemical feed and monitoring systems, flow meters, incinerator burner control systems, SCADA computers, fiber optic/unshielded twisted pair (UTP)/coax cable, network hardware, and video surveillance systems, modems, transmitters
- Programs and documents SCADA system computers, PLCs, controllers, and miscellaneous "smart" instruments. Maintains calibration records and files
- Uses computerized maintenance management system
For full job description, please click HERE .
Minimum Qualifications
Sufficient education, training and/or work experience to demonstrate possession of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities, which would typically be acquired through:
- Completion of an accredited electrician apprentice program, or (depending upon position), Associate of Science degree in electronics or equivalent experience
- Two years of experience as a journey-level Electrician/Technician
Special Requirements:- Possession of a valid California Driver's License
- Ability to pass drug test as mandated by the Department of Transportation
- May be required to work on standby and/or overtime in emergency situations
Supplemental Information
The Selection Process:- Applicants will receive recruitment status notifications via email. Governmentjobs.com account also has notification status updates.
- Applicants will be screened throughout the posting process and highly qualified candidates may be invited to interview at any time after the posting closes.
- The screening process for this position typically may include a virtual recorded interview and/or panel interviews preceding final interviews with the hiring manager or their designee.
Recruitment Timeline (All dates subject to change) :
First Review of Applications: Week of September 22nd
Interviews: Week of October 6th
Our online application system is provided by NeoGov. If you have problems while applying online, please contact NeoGov's Live Applicant Support at (855) 524-5627 between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM Pacific Time, Monday - Friday.
The City of Palo Alto is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City will provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.
See our Benefits at a Glance Bookletfor more details.
Learn more about our Memorandum of Agreements (MOAs) between the City and its bargaining units, by clicking HERE.
Closing Date/Time: 9/21/2025 11:59 PM Pacific -
ABOUT THE COMPANY
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City of Palo Alto
Show moreThe Community
The birthplace of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto, is a community of approximately 68,000 residents and nearly 100,000 jobs. Located on the mid-Peninsula between San Francisco and San Jose, Palo Alto is recognized worldwide as a leader in cutting-edge technology, medicine, and green innovation. The community's treelined streets and historic buildings reflect its California heritage, and, at the same time, many world-class businesses maintain or started offices here, such as Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Amazon, Broadcom, Hewlett-Packard, Houzz, Rivian, SAP and SAP Ariba, Tesla, and Varian Medical Systems. Numerous start-ups are also at home in Palo Alto, arguably making it the start-up capital of the world. Stanford University is foundational to the history and prestige of Palo Alto, reflected in the community's dedication to lifelong learning. Stanford's cultural and educational offerings are integral to the vibrancy and charm of Palo Alto, while the City's exceptional K-12 school district ranks among the top public-school systems in the country. With more than 50% of adult residents holding a graduate degree or higher, Palo Alto is frequently listed as one of the most educated cities in the nation. Palo Alto boasts a genuine sense of community and an active citizenry with strong environmental values. Beautiful neighborhoods are complemented by vibrant commercial corridors and a bustling economy featuring premium shopping and dining options. Excellent healthcare facilities, performing arts, and diverse recreational opportunities are some of the community's incredibly desirable and cherished amenities. To learn more, visit https://www.paloalto.gov/Departments/City-Manager/Latest-NewsCity Government
Palo Alto is a full-service charter city with a council-manager form of government. The seven-member City Council is elected at large, and the City Council annually selects the Mayor and Vice Mayor from among its members. The Mayor and City Council appoint the City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk, and City Auditor. The City Manager is responsible for the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of the City. Palo Alto is organized into 15 departments/offices with 1,093.10 authorized positions in FY 2025. There is also a FY 2025 capital budget of $316.2 million. Palo Alto owns and operates its own utilities, including electricity (carbon-neutral), gas, water, wastewater, and an expanding fiber network. This dynamic municipal environment ensures an ever-engaging platform for unique problem-solving and advances new initiatives, including sustainability, broadband, and effective service delivery. Community assets also include five libraries, 36 parks, five community centers, a museum and zoo, youth centers, a general aviation airport, an 18-hole golf course, a regional water treatment plant, and wildland open space preserves at the San Francisco Bay and in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains offering 41 miles of walking/biking trails in addition to its police, fire, and ambulance services. Palo Alto has long been a leader in sustainability, and the City's ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals are part of what sets it apart. Since the City's first Climate Protection Plan was passed in 2007, Palo Alto has set goals that exceed State and Federal targets. Today, the City's goal to reduce emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2030 (the "80x30" goal) and achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 guides sustainability efforts. An award-winning City, Palo Alto is recognized nationally as innovative and well-managed. City services and performance also receive impressive marks from community members in the Palo Alto Community Survey.
Many of those ratings put City programs and services in the highest percentiles among the hundreds of benchmark cities. Palo Alto makes decisions through comprehensive processes and proactively seeks to involve its extremely informed, educated, and engaged residents. Projects are naturally a cooperative effort among the City Council, Boards, Commissions, Committees, engaged residents, neighborhoods, businesses, property owners, and staff.
Join an Award Winning Team
Palo Alto is an award-winning City recognized nationwide as innovative and well-managed. Palo Alto is one of a small number of California cities with a AAA bond rating. Recently, Palo Alto became one of the most livable cities in the U.S. by Livability.com. It's the only city to receive the Platinum Beacon Award in sustainability best practices by California’s Institute for Local Government. We offer a variety of career paths that relate to building and improving communities. The City has fourteen departments employing 1,000 full-time staff. Police officers, fire fighters, paramedics, and building inspectors keep us safe. Engineers and public works staff build and re-build the physical infrastructure. City planners help envision and shape future community growth. Recreation, arts and library professionals enhance community life. Utilities provides electric, gas, water, sewer and other services. Internal services departments help manage, staff, and protect the City.
Want to learn more about our benefits? Learn more by reviewing our "Benefits at a Glance Booklet."
Contact Us
Phone: 650-329-2376
Email: Recruit@paloalto.gov
Location: City Hall, 1st Floor | 250 Hamilton Ave 94301 | View Map
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