City of Tampa

Under direction, the employee is required to exercise considerable initiative and independent judgment to establish a proactive process aiming at regulatory compliance while controlling operating costs for advanced drinking water treatment processes. Plan, implement, oversee, monitor, evaluate and modify operations of bench and pilot treatment plants to evaluate treatment strategies for full-scale plant implementation; formulate recommendations for consideration by the Quality Assurance Officer, Production Manager, Department Director and other high-level city employees.  Work is reviewed while in progress and upon completion through oral and written reports and results obtained.

Reviewing and evaluating process performance of the full-scale water treatment process for optimization and improvements. Performing process modeling, trending process performance, calculating cost and determining feasibility of projects based on analysis of collected data.  

Researching and applying treatment concepts, strategies and technologies on a bench and pilot scale study to evaluate their applicability and feasibility for use by City of Tampa; performing computer calculations as necessary to monitor and maintain bench and pilot plant operations within study parameters.  

Providing field evaluations and recommending operation or maintenance modifications.

Coordinating with Operation and Maintenance sections to implement effective courses of action and obtain optimal utilization of research results.  

Researching emerging technologies and new products and conducting water quality studies to achieve business objectives and goals.  

Staying informed of current and upcoming regulations and being able to foresee and resolve potential compliance challenges using a proactive approach.  

Identifying, developing and implementing appropriate analytical procedures for water quality parameters critical to research studies as appropriate.  

Preparing clear, concise and comprehensive logs, records, study reports and other written materials; communicating clearly and concisely both orally and in writing.  

Performing related duties as assigned.

Extensive knowledge of: theories, principles, methods, practices, techniques and equipment used in potable water treatment; local, state and federal laws and regulations pertaining to the production and treatment of potable water, including the Safe Drinking Water Act, Florida Administrative Code and relevant EPA and U.S. Public Health regulations; trends and developments in water treatment science, technologies, engineering and operations; principles, methods and operational requirements and control parameters used in treatment and disinfection processes, including pre-chlorination, coagulation, flocculation, dual media filtration, fluoridation, chlorination and corrosion control; principles, practices, methods and techniques in the use of state-of-the-art supervisory process control systems to monitor and manage water treatment processes and other specialized software applicable to areas of assigned responsibility.  

Some knowledge of: Cost/Benefit analysis  

Ability to: Plan, implement, monitor and evaluate bench and pilot treatment plant operations designed to simulate full-scale treatment plant processes; organize, set priorities and exercise sound independent judgment within areas of responsibility; understand, interpret, explain and apply complex federal, state and local law and regulations; solve problems; perform bench-scale and pilot-scale studies using advanced water treatment technologies; prepare technical reports on study results; establish and maintain effective working relationships with department managers, supervisors, consultants, vendors, employees and others encountered in the course of the work.   

Graduation from a four-year college with a major in environmental or civil engineering, or a closely related field; a master’s degree or higher is highly preferred.