PLANT OPERATOR - DRINKING WATER (PERM/FT/BENEFITS)***$5,000 Hiring Bonus
Harford County MD

Job Info

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Nature of Work

Harford County Government is currently recruiting for openings with the Department of Public Works - Division of Water & Sewer for their Water facility. A complete overview of the Water position is listed within.

WATER POSITION - This is responsible work involving the operation, maintenance, and repair of the Harford County water treatment plant(s), booster stations, towers, and related facilities. Actual job duties depend upon assignment and require strict adherence to prescribed safety standards. Duties involve working on teams and on one's own and requires a proven satisfactory record of working independently with minimum supervision. Duties include training and overseeing the work of lower-level plant staff. Work is on a rotating shift basis, including weekends so as to control plant operations and maintain grounds and equipment. General supervision is received from the Treatment Plant Supervisor.

We are currently seeking to fill vacancies within our Abingdon Water Treatment Plant (Abingdon, MD). Be advised this position is posted as M-F; 7A-3P; but the nature of the work requires rotating shift(s) and 24/7 on-call.

The Department of Public Works - Division of W&S Operations is actively recruiting to fill positions as one of the following:

• Plant Operator Trainee I
• Plant Operator Trainee II
• Plant Operator

Through the recruitment process, a determination will be made on which position will be offered to a candidate, based upon the candidate's skills and abilities as it relates to the minimum qualification requirements for each position listed above. The minimum qualification requirements for each role are detailed below.

Please note - a $5,000 hiring bonus will be paid within your first 6 months of employment and you must remain employed for at least two years.
Examples of Duties

(The following examples illustrate the work performed in the positions in the class. Positions may require some or all of these examples depending on the organization of work within the department. The list is not inclusive. A position may require duties not listed, if necessary, to accomplish the work of the department.)

WATER POSITION

Operates such water treatment equipment as deep well pumps, progressive cavity, and centrifugal pumps, chemical addition systems, fluoridation devices, filters, and related motors. Also, related distribution equipment such as booster stations and towers.

Operates valves, starts, and stops pumps and motors to control and adjust the process and Distribution of water flows.

Monitors gauges, meters, and control panels and observes variations in operating conditions to determine processing requirements.

Inspects bearings, valves, seals, filters, pumps, motors, and other mechanical and electrical equipment; lubricates, makes repairs, or replaces as necessary.

Obtains required samples at various stages and performs routine tests as needed by State and Federal agencies and for proper operation of the treatment plant.

Reads various charts, gauges, and meters; records readings in shift logs; changes charts on a routine basis.

Makes daily rounds of the Harford County water distribution system; corrects any malfunctions and reports same to supervisor.

Cleans tanks, filters, screens, pumps, and other related equipment.

Maintains all buildings, equipment, and grounds in a neat and orderly fashion, as required. This may include custodial-related tasks, cutting grass, and painting both buildings and equipment.

Maintains records and may be required to submit reports.

Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualification Requirements

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Familiarity with, or background knowledge of, the safe operation of pumps, valves, gauges, and other equipment normally found in a treatment plant operation;
• Knowledge of elementary mechanical, electrical, and hydraulic principles
• Ability to work adhering to safe work practices
• Knowledge of basic math skills
• Ability to safely perform inspections of pumps, valves, gauges, and other mechanical and electrical equipment; to maintain simple written records
• Ability to read charts, gauges, and meters accurately
• Ability to follow instructions
• Ability to work effectively with others
• Ability to operate basic hand tools
• Ability to perform minor maintenance on buildings, equipment, and grounds
• Ability to climb, stoop, kneel, reach, lift, walk, and stand for prolonged periods of time
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs.
• Ability to drive a County vehicle while carrying out some assignments
• Must be able to work safely and efficiently in existing environmental/atmospheric conditions, such as odors; noise; to inside and outside environmental conditions.
• Must be able to wear a negative-pressure respirator and/or self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).
  
  WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Subject to hazards of working at construction sites, in confined spaces, around heavy equipment, and in or near heavily trafficked highways; and exposure to adverse weather conditions.
• On 24-hour call for emergencies, flextime, or scheduled rotation of duties to cover a 6-7 day work week, including weekends. Positions in this class may be required to cover a second-shift operation.
• This class of positions requires occasional use of a negative-pressure respirator and/or SCBA. The level of use for employees will be determined during the employee's physical examination with the County's medical provider.
• This class of positions requires incumbents to maintain a clean facial surface at all respirator points.
• The employee will be required to maintain his/her Operator's license in good standing.
• The selected candidate is subject to random drug and/or alcohol screenings.

SAFETY (ALL POSITIONS):
Must comply with all Federal (OSHA), State of Maryland (MOSH), safety regulations, and applicable Harford County safety policies, procedures, or manual as required for this position.

PLANT OPERATOR TRAINEE I - MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

• EDUCATION:
  • Possession of a high school or vocational-technical school diploma or GED Certificate.
• EXPERIENCE:
  • One (1) year of experience in pump and motor maintenance.
• LICENSE:
  • Possession of a valid Class "C" non-commercial driver's license with no more than three (3) points. Please be advised this position requires a valid driver's license. Your application will not be considered if you fail to include the full driver's license number on the electronic application.
  • Persons selected for this classification will be required to obtain and maintain a valid permanent Maryland Board of Certification Water Class 4 license within four (4) years from the original date of hire as Trainee I.

COMPENSATION:
Other compensation may include but is not limited to:

• Overtime
• Compensatory time
• Shift Differentials

BENEFITS:

Harford County offers an exceptional benefits package that includes:

• Health, Dental & Vision insurance
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• State Retirement Plan and Deferred Compensation
• Long Term Disability, and Life Insurance for Employee, Spouse, and Children
• Generous Leave Package & Paid Holidays
• Tuition Reimbursement

PLANT OPERATOR - MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

• EDUCATION:
  • Possession of a high school or vocational-technical school diploma or GED Certificate.
  • Satisfactory completion of courses equivalent to water or wastewater -
    • "Operation of Wastewater Treatment Plants I" Sacramento course; & "Operation of Wastewater Treatment Plants II" Sacramento course;
    • "Operation of Water Treatment Plants I" Sacramento course
    • "First Aid and Safety for Operations Personnel" Red Cross course

EXPERIENCE:

• Three (3) years' experience to include in a water treatment setting.

LICENSE:

• Possession of a valid Class "C" non-commercial driver's license with no more than three (3) points. Please be advised this position requires a valid driver's license. Your application will not be considered if you fail to include the full driver's license number on the electronic application.
• Operations: Possession of a valid permanent Maryland Board of Certification Water Class 4 license or reciprocating state If a reciprocating state license is used to be found qualified for this position a Maryland Board of Certification Class 4 license must be obtained within 1 year.

Notes

• Selected candidate is subject to random drug and/or alcohol testing.
• Selected candidate must be available for work as a critical employee - 24/7 on-call.

FRINGE BENEFITS
(Effective July 1, 2023)

ANNUAL LEAVE - Begin accruing first day of employment and cannot be taken until successful completion of probationary period, EXCESS of 40 DAYS [320 hours] will be deposited into an 106 Premium Reimbursement Account.

0 months - 3 years 1 day per month (12 days per year)
4 years - 9 years 1 ¼ days per month (15 days per year)
10 years - 15 years 1 ¾ days per month (21 days per year)
Over 15 years 2 days per month (24 days per year)

* Please note that leave is prorated according to your status determined by actual hours worked*

SICK LEAVE - Begin accruing first day of employment (UMLIMITED ACCUMULATION)

1 day is allowed after first month of employment
1 ¼ days per month accumulation

PERSONAL LEAVE - For new employees, personal leave is prorated according to schedule below, for the first year only. Any employee on board as of December 31st of each year automatically receives 8 days as of January 1st the following year. (NOTE: Personal Leave may not be taken until successful completion of probationary period; personal leave will be lost if not taken before December 31st of each year.)

1/1 to 1/31 6 days 4/1 to 4/30 3 days
2/1 to 2/28 5 days 5/1 to 5/31 2 days
3/1 to 3/31 4 days 6/1 to 6/30 1 day
7/1 to 12/31 0 days
FAMILY LEAVE - Up to 12 weeks per year

FUNERAL LEAVE - 3 days + 1 day for extended travel

MILITARY LEAVE - 3 weeks per year with no loss in pay for Reserve or National Guard Training, Active Duty and serving during emergencies.

CIVIL LEAVE - No loss in pay while serving Jury Duty.

RETIREMENT -
COUNTY EMPLOYEES: State Pension System 7% employee contribution
LAW ENFORCEMENT (TO INCLUDE TEMPORARY DEPUTIES): LEOPS 7% Employee Contribution
CORRECTIONS: SOPP 9% Employee Contribution

COUNTYFLEX - Provides the employee with a range of health care and other employee benefit options which gives employee the opportunity to design a benefit plan that best meets the employee's needs. Employee may use available credits to purchase the following:

HEALTH INSURANCE - CareFirst Triple Option and BlueChoice Opt-Out Plus Open Access and Kaiser Permanente (all plans include prescription drug coverage)

DENTAL INSURANCE - CareFirst Dental PPO Plus Plan and CareFirst Dental PPO Plan

VISION INSURANCE - Provided through BlueVision Plus

FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNTS - Provided through American Fidelity. Employees may fund health and child care expenses on a pre-tax basis.

PRE-TAX - All deductions for health, dental, vision and flexible spending accounts are subject to deductions from paycheck before federal and state taxes are applied.

LIFE INSURANCE -
Provided through MetLife - $50,000 policy - NO COST TO EMPLOYEE

SUPPLEMENTAL LIFE (TERM/WHOLE/UNIVERSAL AND AD&D)
Provided through MetLife.

LONG TERM DISABILITY - Provided through MetLife.

DEFERRED COMPENSATION -
Lincoln Financial Group - Retirement Consultant David Weiland
Phone 410-236-2494 Email- Dave.Weiland@LFG.com
[Customer Service Representative 1-800-234-3500]

RETIREE HEALTH CARE INSURANCE BENEFITS-
Employees hired on or after 7/1/2010 will have an automatic Retirement Health Savings account made available as the primary retiree healthcare benefit. This 105(h) Universal Reimbursement Account will only be able to be accessed upon separation of service and/or retirement whichever applicable. These accounts are employer funded, tax free, & portable with 20 different Nationwide investment options.
These funds are solely for the use of offsetting your premium health care cost, prescriptions, co-pays and deductibles. Upon death funds are made available immediately to the surviving spouse or qualified dependents (as defined by the IRC 152 (a).

DEATH BENEFITS - PAID BY COUNTY

50% of accumulated sick leave

All accumulated annual leave

Personal leave (maximum of 2 days)

$50,000 life insurance

One (1) month's salary

PAID BY RETIREMENT
One year's pay (after 1 year's service) plus employee's contributions refunded with interest.

HOLIDAYS - 11 per year:

New Year's Day January 1st
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 3rd Monday in January
President's Day 3rd Monday in February
Memorial Day last Monday in May
Juneteenth June 19th
Independence Day July 4th
Labor Day 1st Monday in September
Veteran's Day November 11th
Thanksgiving Day 4th Thursday in November
Friday after Thanksgiving
Christmas Day December 25th

OTHER BENEFITS: Employee Assistance Program
Travel and Official Expense Reimbursement
Uniforms and Safety Clothing
Tuition Assistance
Legal Plan

Agency Harford County

Address 220 South Main Street

Bel Air, Maryland, 21014

Phone 410-638-3201

Website http://www.harfordcountymd.gov

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