Wastewater Maintenance Specialist - Mechanical

Why it's a great opportunity: As a seasoned mechanical maintenance professional, you will support the maintenance and repair of assets ranging from pumps and machinery to mechanical components for our wastewater assets. You may find yourself working in industrial facilities, confined spaces or roadway areas. Your efforts will support the Chambers Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, the Cascadia Wastewater Treatment Plant, as well as the collections system with over 790 miles of sewer lines, 17,500 manholes, and 100 pump stations. This is a great opportunity to work with equipment, systems, and facilities that are relatively new and state of the art. Your work is essential to our customers and keeps Pierce County healthy and clean. 

Why it's a great department: PPW is a diverse and fast-moving department filled with motivated professionals working to ensure Pierce County is positioned to handle growth while building, operating, and maintaining reliable infrastructure to support livable communities. PPW is responsible for a broad and complex portfolio of services that provides unique opportunities to collaborate, innovate, and inspire. We are responsible for the County road and levee systems, sewer systems, airports, ferries, building permits, environmental review, sustainability, community planning, and code enforcement - just to name a few!
 
Learn more about Planning and Public Works here.

How to be successful in the role: Your success will come from performing journey level mechanical maintenance work where you will work daily with your teammates, other trades, maintenance, and operations personnel to complete scheduled tasks, repairs and projects. Honest, concise, and frequent communication is important in building a positive relationship with our stakeholders and customers.  Being a flexible team player, collaborative, and sharing knowledge with others will further ensure your success. 

Your future in this role: This is a great opportunity to be part of an organization that is a leader in the wastewater industry working with a group of professionals who take their work seriously and provide professional products. This position has multiple career growth and promotional opportunities in Pierce County to build on a great career. 

Core daily responsibilities:

• Perform regular checks on various machinery throughout the plant or collection system. Checks oil levels, conveyor belts for proper tension, drive belts for wear and cracks, chain drive links, sheaves and sprocket integrity and checks bearings for proper lubrication. Cleans gear boxes and where required, change oil filters. 
• Perform safety checks on overhead cranes, cable collectors, railways and drum integrity. Removes or replaces work parts as required. 
• Perform maintenance and ensures safety checks on various portable equipment such as emergency generators, compressors, and hydraulic pumping units. 
• Prepare and initiate necessary work orders; schedule maintenance on a periodic basis; and write reports and purchase orders for parts and equipment. 
• Initiate major overhaul of all types of pumps, meters, compressors, motors, gear boxes, chlorinators and major valve assemblies. 
• Perform scheduled maintenance and repair work on shredders, lift and pump stations, grinders, blowers and related collection system equipment and machinery. 
• Maintain and repair boilers by cleaning fire sides and linings; inspect safety equipment and related equipment to ensure proper operation. 
• Uses gas, electric and heliarc welding systems, as needed, to cut, heat, braze or weld in the repair, construction or modification of plant equipment and systems. 
• Perform fabrication work assignments to include milling, grinding and machining work. 
• Review plan specifications, drawings and sketches of plant and/or sewer collections equipment or machinery.

A classification description with a more detailed list of essential functions can be found here.

• A resume is required for this position. 
• High school diploma or GED, AND
• Two years of apprenticeship training from a recognized vocational technical school or training program. 
• A minimum of five (5) years of experience in the maintenance and repair of mechanical, pumping, or collection system is required. 
• A combination of education/experience which clearly demonstrates ability to perform the duties of this classification may be substituted for education and formal training.

Special qualifications:

• Must have a valid Washington State Driver’s License. 
• Within the first twelve months, individuals must have the ability to obtain a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Class “A” (Tank Vehicle) endorsement and Wastewater Collections Specialist Certification. 
• Forklift Operation Certification, First Aid/CPR Training, Confined Space, and Electrical Safety Training and Traffic Control Certification is required within the first six months of employment. 
• Wastewater Collections or Water Distribution Wastewater Operator 1 Certification, Water Distribution Certification, Washington State Herbicide Chemical Application License, NASSCO Pipeline Assembly Certification, Water Backflow Assembly or Electrical License (EL07) Certification are desired.

As a condition of employment, the applicant will need to authorize and complete a background check. Information received from the background check is reviewed case-by-case and will not necessarily remove an applicant from consideration.

Satisfactory physical condition, as evidenced by a county approved physical examination, may be required prior to appointment to the position. 

To be considered for this opportunity please:

• Complete and submit a detailed online Pierce County Employment Application by selecting "APPLY" above or go to:   www.piercecountywa.org/jobs. 
• If you have a question about this opportunity, please email the Recruitment Team at PCHRRecruit@piercecountywa.gov and specify the Job Number and Title. 
• If you do not have internet access, you may visit your local public library or any WorkSource location and use their computers.
• Individuals needing accommodation in the application, testing process or need this job announcement in an alternative format may call Human Resources at (253) 798-7480, at least two days prior to the need.  

This is a competitive selection process. Your application will be reviewed and evaluated for the quality and quantity of education/experience in the areas listed. Applicants whose qualifications most closely correspond to the County's needs will be eligible for further consideration. Notification of application status normally occurs 2 to 3 weeks after the closing date. Short notice may be given to applicants to participate in further selection processes which may include assessments, phone screen, and interviews.

At Pierce County, diversity, equity, and inclusion means commitment, not a single step. We strive to foster an inclusive environment that supports equitable access to opportunities throughout your career. We want to recruit, develop, and maintain a talented workforce from various backgrounds, cultures, lifestyles, and perspectives, committed to our vision. Employees of the County have local, direct, and visible impact in our diverse community. Will you join us in keeping Pierce County a place people are proud to call home?

We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time.