Summary
This recruitment is open to all qualified candidates. About the Role:Are you ready to lead a strong, diverse, and talented team of resource recovery professionals? Do you want to be part of a leadership team that will create a new strategic direction for a complex wastewater system? The King County (KC) Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) is hiring a Wastewater Resource Recovery Unit Manager.
This unit is responsible for ensuring safe, environmentally friendly products are made from an urban renewable waste stream including, Loop® biosolids soil amendment, recycled water, and renewable energy, as well as managing programs including sustainability, technology assessment, and nutrient management.
This newly created position has three direct reports and will lead approximately 30 professional staff in the Operation & Maintenance (O&M) section of WTD who work collaboratively with teams at all levels of the organization. We are looking for a people leader to manage, motivate, and develop staff, who is a self-starter with strong communication skills, a keen attention to detail, and the ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
This is an opportunity to serve the people who live, work, and play in King County by leading the Wastewater Resource Recovery Unit of one of the largest wastewater utilities on the West Coast. You will be a participating member of the O&M leadership team, setting vision, goals, and strategies for the section. As a key leader in the section, you will be responsible for managing and communicating with staff, among section leadership, and upward to division and department leadership.
You will lead through active engagement with your team to foster an anti-racist, pro-equity workplace where everyone can thrive. You will work with section leadership to ensure services are provided equitably to the residents of King County. You will foster relationships, collaboration, and teamwork across WTD, so the division functions as One King County. As a voting member of the division's Capital Project Oversight Board, you will advocate for renewable resources, energy saving, and sustainability projects to ensure we are doing the right projects at the right time, for the right reasons to meet Division, Department, and County targets.
This position performs work remotely and onsite.
About the Team:The O&M Section of WTD ensures safe, environmentally protective wastewater treatment for King County: We serve 34 wholesale customers and approximately 2 million residents. O&M includes five treatment facilities and 48 pump stations. We manage 400 miles of conveyance pipes and treat an average of 178MGD of wastewater annually. As a clean water agency, we recover resources such as biosolids, recycled water, and biogas, and we continually seek new ways to capture beneficial resources that would otherwise be lost.
WTD's mission is to protect public health and enhance the environment by collecting and treating wastewater while recycling valuable resources for the Puget Sound region. WTD employs about 800 people who plan, design, build, and operate treatment facilities. Our employees also enforce regulations to reduce harmful waste discharged to the system, and we educate the public and businesses on ways to protect water quality. To our agency, success means clean water. It means honoring our legacy while keeping a promise to future generations that our beautiful environment will be there for them to enjoy. We are committed to the principles of equity and social justice. We value diverse perspectives and life experiences in our workforce and are committed to building a culturally diverse and inclusive environment. WTD strives to provide equitable services to residents and businesses across King County.
Join our team dedicated to ensuring clean water for generations to come! With over 800 employees engaged in planning, designing, building, and operating treatment facilities, our agency is at the forefront of environmental stewardship. Success for us means upholding our legacy while promising future generations a pristine environment.
We prioritize accountability to our ratepayers and operate a well-managed agency that services over 2.3 million King County residents . Our regional wastewater treatment system not only sustains a healthy environment but also fuels economic development, fostering prosperity in our region. If you're passionate about making a difference and thrive in a collaborative environment, join us in our mission to safeguard our precious water resources.
Commitment to Equity, Racial, and Social Justice: King County, named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is a diverse and vibrant community that represents cultures from around the world. Our True North is to create a welcoming community where everyone can thrive. We prioritize equity, racial, and social justice, making it a foundational and daily expectation for all employees. As a Wastewater Resource Recovery Unit Manager, you will actively apply these principles in all aspects of your work. Learn more about our commitment at
http://www.kingcounty.gov/equity .
Apply now for a rewarding career at the
Wastewater Treatment Division of King County Department of Natural Resources & Parks (DNRP). Join our talented workforce in protecting and restoring the natural environment and promoting more resilient, sustainable, and equitable communities. Enjoy training,
comprehensive benefits , and growth opportunities.
Job Duties
What You Will Be Doing: - Assist the O&M Section Manager in developing, implementing, and maintaining business standards, policies, and procedures for the assigned work unit; recommend revisions or changes as necessary to meet the section's business needs; develop, implement, and maintain work unit budget and monitor expenditures within established guidelines; assist in implementing and maintaining staffing models for current, future, and projected operating and capital projects and programs.
- Supervise and direct the work of assigned staff. Hire, train, provide performance evaluations, and recommend disciplinary action for assigned teams and staff matrixed from other work units or sections within the division.
- Provide strategic recommendations, such as business case and financial impact, related to the management and expansion of biosolids distribution, recycled water delivery, biogas production and distribution, assessment of technologies, and nutrient reduction initiatives.
- Oversee the development and implementation of division climate mitigation commitments including, fossil fuel reduction, renewable power production and use, energy efficiency, green building, and the production and delivery recycled water, biosolids, and compost.
- Oversee the development and implementation of resource recovery-related policy and research initiatives including the technology assessment and nutrient management programs, and research partnerships.
- Work closely with leadership and staff in the section to develop approaches to customer development, permitting compliance, brand and marketing strategies for new markets, and distribution of products to customers.
- Act as the unit's representative with external consultants, elected officials, as well as external partners, and the public as determined by section and division management. Make presentations of the work unit's initiatives and programs to various audiences, including technical and non-technical groups.
Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills
Qualifications You Bring: - Bachelor's degree in business, public administration, public affairs, environmental management, planning, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Experience working in resource recovery, waste-to-resources, or a related sector.
- Experience leveraging limited resources for maximum impact.
- Demonstrated skill in assessing and determining the necessary resources to successfully accomplish work program(s), applying strategic planning techniques to establish the direction and make decisions regarding multiple competing internal and external programs or projects.
- Advanced knowledge of supervisory techniques and principles and the application of this knowledge in a highly technical and political environment.
Competencies You Bring: - Builds Effective Teams - Building strong-identity teams that apply their diverse skills and perspectives to achieve common goals
- Forms teams with an appropriate and diverse mix of styles, perspectives, and experience
- Establishes common objectives and a shared mindset
- Creates a feeling of belonging and strong team morale
- Shares wins and rewards team efforts
- Fosters open dialogue and collaboration among the team
Strategic Mindset - Seeing ahead to future possibilities and translating them into breakthrough strategies
- Anticipates future trends and implications accurately
- Readily poses future scenarios
- Articulates credible pictures and visions of possibilities that will create sustainable value
- Creates competitive and breakthrough strategies that show a clear connection between vision and action
Drives Vision and Purpose - Painting a compelling picture of the vision and strategy that motivates others to action
- Talks about future possibilities in a positive way
- Creates milestones and symbols to rally support behind the vision
- Articulates the vision in a way everyone can relate to
- Creates organization-wide energy and optimism for the future
- Shows personal commitment to the vision
Communicates Effectively - Developing and delivering multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences
- Is effective in a variety of communication settings: one-on-one, small and large groups, or among diverse styles and position levels
- Attentively listens to others
- Adjusts to fit the audience and the message
- Provides timely and helpful information to others across the organization
- Encourages the open expression of diverse ideas and opinions
Required Licenses or Certifications: - Washington State Driver's License
It Would Be Great if You Also Bring:- Master's degree in Public Administration, Business, Environmental Management or related field
- Increasingly responsible experience in a large, complex industrial or utility setting with exposure to developing technologies, experience in project management, beneficial uses of recyclable products, and customer relations.
- Experience with the management of complex wastewater treatment and/or conveyance and water reuse-related capital projects involving rigorous permitting and public involvement.
- Certifications: Project Management Institute Project Management Professional (PMP) or equivalent, Envision™ Sustainability Professional (ENV SP).
Supplemental Information
Working Conditions:
Remote and Onsite Work Details : Employees in this role work remotely from a home location, with onsite reporting requirements typically once a month (O&M Leadership meetings) . The frequency of onsite work is determined by business needs and may be adjusted accordingly. Onsite reporting locations may be at various King County worksites including the collaboration space at King Street Center (201 S. Jackson St, Seattle, WA 98104). This work arrangement promotes work-life-balance and reduces carbon footprint under the department's vision of Green Where We Work .
Work Schedule: This full-time position works a 40-hour work week. This position is exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and is not overtime eligible.
Union Representation: This position is represented by Teamsters Local 117 WTD (Section & Assistant Manager).
Application and Selection Process:
We welcome applications from all qualified applicants. We value diversity, diverse perspectives, and life experience and encourage people of all backgrounds to apply.
Application materials will be screened for clarity, completeness, and alignment with the experience, qualifications, knowledge, and skills essential for this role to determine which candidates may be invited to participate in a technical assessment and one or more panel interviews.
To apply, submit a:
Complete ApplicationCover LetterResume
UNION MEMBERSHIP: This position is represented by Teamsters Local 117 WTD (Section & Assistant Manager).
NOTE: Salary reflects a $2.00 per hour contribution to the Western Conference of Teamsters Pension Trust Fund.
For more information regarding this recruitment, please contact:
Rodney O. Dungo
Human Resource Analyst
rdungo@kingcounty.gov Discover More About the Wastewater Treatment Division: Visit our
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WTD Blog .
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Keeping King County Green News .
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Forbes named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.Guided by our
"True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles - we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.
King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) EmployerNo person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.
To ApplyIf you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.
Closing Date/Time:
