Multi-Discipline Engineering Internship – Environmental Services Department

Our diverse and inclusive workforce of more than 7,000 employees play a key role in the success of San José, the heart of the Silicon Valley. All City of San José employees work together as one team to make San José a vibrant, innovative, and desirable place to live and work. Visit here to learn more about our One Team Leadership Values and Expectations, including quality and excellent customer service and here to learn more about San José.

The City of San José is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants for all job openings will be considered without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful under any federal, state or local laws. The City of San José is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at 408-535-1285, 711 (TTY) , or via email at CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov .

About the Department

The Environmental Services Department (ESD) is a national leader in pollution prevention, watershed protection, utility service provision, and climate action. Together, ESD employees positively impact every resident and business in San Jose.

Our department is an exceptional place to start or grow your career. We have a supportive leadership team, numerous professional growth opportunities, and an inclusive workplace culture that is welcoming of your talents!

To learn more about ESD, follow @sjenvironment on X (formally Twitter),Facebook, Instagram, and San Jose Environmental Services on LinkedIn.

Position Duties

About the Multi-Discipline Engineering Internship

The Environmental Services Department is currently seeking to fill two (2) part-time unbenefited Undergraduate/Graduate Student Intern positions.

Student Interns of the Multi-Discipline Engineering Internship will rotate within five key engineering groups across the Environmental Services Department. Interns will rotate into each of these five engineering groups approximately every six weeks. These rotations will include travel to three distinct work locations which include San José City Hall, the San José-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility (RWF), and San José Municipal Water System (Muni Water). At the conclusion of the internship, interns will have job shadowed in each of the five groups.

The key engineering groups are located withing the following sections:

Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Division

The Capital Improvement Program (CIP) division is leading one of the largest public works programs in San José’s history! The division is responsible for delivering a 10-year capital improvement program estimated at $1.4 billion and assuring the future of wastewater treatment services for 1.7 million residents and 17,000 businesses.

The CIP division performs the overall planning and project delivery for all aspects of the RWF treatment process, including program administration and budget planning. The division is also supported by a co-located team of consultant staff and staff from the Department of Public Works, who provide program management and construction management services.

• Responsibilities while working in CIP include but are not limited to: Supporting engineering staff on current projects in various phases of work, including feasibility, design, bid, and construction; attending project and staff meetings; attending design workshops; participating in construction site visits; assisting staff to manage facility-wide studies; and assisting staff in the areas of program management and controls.

Operations & Maintenance (O&M)

The Wastewater Management Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Engineering section works side-by-side with three divisions of wastewater management at the RWF - Plant Operations, Facility Maintenance, and Energy & Automation. The division is staffed by 226 full-time employees that includes operators, mechanics, various wastewater superintendents and supervisors, engineers, technicians, analysts, staff specialists, and other support staff. In addition, these groups are supported by various consultants. This section is responsible for managing various O&M repair/replacement projects, providing engineering support to the RWF, maintaining document management systems and record drawings, and providing leadership for the Asset Management system.

• Responsibilities while working in O&M include but are not limited to:
• Assisting with equipment tags, field verification, and creating missing tag lists.
• Assisting with uploading O&M manuals, equipment warranty documents, SOPs, and training related documents from CIP Final Submittals to WMDocs.
• Assisting with the review of preventive maintenance schedules from O&M manuals and creating PM schedule lists.
• Assisting with O&M Online Manual upgrades.
• Assisting with O&M Engineering projects.
• Other miscellaneous tasks as assigned.

Pretreatment Program - Watershed Protection (WSP) Division

The Pretreatment Program consists of the Source Control and Environmental Engineering sections and is responsible for implementing the federal- and state-mandated pretreatment program for industrial discharges to the San José-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility. The program is required by the Facility’s NPDES permit and is aimed at ensuring that certain dischargers have adequate treatment prior to the discharge of industrial wastewater to the sanitary sewer to protect water quality and the integrity of the wastewater collection and treatment systems. On an annual basis, the Pretreatment Program inspects approximately 350 businesses, collects more than 1,900 water quality samples, and reviews more than 900 self-monitoring reports. This group also permits and conducts inspections of newly regulated facilities such as dental offices.

• Responsibilities while working in the Pretreatment Program include but are not limited to: Assisting Sanitary Engineers in evaluating industrial and commercial facilities for compliance with federal, state, and local pretreatment requirements; writing and issuing Industrial Wastewater Discharge Permits; conducting plan check reviews of industrial and commercial facilities, and performing specialized environmental engineering studies in support of the Pretreatment Program, the Watershed Enforcement Program, and the Regional Wastewater Facility.

Municipal Water System (Muni Water) & South Bay Water Recycling (SBWR)

Muni Water

The Municipal Water System section is responsible for system operation and maintenance engineering support, and design and construction of the Municipal Water System pipeline and facilities. This includes managing the water quality programs, and supporting the conservation program, providing development related support services, ensuring availability of water supply, capital improvements, construction inspection, and engineering support to operations and maintenance.

SBWR
South Bay Water Recycling (SBWR) is a recycled water wholesaler to four retailers: San Jose Water Company, San José Municipal Water, City of Santa Clara, and City of Milpitas. Customers buy recycled water from the retailer in their location.

SBWR is the regional permit holder for recycled water in San José, Santa Clara and Milpitas, ensuring compliance with State regulations for recycled water quality and use and is a leader in recycled water in Northern California.

SBWR’s recycled water system consists of over 150 miles of pipeline, five pump stations, and 10 million gallons of storage in reservoirs. SBWR delivers more than four billion gallons of recycled water per year to more than 960 commercial customers, an average of 11 million gallons a day.

• Responsibilities while working in Muni Water & SBWR include but are not limited to: Supporting engineering and operations staff through research, data collection, and technical analyses for ongoing projects. Responsibilities will include conducting field visits and site inspections to observe construction and operations/maintenance activities, as well as participating in staff meetings, taking notes, and providing follow-up as needed. Additional assignments may be given to further assist the engineering and compliance team.

Duration of Assignment

Approximately 8 months

Salary Information

Salary ranges for this classification are:

• Undergraduate Student Intern: $15.86 - $22.65 hourly
• Graduate Student Intern: $20.52 - $30.30 hourly

These salary ranges include an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing non-pensionable compensation. Actual salary shall be determined by the final candidates’ qualifications and experience.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

• Undergraduate: Current enrollment in an accredited college or university in an undergraduate program. Must be enrolled throughout the duration of the internship.
• Graduate: Completion of a bachelor’s degree and current enrollment in a master’s degree program from an accredited college or university. Must be enrolled throughout the duration of the internship.

Experience: None.

Licenses & Certificates: Possession of a valid driver's license authorizing the operation of a motor vehicle in the State of California.

Other Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history. Desirable competencies for this position include:

Communication Skills - Effectively conveys information and expresses thoughts and facts clearly, orally and in writing; demonstrates effective use of listening skills; displays openness to other people’s ideas and thoughts.

Job Expertise - Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies and federal and state rules and regulations.

Multi-Tasking - Can handle multiple projects and responsibilities simultaneously; has handled a wide variety of assignments in past and/or current position(s).

Problem Solving - Approaches a situation or problem by defining the problem or issue; determines the significance of problem; collects information; uses logic and intuition to arrive at decisions or solutions to problems that achieve the desired outcome.

Reliability - Completes quality work assignments in a timely and efficient manner; fulfills responsibilities and maintains confidentiality as appropriate.

Teamwork & Interpersonal Skills - Develops effective relationships with co-workers and supervisors by helping others accomplish tasks and using collaboration and conflict resolution skills.

Selection Process:

The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to all the job specific questions. You must answer all questions to be considered, or your application may be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applicants are expected to write their own essays/responses. Please be advised that use of AI content in your responses may result in your removal from the hiring process. Only those candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to proceed in the selection process. Additional phases of the selection process will consist of one or more interviews.

If you have questions about the duties of these positions, the selection or hiring processes, please contact Norma Lopez Sanchez at Norma.LopezSanchez@sanjoseca.gov.

Additional Information:

Employment Eligibility: Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will NOT sponsor, represent or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1-B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.

You must answer all job-specific questions to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applicants are expected to write their own essays/responses.

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third party job board application system.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov and we will research the status of your application.

AI and the Hiring Process

We recognize that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming part of daily life and can be a valuable tool for learning, research, and professional growth. We encourage candidates to use AI responsibly as a support in preparing application materials, live assessments, and interviews. However, we value authenticity, accuracy and truthfulness. Application responses and interview answers must reflect your own knowledge, skills, and experiences. While AI can supplement preparation, it cannot replace the originality and judgment we look for in our employees. This ensures fairness, transparency, and equity for all applicants in the hiring process.

Part-time positions(less than 40 hours per week) are required to participate in the City’s PTC 457 Deferred Compensation Plan per Federal regulations. Employees are required to contribute 3.75% of gross earning and the City contributes a matching amount of 3.75%. The funds contributed by the City are 100% vested upon initial deferral and will be held in a stability of principal investment. This plan is in lieu of social security and does not include any healthcare benefits or contributions.

Part-time employees may elect to contribute additional retirement savings through the City’s Voluntary 457 Deferred Compensation Plan. Additional Information on both plans can be found on the City’s website.

Closing Date/Time: 1/6/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

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• City of San Jose

• 408-535-1285

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