Crew Chief - Street Maintenance

Meet Santa Margarita Water DistrictÂ

Santa Margarita Water District is a dynamic, forward-thinking agency dedicated to delivering high-quality potable water, recycled water, and wastewater services to its 200,000 customers across Southern Orange County. As one of the region's largest and most impactful utilities, we are committed to the highest standards of transparency, innovation, and environmental stewardship.Â

Our people drive our progress, innovation, and results. Our collaborative, human-first culture fosters the sense of fun, comradery, and a rewarding sense of purpose as we do work that matters.Â

Dynamic teams of intelligent individuals work collaboratively to achieve SMWD's goals and solve challenges with a common aim that fosters a unique bond that is not often found in governmental agencies.Â

Santa Margarita Water District's values include:Â

Class specifications are intended to present a descriptive list of the range of duties performed by employees in the class. Specifications are not intended to reflect all duties performed by individual positions.Â

We are seeking an experienced and reliable Crew Chief to lead a water repair crew responsible for mainline repairs, service line replacements, and valve maintenance/replacement. This is a hands-on leadership role where you'll be both supervising and participating in daily operations to ensure efficient, safe, and high-quality fieldwork.

Job Summary

Under general supervision, leads and participates in the work of employees engaged in the installation, maintenance, repair, operation and testing of water distribution and wastewater systems including pipelines, mains, valves, hydrants, meters, lift stations and water stations.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

A Crew Chief is the advanced journey and working lead-level classification in the Operations Department. In addition to performing the full range of journey-level and advanced skilled duties, incumbents serve as the working lead person of other journey level maintenance and technical personnel, coordinating and overseeing their work and providing guidance and training as they carry out construction, maintenance and repair duties for the District's distribution system, collection system, equipment and facilities. Work requires an in-depth understanding of the District's distribution system design, operations and best maintenance practices and involves significant accountability for ensuring stable, dependable water delivery to District customers in compliance with regulatory requirements.

Â

This position typically reports to the Operations Superintendent or on certain crews the Foreman and provides lead work direction to skilled and unskilled maintenance staff. Crew Chief is distinguished from Operations Superintendent or Foreman in that an incumbent in the latter class has full supervisory responsibilities and more complex maintenance planning and administrative duties over more than one unit or crew.ESSENTIAL FUNCTION STATEMENTS

The duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to this class.

Qualifications

Education and/or Experience

Graduation from high school or GED equivalent and five years of progressively responsible experience in journey level skilled maintenance of a facilities typically associated with District infrastructure; or an equivalent combination of training and experience. Experience in a public agency is preferred.

Licenses; Certificates; Special Requirements:

Possession of or the ability to obtain a valid California Class C driver's license and the ability to maintain insurability under the District's vehicle insurance program.

Â

When assigned area is the Street Maintenance Division

When assigned area is the Collections Division

When assigned area is the Valves and Hydrants Division

When assigned area is the Lifts and Stations Division

Annual certification for CPR, First Aid, Confined-Space Entry and use of Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) per OSHA requirements are required.

Â

Knowledge of

Ability to

PHYSICAL AND MENTAL DEMANDSÂ

The physical and mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by employees to successfully perform the essential functions of this class. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.Â

Physical DemandsÂ

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, walk and stand; talk and hear; use hands to finger, handle, feel or operate objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; perform repetitive movements of hands or wrists; climb or balance on ladders or stairs; stoop, kneel, bend at the waist, crouch or crawl; and able to detect odors. The employee is frequently required to lift up to 50 pounds and frequently up to 100 pounds with assistance.

Specific vision abilities required for this job include close vision, distance vision, use of both eyes, depth perception, color vision and the ability to adjust focus.

Employees in this class may be periodically required to wear Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA). In accordance with OSHA regulations, employees are prohibited from having facial or head hair that impairs the effectiveness of respirator equipment. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential duties of the class as they relate to this requirement.

Mental DemandsÂ

While performing the duties of this class, an employee uses written and oral communication skills; reads and interprets data, information and documents; analyzes and solves problems; uses shop math; learns and applies new information and skills; responds to emergency situations; and interacts with others encountered in the course of work, including frequent contact with customers and/or the public and dissatisfied/abusive individuals.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The employee works in a shop and field environment where the noise level is usually moderate. The employee works in outdoor weather conditions; extreme heat or cold; wet, humid conditions; in confined spaces; on ladders/scaffolding or in high, precarious places; on uneven or slippery surfaces; near moving mechanical parts; near moving equipment; and near heavy traffic. The employee is exposed to fumes or airborne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals, and biological hazards. The employee is occasionally exposed to loud or prolonged noise and equipment with heavy vibrations. The employee may be at risk of electrical shock.

The employee may be required to work various shifts and standby at night, on weekends and holidays as needed.