The Environmental Services Department Overview
The Jefferson County Environmental Services Department is an award-winning water resource recovery agency that collects and treats wastewater for the Birmingham, Alabama metropolitan area. The department maintains over 3,500 miles of sewer lines, 186 pump stations and nine water reclamation facilities throughout the region. Our sewer system serves an estimated population of 600,000 residents within a 443 square mile service area and treats approximately 105 million gallons of sewage per day. The department is committed to protecting the environment and providing our customers high quality, effective and efficient water reclamation services. The main divisions of Environmental Services include administration, maintenance and construction, compliance laboratory and water reclamation facilities. Each division is responsible for a specific range of operations that work together to serve its customers, protect water quality, and meet all regulatory obligations.

The Environmental Services Deputy Director assists the Environmental Services Director in managing the day-to-day operations of water reclamation facilities and sanitary sewer collection system, as well as asset management, construction, and engineering to maintain regulatory compliance in Jefferson County. The Environmental Services Department of Jefferson County manages the sanitary sewer collection and treatment system, including sanitary sewer lines, pump stations, and water reclamation facilities. By overseeing portions of the department’s operations, the Environmental Services Deputy Director is responsible for ensuring the 24-hour, 7 days a week operation of the clean water services provided by the department. This includes tasks related to preparing and managing both an operating budget and a capital improvement budget that are enterprise-funded, implementing quality improvement programs, forging effective relationships with the community and regulatory agencies, overseeing contracts, and planning for and complying with all relevant regulations and law. The Deputy Director directs one of the functional operations of the Environmental Services Department, ensures that employees have the necessary resources to accomplish goals, and assists the Director in the execution of his/her vision in planning, organizing, directing, and evaluating the activities of clean water services in Jefferson County.

The new Environmental Services Deputy Director is expected to have broad experience and progressive roles in the water reclamation field. Key priorities for this role include leading Jefferson County Environmental Services Department’s collection system operations and maintenance group that includes over 3,500 miles of sanitary sewer and 186 pump stations.

The Environmental Services Deputy Director will provide strategic leadership and effect organizational change to implement effective asset management and maintenance to continue to reduce sanitary sewer overflows and collaborate with the Capital Improvement Program team to identify and prioritize infrastructure needs. The Environmental Services Deputy Director will have the opportunity to join and develop a team that is committed to improved performance.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE AND BACKGROUND
The following Minimum Qualifications are required for this job. You must demonstrate possession of these qualifications by providing a detailed description of your related experience in the work history section of your application. Please describe your work experience in your own words to represent the work you have performed that is related to the minimum qualifications for this job. You must provide a resume in order for your application to be considered complete.

Degree and Certification Requirements
• A Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, environmental engineering, or related field, and
• Is registered as a Professional Engineer (PE) in the state of Alabama (or, if possesses an out of state license, able to be licensed in Alabama within six months).

Specific Experience
• Held role with progressive experience in wastewater services.
• Held managerial role within an environmental services function.
• Experience working with, or knowledge of, federal and/or state regulations involving sanitary sewer treatment.
• Experience working with, or knowledge of, the design, construction, and/or maintenance of complex wastewater or water treatment facilities.

Experience managing a work unit
• Managed a work team or unit (8 or more people).
• Experience as a manager (i.e., supervisory experience).
• Responsible for setting goals and making key decisions at a team or unit level.
• Managed a budget for a work unit.
• Responsible for evaluating the performance of those within a unit.

Experience implementing and monitoring work unit strategy
• Responsible for a concrete substantial change effort.
• Developed and implemented a strategic initiative.
• Responsible for managing and delivering results on several high-level projects at the unit level (i.e., more than individual level objectives).

Experience interacting with key internal and external stakeholders
• Experience working in a high stress environment involving multiple constituents.
• Responsible for a function that delivers services to internal and external customers.
• Experience working and building relationships with various groups, such as regulatory agencies, community groups, vendors, contractors, and other departments.
• Responsible for the development and growth of multiple others (e.g., coaching activities, formal mentoring).
• Responsible for delivering complex communications to multiple parties (verbal and/or written).

Experience working in environments that require adherence to high professional and ethical standards
• Exposure to essential work tasks and/or processes in non-profit or government, or in a private organization that has constraints resembling those in the public sector.
• Experience in compliance with state and federal laws and regulations regarding sanitary sewer system operations and permits.

IDEAL CANDIDATE

Degree Preference
• An advanced degree (e.g., master’s) in engineering, business administration, public administration, environmental sciences, or related field.

Specific Experience
• Experience working with, or knowledge of, the operation of municipal wastewater treatment facilities.
• Experience working with, or knowledge of, the design, construction, and/or maintenance of sanitary sewer collection systems and/or wastewater treatment plants.
• Experience developing, maintaining, and implementing departmental policies and procedures (e.g., standard operating procedures, emergency response programs) related to sanitary sewer collection and treatment.
• Experience or exposure to contracts and/or contract management (e.g., contract negotiation, bid procedures, contract fulfillment).
• Experience with or exposure to operating a budget within an enterprise fund.
• Demonstrates a track record of staying abreast of current trends and developments in the field of environmental services.

Experience managing a work unit
• Engaged in concrete personal development activities (e.g., formal programs, taking on stretch assignments, integrating a development plan into daily activities).
• Held roles in which they have delegated important responsibilities to others.

Experience implementing and monitoring work unit strategy
• Responsible for guiding the implementation of an innovative solution (e.g., organizational process, product).

Experience interacting with key internal and external stakeholders
• Held roles in which they were responsible for resolving conflicts and driving consensus.
• Responsible for completing a negotiation at work.

Experience working in environments that require adherence to high professional and ethical standards
• Demonstrates a track record of ethical professional behavior.
• Demonstrates a track record of understanding and respecting the practices, customs, and values of people from different backgrounds, perspectives, and cultures.