PUBLIC WORKS MANAGER
FLSA Status: Exempt
Posted: 2/10/2025
Closes: 2/28/2025
Starting Salary: $73,769
General Definition of Work
Performs difficult professional work planning, organizing, and directing the treatment and collection of wastewater, water, building & grounds, solid waste, and related utility operations, coordinating work with appropriate agencies, department directors, and County Manager, maintaining records and files and preparing reports, and related work as apparent or assigned. Work is performed under the general direction of the County Manager. Departmental supervision is exercised over all personnel within the department.
Qualification Requirements
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
Distinguishing Features of the Class
An employee in this class is responsible for planning, organizing, and directing the work of employees engaged in public works, maintenance, and repair. Work includes facilities maintenance; solid waste management; stormwater management; wells, water distribution and wastewater collection systems, and wastewater treatment operation and maintenance. Work involves providing technical guidance and support to management, elected officials, various boards and commissions, and County staff. Work involves long-range planning for infrastructure needs, regulatory compliance, and service excellence; preparation and administration of capital and operating budgets and oversight of capital improvement projects; addressing citizen issues and problems; and staff hiring and management. Work requires strong management knowledge and skills in budgeting, staff management, some engineering design knowledge, project management skills, and knowledge of personnel and supervisory principles, practices, and laws and regulations. The employee will be subjected to inside and outside environmental conditions. The employee may be exposed to noise, equipment, fumes, and other possible safety hazards when inspecting projects. Considerable tact and courtesy are required in frequent public contact. Work is performed under the direction of the County Manager and is evaluated based on meeting budget goals, attainment of individual and departmental performance objectives, constant high quality of operations, project management effectiveness, compliance to established rules, regulations, and policies, positive employee morale, periodic conferences, written reports, and preventing and addressing complaints from residents and the public.
Illustrative Examples of Work/Essential Job Functions
- Plans, organizes, and directs all personnel functions and activities of the Public Works Department; conducts interviews for the Department and recommends salary levels for new employees.
- Monitors water and wastewater plants to ensure proper operation; identifies problems or inefficiencies, searches for causes and remedies.
- Confers with the County Manager and able to brief the Commissioners concerning annual work program development, long-range facilities projects, construction, and activities.
- Performs selection, promotion, training, coaching, and counseling of department personnel in consultation with the County Manager; performs disciplinary review with personnel.
- Advises the public on matters concerning service requests and complaints; investigates, recommends, or decides actions; represents the department at board meetings.
- Prepares, manages, and reviews departmental operating budget; oversees and approves expenditures; reviews invoices daily for purchases and reviews monthly statements from finance; consults with and/or keeps County Manager informed on major expenditures.
- Plans, organizes, supervises, and inspects the work of personnel and directs changes in regulations or operations regarding water, wastewater, solid waste, stormwater projects, and other infrastructure, safety, or related issues; establishes 24-hour operations as necessary.
- Plans, organizes, and supervises contracted work for the department; coordinates with engineers and contractors.
- Prepares, analyzes, and maintains reports and records.
- Recommends operational and ordinance changes to the County Manager.
- Presentation to the Board of Commissioners for monthly updates of the South Camden Water & Sewer District at nighttime Board of Commissioners meetings.
Additional Job Duties
Performs all other duties as assigned.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Thorough knowledge of state and federal laws and regulations, local ordinances and standards; Thorough knowledge of wastewater treatment and collection system management and sanitary engineering; thorough knowledge of public utility administration, planning, and design; ability to review and analyze plans and specifications for construction of wastewater and sewer facilities; ability to formulate and execute operational policies and procedures; ability to prepare technical reports; ability to direct the activities of a large staff; demonstrated skills in using effective leadership, management and supervisory skills including hiring, mentoring, training delegation, communication, motivation and performance coaching and evaluation. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with County officials, other public officials, associates, contractors, and the general public.
Education and Experience
Bachelor's degree with coursework in public works administration, or related field and extensive experience of an increasingly responsible nature in the public works or utility field; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Physical Requirements
This work requires the occasional exertion of up to 50 pounds of force. The work requires the ability to exert forceful, but not constant, physical effort to perform heavy work, possibly involving some combination of balancing, climbing, crawling, crouching, feeling, fingering, grasping, handling, kneeling, lifting, pulling, pushing, reaching, repetitive motion, standing, stooping, mental acuity, visual acuity, walking and may involve some lifting, carrying, pushing and/or pulling of objects, visual perception and discrimination. The ability to perceive and discriminate sounds, perceive and discriminate color, and perceive odors is required. Work has standard vision requirements; vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word; hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels; work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data, visual inspection involving small defects and/or small parts, using measuring devices, operating machines, operating motor vehicles or equipment and observing general surroundings and activities; work frequently requires exposure to outdoor weather conditions and occasionally requires working near moving mechanical parts, working in high, precarious places, exposure to fumes or airborne particles, exposure to toxic or caustic chemicals and exposure to the risk of electrical shock; work is generally in a moderately noisy location (e.g. business office, light traffic).
Special Requirements
Possession of Wastewater Operator's Grade III, Grade I Collections, B-Well, A-Distribution, Spray Irrigation, Backflow & Cross-Connect Certifications issued by the State of North Carolina. Possession of or the ability to obtain Physical/Chemical Wastewater I,
Valid driver's license in the State of North Carolina or Virginia.
Camden County is an Equal Opportunity Employer.