Plant Operator

Share Our Purpose. Be Yourself. Feel Valued.

People are the heart of our business. As an American Water employee, you will be offered a competitive salary and health benefits package, along with opportunities to develop, grow, and evolve your career. Our benefits packages focus on key areas such as health & wellness, emotional & well-being, and savings for current & future goals.

We are Beautifully Different . We strongly believe having diversity across our company makes us more successful and helps us provide essential services to our customers. We are stronger because we embrace different ideas, viewpoints, experiences, and backgrounds. American Water is the best choice for your next role! Click here for more information on our inclusion, diversity, and equity journey.

About American Water

American Water (NYSE: AWK) is the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the United States. With a history dating back to 1886, We Keep Life Flowing® by providing safe, clean, reliable and affordable drinking water and wastewater services to more than 14 million people across 14 regulated jurisdictions and 18 military installations. American Water’s 6,500 talented professionals leverage their significant expertise and the company’s national size and scale to achieve excellent outcomes for the benefit of customers, employees, investors and other stakeholders.

As one of the fastest growing utilities in the U.S., American Water expects to invest $30 to $34 billion in infrastructure repairs and replacement, system resiliency and regulated acquisitions over the next 10 years. The company has a long-standing history of executing its core operations, aligned with sustainable best practices, through its commitments to safety, affordability, customer service, protecting the environment, an inclusive workforce and strengthening communities.

American Water has been recognized on the 2023 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Indexfor the fifth consecutive year, ranked 18th on Barron’s 100 Most Sustainable U.S. Companies 2023 List, earned the U.S. Department of Homeland Security SAFETY Act designation and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense® Excellence Award, among additional state, local and national recognitions.

For more information, visit amwater.com and join American Water on LinkedIn , Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .

Primary Role

Operates and controls plant machinery and equipment to purify and clarify water for human consumption and commercial and industrial use. Remotely controls distribution pumps, tanks, and equipment to maintain water and fire service in the distribution system. Monitors and tests water quality to ensure safe water quality.

The work schedule is 3 days during the week plus Saturday & Sunday 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM with on-call responsibilities.

Key Accountabilities

• Monitors SCADA to operate and control electric motors, pumps, valves, and filters to regulate flow of water through the plant.
• Dumps specified amount of chemicals, such as polymer, salt, and potassium permanganate into chemical feeders.
• Makes adjustments to same devices to control the amount of chemical admitted into tanks, clearwells, and pipelines to disinfect, deodorize, clarify, and purify the water.
• Controls, operates, and monitors mixers, vacuum pumps, sludge blanket levels, sludge blanket concentrations and sludge removal to clarify the water.
• Monitors SCADA to remotely adjust and control pumps, motors, and chemical feed equipment, to regulate pressures, water elevations, flow of water, and quality of water in the distribution system.
• Monitors filter operation to maintain water quality and determine backwashing scheduling.
• Collects and tests water samples from various process points to determine acidity, color, turbidity, pH, bacteria content, treatment application, odor, and other impurities, using various laboratory equipment such as electrodes, colorimeters, mixers, turbidimeters, titrators, mixers and hot plates.
• Maintains and tests online analytical instruments monitoring water quality. Records data such as test results, chemical dosages, weights, and volumes, water quality information, operational problems, and compliance monitoring as required by various State and Federal regulations.
• Responds to consumer complaints, emergencies, answers telephone or makes notification to appropriate supervisors about same. Loads /unloads/ receives chemicals and materials used to purify and operate the water treatment systems.
• Cleans and maintains work place.
• Performs other duties as assigned by supervisor.

Experience/Education

• High school graduate or equivalent required
• Specific Vocational Preparation includes an occupationally significant combination of vocational education, apprentice training, in-plant training, on-the-job training, or essential experience in less responsible jobs.
• Company, state, federal, private, or county sponsored courses will be attended to improve job skills.
• Over one year of experience.

Certifications & Licenses

• Driver's license required with the ability to pass a motor vehicle background check.

Work Environment

• Work is both inside and outside: a job is considered “both” if the activities occur inside or outside in approximately equal amounts.
• Wet and humid: Wet: Contact with water or other liquids. Humid:
• Atmospheric condition with moisture content sufficiently high to cause marked bodily discomfort.
• Noise and Vibration: Sufficient noise, either constant or intermittent, to cause marked distraction or possible injury to the sense of hearing, and/or sufficient vibration (production of an oscillating movement or strain on the body or its extremes from repeated motion or shock) to cause bodily harm if endured day after day.
• Hazards: Situations in which the individual is exposed to the definite risk of bodily injury.
• Exposure to: Odors, toxic conditions, chemical dust or dust or poor ventilation.

Competencies

Champions safety

Collaborates

Cultivates innovation

Customer obsessed

Drives Results

Nimble learning

Join American Water... We Keep Life Flowing ™

American Water is firmly committed to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and prohibits employment discrimination for employees and applicants based on his or her age, race, color, pregnancy, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, marital status, citizenship, or because they are an individual with a disability, protected veteran or other status protected by federal, state, and local laws.