Sr. Water Service Technician

Introduction

Charlotte’s local government, with more than 7,000 employees and a $2.39 billion budget, works hard to ensure that the community will be a winning city for everyone a truly remarkable place to live, work, learn and play.

Charlotte Water is an enterprise department of the City of Charlotte and one of the largest public water and sewer service providers in the southeast with 300,000 customer accounts and over 1000 employees.

Our service area includes the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and the towns of Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, Mint Hill, Matthews and Pineville.

Charlotte Water’s FY 23 budget is $535M and a five-year capital program of $2.5 billion. We enjoy the highest credit ratings from all three major credit rating agencies as a result of sound financial planning and management and strong support from our City Council.

We value competent, skilled candidates with a customer service focus to work in a team environment.

Overview

The City of Charlotte is the largest municipality in North Carolina and the 15th largest city in the United States, with a total population of more than 897,000 citizens.

A major commerce center, Charlotte hosts several of the nation’s largest banks and technology companies.

Also known as the Queen City, Charlotte is home to the Carolina Panthers, the Charlotte Hornets and the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

We work hard to ensure that the community will be a winning city for everyone a truly remarkable place to live, work, learn and play.

Join us in helping to keep our City thriving, ensuring upward mobility and advancement in the workplace.

Summary

Under the general direction of the Field Operations Supervisor, the Senior Water Service Technician is responsible for the vehicle, and job assignments allocated.

Performs a variety of work involving customer water service requests, and investigation of high bill complaints. Receives and completes all assigned work orders.

Responsible for direct customer contact to provide findings of the inspections on metering equipment, conditions and other factors that may contribute to excessive water usage.

Delegated in making decisions concerning; information provided, work performed and customer interactions that result in an equitable outcome to resolve complaint or issue.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

• Completing daily work assignments.
• Performs comprehensive field inspections of metering equipment for proper operation.
• Performs maintenance and / or replacement of water meter register and endpoint as needed.
• Inspects water meter connections for leaks and replaces material as needed to repair leaks.
• Interrogates endpoint / transmitter to ensure reading matches register, follows standard operation practices to validate quality assurance requirements.
• Evaluates field conditions to determine if there is an irregularity or condition at the service address that would cause high consumption or unknown usage to occur and report findings.
• Enters notes of findings, actions and customer interactions on service orders completed.
• Educates customer on the operational functions of a water meter and radio transmitter.
• Evaluates billing history to correlate if the complaint is a result of changes in charges, rates, days of service, or associated utility services fees and notifies the customer of findings.
• Informs customer on Charlotte Water’s practices in meter reading and billing processes, quality assurance validations, responsibilities and limitations for service repairs on private property issues.
• Receives and completes all assigned service work orders within a specified time period, while accurately recording the water meter readings and entering pertinent notes associated with the work performed and any notable conditions at each service address into a portable laptop.
• Investigates customer complaints regarding such matters as high meter readings, noise, leaks, water quality, low / high water pressure, etc.

escalates situation if required.

• Reports any meter vault deficiencies or service line repairs.
• Performs preventative maintenance and daily inspections of vehicle and field computer equipment for proper function and reports malfunctions or deficiencies.
• Reports on fire hydrant leaks, water main leaks and other distribution issues in a timely manner.
• Performs other work tasks and duties as assigned or required.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Knowledge of water utility operations.
• Knowledge of principles of customer service.
• Skill in communicating, both verbally and in writing.
• Skill in reading map.
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely.
• Ability to maintain effective working relationships.
• Ability to follow directives and instructions.
• Ability to work independently. PHYSICAL DEMANDS : The work is light work and requires the ability to lift up to 60 pounds.

Additionally, the following physical abilities are required : getting in and out of a vehicle continuously during a scheduled work shift, balancing, crouching, feeling, manual dexterity, grasping, handling, perceiving sounds at normal speaking levels, distinguishing among sounds, kneeling, lifting, mental acuity, pulling, pushing, reaching, repetitive motion, speaking, standing, stooping, expressing ideas by spoken word, shouting above noises, visual acuity in equipment, and walking.

• WORK ENVIRONMENT : Work is performed in a dynamic environment that requires sensitivity to change and responsiveness to changing goals, priorities, and needs.
• Requires : working outdoors in all weather conditions, near traffic, and tolerating foliage, seasonal pollen, dirt, dust, mud, water, insects, pests, reptiles, and animals;

being able to have a flexible schedule to work overtime and weekends as needed; and the ability to report for emergency situations.

Minimum Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED from an accredited school.
• Two (2) years of related work experience preferably experience in customer service and water utility operations. Licenses, Certifications or Registrations :
• Requires a valid driver’s license with an acceptable driving record.
• Desires AWWA Meter Technician Certification.

Salary

$45,659.00 - $50,731.00 Commensurate with Experience

Conditions of Employment

The City’s Background Check Policy requires background checks to be conducted on final internal or external candidate(s) applying for any position with the City of Charlotte.

The type of information that will be collected as part of a background check includes, but is not limited to : reference checks, social security verification, education verification, criminal conviction record check, and, if applicable, a credit history check, sex offender registry and motor vehicle records check.

Background checks must be in compliance with all federal and state statutes, such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

The checks must be consistent with the guidelines set forth by these laws requiring organizations to obtain a candidate’s written authorization before obtaining a criminal background report, motor vehicle records check or credit report;

and to properly store and dispose of information derived from such reports.

Final candidates must pass a pre-employment drug-screening test and physical examination. During the selection process, candidates may be asked to take a skills test, and / or participate in other assessments.

The City of Charlotte is an Equal Opportunity Employer.