Assistant Directors - Department of Water Management City of Durham NC
Assistant Directors - Department of Water Management City of Durham NC
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Job Description
About Us
The City of Durhams Department of Water Management Seeks Two Assistant Directors
The City of Durham North Carolina a growing and forwardthinking community is seeking two experienced and trustworthy water resources professionals to join the leadership team in the Department of Water Management (DWM). The Assistant Director Plant Operations & Maintenance and the Assistant Director Water Distribution & Wastewater Collection are supported by a knowledgeable and dedicated staff and offer the chance to make a real difference in public service.These are exceptional opportunities for skilled professionals who wish to play key roles in managing and advancing critical water infrastructure systems in a wellfunded and highly supported department.
Both Assistant Directorswill demonstrate outstanding project management competencies lead with a customer service focus and effectively coordinate with all internal departments in the City external stakeholders etc. for all projects including planning and funding the renewal and replacement of the Citys aging water/wastewater infrastructure and the DWMs asset management program.
About the Community:
The City of Durham is located in the Research Triangle Region of North Carolina and is the County seat of Durham County. The City is grounded in research and development from the regions major research institutions and many private and federal labs which have fueled business and economic growth and made the region a world leader in life sciences information technology and clean technology.
Consistently ranked among the top places to live work and play Durham is a magnet for talent which helps attract innovative companies working in highgrowth industries. Durham the City of Medicine has long been known for worldclass medical facilities including topranked Duke University Medical Center and an industryleading pharmaceutical sector. The healthcare industry in Durham County includes more than 300 medical and healthrelated companies and medical practices with a combined payroll that exceeds $1.2 billion annually.
More recently Durham County has become a hotspot for entrepreneurs and hightech startups propelled by the launch of American Underground a startup incubator and accelerator and the Durham Innovation District a planned mixeduse residential/retail/lab and workspace in Downtown Durham. Durham boasts a premier performing arts center and the Durham Bulls AAA baseball team. In addition to Duke University Durham is home to North Carolina Central University the nations first public Historically Black College and University now a major center for biotech and biomanufacturing R&D and Durham Technical Community College a key partner in preparing a competitive workforce. Private investment is flourishing redeveloping former tobacco and textile warehouses and historic buildings into exciting mixeduse developments filled with diverse and popular housing options restaurants artist studios retail spaces and small businesses.
About the Organization:
The City of Durham operates under a Council/Manager form of government. The City Manager along with three Deputy City Managers leads approximately 2500 employees working across 25 departments. The City has a FY25 general operating budget of $668 million an increase of 9.5 from last year AAA bond ratings and a tax rate of 59.62 cents per $100 of property value up from last years 55.77 cents. The generated tax bill is $1517 on a house valued at $254421 the median home tax value according to the Durham County Office of Tax Administration. The Citys daytoday management and plan for future growth are managed by itsStrategic PlanDurham: LevelUp Durham which was updated in 2024 and guides how the City serves its residents invests in its future and creates opportunities for all.
The City prides itself on community engagement and offers multiple ways for the community to become involved and stay informed from 27 Advisory Boards and Commissions to state of the art communication tools such as an open data Web platform and social media to community surveys. Learn more about the City of Durhamhere.
Duties/Responsibilities
About the Department and Positions:
The City of Durhams Department of Water Management (DWM) with an operating budget of nearly $71 million and over 382 water professionals delivers clean drinking water to the Durham community. DWM also collects and treats wastewater at water reclamation facilities before safely returning it to the environment. The DWM operates and maintains a vast and complex infrastructure that provides these essential services around the clock. Highly trained response teams are on call 24/7 to fix water main breaks sewer overflows and other emergencies.
With consistently highperforming operations and an outstanding compliance record the DWM is recognized as a regional leader in water resource management driven by the continued development and implementation of the Jordan Lake Regional Water Treatment Facility and the Mist Lake Facilitya stateoftheart center focused on employee wellness training and professional development. The DWMs strategic initiatives and commitment to excellence have been recognized through several prestigious accolades including:
- WaterSense Sustained Excellence Award Awarded to the Durham Department of Water Management in both 2023 and 2024
- Best Tasting Water in North Carolina Awarded to Durham Water for the third consecutive year in November 2021
- WaterSense Partner of the Year Awarded in Fall 2024 for the ninth consecutive year
The Assistant Directors are two of the three Assistant Director positions who work collaboratively under the general direction of the Water Management Director. The Assistant Director Plant Operations & Maintenance is responsible for the safe efficient and effective operation and maintenance of the Citys drinking water and wastewater treatment facilities and programs. The drinking water facilities include the Lake Michie and Little River Reservoirs; the Brown and Williams Water Treatment Facilities (combined capacity of 64 million gallons per day); and the new Jordan Lake Regional Water Treatment Facility which is currently under development. Wastewater management facilities include the North and South Durham Water Reclamation Facilities (combined capacity of 40 million gallons per day). This Assistant Director has six direct reports (five Superintendents and a Senior Engineering Manager) and oversees a budget of $31.7M with 132 FTEs.
TheAssistant Director Water Distribution & Wastewater Collection is responsible for the efficient and effective operation and maintenance of the Citys water and wastewater conveyance systems which include 1269 miles of water pipe ranging in size of 454 inches; water storage facilities; the crossconnection control program; 1367 miles of wastewater collection pipe ranging in size of 442 inches; 63 wastewater pumping stations; and the fats oil and grease control program. This Assistant Director has four direct reports (two Superintendents a Senior Engineering Manager and a Cross Connection Control Administrator) and oversees a budget of $23M with 170 FTEs.
Key Priorities for both vacant Assistant Directors positions include:
- Develop positive and productive relationships with DWM staff other City departments and regional utility partners.
- Promote a team culture of safety training and professional development.
- Engage with staff to gain a thorough understanding of the personnel facilities and infrastructure in his/her area of responsibility.
- Support the development of the Jordan Lake Regional Water Treatment Facility.
- Work with staff and other stakeholders for the orderly renewal or replacement of aging infrastructure.
- Engage with staff to develop and implement SMART goals focused on efficiency and performance excellence.
- Ensure full compliance with all regulatory requirements.
Qualifications
Qualifications for both Assistant Director positions:
- A bachelors Degree in Civil Engineering Public Administration Hydrology & Water Management Environmental Engineering or related fieldis required; a masters degree is preferred.
- At least 6 years of experience in upperlevel management with a minimum of 4 years of budget development/management experience is required or any equivalent combination of education training and experience.
- Certified Professional Engineer (PE) and/orWater/Wastewater related certificationsis highly desired but not required.
- Must possess a valid drivers license.
- Experience with the operations and maintenance of water and/or wastewater treatment plants with capacity greater than 10 million gallons per day is preferred (Asst. Director Plant Operations and Maintenance).
- Experience with the operations and maintenance of greater than 1000 miles of water and/or wastewater piping with a staff of 100 employees is preferred (Asst. Director Water Distribution and Wastewater Collection).
The Successful Candidates Are:
- open honest trustworthy and approachable leaders committed to building a cohesive team throughout the department as well as to developing individual employees;
- proactive in building collaborative relationships with City departments developers engineers architects community and business leaders to effectively meet City and DWM goals;
- adept at developing an excellent customer service culture for internal and external customers while supporting and advocating for employees and the department;
- experienced in proactively leading water utility services and programs.
- knowledgeable of theory principles practices and techniques of water and wastewater utilities;
- knowledgeable of applicable federal state and local law codes and regulations governing public utilities functions and activities;
- outstanding ability to interact with people from diverse backgrounds;
- experienced project managers who are adept at overseeing utilityrelated projects;
- resourceful in finding or developing innovative solutions to meet workload demands with reduced staff in a tight budget climate;
- effective listeners who seek input from relevant parties realistically assess plans and consistently communicate;
- principled leaders who value accountability while holding realistic and fair expectations of self and others;
- effective communicators including oneonone communications small groups and public speaking who confidently and persuasively engage citizens community groups staff and elected officials; and
- lifelong learners who maintain knowledge of trends and initiatives regionally and nationally.
Additional Information
Salary and Benefits
The anticipated hiring range for these positions is $123251$160000 depending on qualifications and experience. The City offers acomprehensive benefits package including a comprehensive wellness program. The normal work week is 37.5 hours with required attendance for afterhours community meetings as needed.
To applyplease visit click on Assistant Director Water Resources City of Durham NC. You can select which position you are interested in within the application.
- All applications must be submitted online via the Developmental Associates application portal (link above) NOT the organizations employment application portal or any other external website.
- Resumes and cover letters must be uploaded with the application.
- Applicants should apply byMay 29 2025.
- The hiring team will invite successful semifinalists to virtual interviews and skill evaluations onJune. Candidates are encouraged to reserve these dates for virtual meetings should they be invited to participate.
- Directinquiriesto
The City of Durham is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Developmental Associates LLC manages the recruitment and selection process.
Required Experience:
Director
Employment Type
Full-Time
