General Manager

We are experts at delivering high-quality water and wastewater service to our customers. And we are more. We are scientists, environmentalists, innovators, and protectors.

We are also residents and employees in the communities we serve. We understand how important, how precious, and how critical water is to daily life. It's not always apparent just how far into our daily lives water reaches. We just know that when we need it, we expect it to be there.

Position Summary:

The Manager, General Contract Operations, for the Tampa desalination facility is primarily responsible for the delivery of all operations and maintenance activities required under the service agreement contract. Duties include; planning, organizing and directing activities with respect to the desalination water treatment facility and its staff as may be required by contract, applicable drinking water, and environmental regulations.

Key Accountabilities:

• Responsible for oversight of all operations and maintenance activities, overall operation/efficiency, contract/regulatory compliance, and adherence to company policies.
• Directly or indirectly supervises all staff assigned to the Project and all activities.
• Develops objectives to meet regulatory, contractual and company requirements, efficiencies, and productivity via continuous quality improvement and strategic planning including budget development and management.
• Organizes operations, maintenance, and support activities to maximize efficient use of available staff, subcontractors, equipment and materials.
• Provides technical support and guidance to Operation and Maintenance teams.
• Controls expenditures to meet or exceed Value Contribution.
• Analyzes and evaluates operation, maintenance, and support functions, initiates new or improved practices as necessary.
• Responsible for ensuring appropriate health and safety measures are established and carried out in system operations and maintenance.
• Interacts with subordinates, supervisors, other agencies, and customers to facilitate smooth system functioning.
• Develops, prepares and delivers all customer, regulator and corporate reporting requirements for the project.
• Other Duties as assigned

Knowledge/Skills:

• Must have experience with medium to large utility operations as appropriate (e.g., water treatment, wastewater treatment, etc.). Desalination skills/technical competency preferred.
• Ability to build and sustain a collaborative, high performance team culture that encourages creativity, innovation, empowerment and vision. Skills needed to direct, coach, interact, mentor, and organize people to accomplish goals consistent with the organizations objectives.
• Ability to supervise, direct and support employees, managers and supervisors.
• Ability needed to manage the financial aspects of operations at a large complex project. Must have thorough understanding of financial systems, and quickly learn in-house systems. Ability to formulate, prepare, track and manage Contract Operations budgets and sub-budgets.
• Ability to negotiate; to give and take with the end always in mind. Can influence people to agree to concepts and actions with out compromise to the company, core philosophy and personal ethics. Always looks and thinks “win-win”.
• Leads a strategic approach to developing long range project goals and objectives, developing a plan to reach those goals and developing a method to monitor the Projects progress toward achieving them.
• Encourages the effective use of technology to improve facility operations.
• Proactively introduces change into the facility to address emerging issues.
• Strong understanding of H&S topics and how to drive the appropriate culture.
• Leads and supports efforts to maximize performance and encourages staff to progress through licensing.
• Demonstrated computer skills including Internet, e-mail, word processing and spreadsheets.
• Experience with human resource issues such as interviewing, performance appraisals, performance management, organizational development and labor relations. Ability to motivate and retain staff.
• Institutionalizes the concepts of continuous quality improvement activities, performance measurement and benchmarking.
• Can clearly articulate complex issues both verbally, and in writing to both technical and non-technical people. Is comfortable giving public presentation and interacting at the executive level.
• Demonstrates a strong commitment to plant safety activities, practices and standards
• Works and plays well with others. Understands what playing as a team means and does not stand-alone. Works together with others to come up with solutions better than ones thought of individually. Believes others’ ideas are good and have value. Works for the group and not for and by him or herself
• Management of Contract Compliance - Can read and thoroughly understand contract language. Can prepare a critical point compliance checklist(s) for specific areas of the contract.
• Understands issues and complexity of situations and communicates in an appropriate and effective way. Gets things accomplished in difficult environments.
• Problem Solving Skills - Ability to solve problems effectively and efficiently at various levels of the organization.
• Regulatory knowledge needed as it pertains to drinking water standards.

Education/ Experience:

• Graduation from an accredited college or university with a degree in sanitary, chemical, civil, electrical or mechanical engineering, public or business administration or other equivalent degree. Combination of experience and education will be considered.
• Ten (10) + years experience in utility, desalination, surface water and/or wastewater operations. Experience in desalination a strong plus.
• Must have demonstrated experience in operational, organizational and financial problem solving skills.
• Experience in motivating and managing labor.
• Spanish speaking a plus.
• Florida drinking water license highly desired (or capability to obtain within six (6) months of being hired).