Job Description

Our diverse and inclusive workforce of more than 7,000 employees play a key role in the success of San José, the heart of the Silicon Valley. All City of San José employees work together as one team to make San José a vibrant, innovative, and desirable place to live and work. Visit here to learn more about our One Team Leadership Values and Expectations, including quality and excellent customer service and here to learn more about San José.

The City of San José is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants for all job openings will be considered without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful under any federal, state or local laws. The City of San José is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at 408-535-1285, 711 (TTY) , or via email at CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov .

About the Department

The Environmental Services Department (ESD) is a national leader in pollution prevention, watershed protection, utility service provision, and climate action. Together, ESD employees positively impact every resident and business in San Jose.

Our department is an exceptional place to start or grow your career. We have a supportive leadership team, numerous professional growth opportunities, and an inclusive workplace culture that is welcoming of your talents! We offer an array of meaningful career paths and value flexibility. Additionally, the City offers a wide array of benefits , as well as 15 paid holidays!

To learn more about ESD, follow @sjenvironment on X, Facebook and Instagram and San Jose Environmental Services on LinkedIn.

About the Water Resources Division

The Water Resources Division is comprised of three sections: Municipal Water System, South Bay Water Recycling, and Operations and Maintenance. The Water Resources Division provides potable water service through the Municipal Water System to the communities of Evergreen, North San José/ Alviso, Edenvale, and Coyote. The Water Resources Division also provides recycled water service through the South Bay Water Recycling system to the cities of San José, Santa Clara, and Milpitas. South Bay Water Recycling includes 143 miles of pipeline and facilities, including four pump stations, three reservoirs, and Retail Agency Operations and Maintenance activities for over 800 individual customer connections. In addition, the Water Resources Division also leads water conservation efforts for the City of San José.

Position Duties

The Environmental Services Department is seeking a Water Systems Operations Superintendent to supervise the operations and maintenance of Municipal Water System services, equipment and mechanical devices for the potable and recycled water systems.

The Water Systems Operations Superintendent is responsible for field investigations, managing the water system, monitoring, and sampling activities to ensure reliable storage transmission, distribution of high-quality treated water, and ensuring compliance of regulations set by the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB).

This position performs standby duty on a rotating basis to provide supervisory coverage after hours, per State Health Department requirements.

Typical duties include but are not limited to:

Plan, organize, and direct the operations of potable and recycled water distribution facilities.
Ensure that water quality samples are taken daily to ensure compliance with state health standards.
Operate pumps and valves by both local and remote control to regulate water flow through a distribution system; collect, interpret, and analyze data from a computer based supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system and visually inspect meters, gauges, and charts.
Control the response to customer requests and complaints through supervision and scheduling of personnel
As standby duty supervisor, respond to serious malfunctions, equipment failures and other emergencies (during the workday and after hours)

For more information about this role, please visit this link

Salary Information

The actual salary shall be determined by the final candidate’s qualifications and experience. The below salary ranges include an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing non-pensionable pay. The annual salary range for the positions are presently as follows:

Water Systems Operations Superintendent I: $128,943.36 - $160,196.40

Water Systems Operations Superintendent II: $135,801.12 - $168,189.84

Minimum Qualifications

Water Systems Operations Superintendent I

Education and Experience: Two (2) years experience as a lead or foreperson over employees performing potable water distribution or treatment operations.

Licensing/Certifications:

Possession of a valid driver’s license authorizing operation of a motor vehicle in California.
Possess and maintain valid SWRCB Distribution Operator Grade 4 certification.
Possess and maintain valid SWRCB Water Treatment Operator Grade 1 certification.

Water Systems Operations Superintendent II

Education and Experience: One (1) year experience as a Water Systems Operations Superintendent I with the City of San José.

Licensing/Certifications:

Possession of a valid driver’s license authorizing operation of a motor vehicle in California.
Possess and maintain valid SWRCB Distribution Operator Grade 5 certification.
Possess and maintain valid SWRCB Water Treatment Operator Grade 2 certification.

Other Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history.

Job Expertise - Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies and federal and state rules and regulations.

Communication Skills - Communicates and listens effectively and responds in an timely, effective, positive and respectful manner; written reports and correspondence are accurate, complete, current; well-organized, legible, concise, neat, and in proper grammatical form responds to statements and comments of others in a way that reflects understanding of the content and the accompanying emotion; asks clarifying questions to assure understanding of what the speaker intended, ensures consistent communication takes place within area of responsibility.

Computer Skills - Experience with common business computer applications including but not limited to: MS Outlook, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Access, and MS Excel.

Customer Service - Demonstrates the ability to anticipate customers' needs and deliver services effectively and efficiently in a timely, accurate, respectful and friendly manner

Leadership - Leads by example; demonstrates high ethical standards; remains visible and approachable and interacts with others on a regular basis; promotes a cooperative work environment, allowing others to learn from mistakes; provides motivational supports and direction.

Multi-Tasking - Can handle multiple projects and responsibilities simultaneously; has handled a wide variety of assignments in past and/or current position(s).

Planning - Acts to align own unit's goals with the strategic direction of the organization; Defines tasks and milestones to achieve objectives, while ensuring the optimal use of resources to meet those objectives.

Problem Solving - Approaches a situation or problem by defining the problem or issue; determines the significance of problem(s); collects information; uses logic and intuition to arrive at decisions or solutions to problems that achieve the desired outcome.

Supervision - Sets effective long and short-term goals based on a good understanding of management practices; establishes realistic priorities within available resources; provides motivational support; empowers others; assigns decision-making and work functions to others in an appropriate manner to maximize organizational and individual effectiveness.

Team Work & Interpersonal Skills - Develops effective relationships with co-workers and supervisors by helping others accomplish tasks and using collaboration and conflict resolution skills.

Selection Process

The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to all the job specific questions. You must answer all questions to be considered, or your application may be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applicants are expected to write their own essays/responses. Please be advised that use of AI content in your responses may result in your removal from the hiring process. Only those candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to proceed in the selection process. Additional phases of the selection process will consist of one or more interviews.

If you have questions about the duties of these positions, the selection or hiring processes, please contact Irina Orozco@ Irina.Orozco@sanjoseca.gov

Additional Information:

Employment Eligibility: Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will NOT sponsor, represent or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1-B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.

You must answer all job-specific questions to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applicants are expected to write their own essays/responses.

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third party job board application system.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov and we will research the status of your application.

AI and the Hiring Process

We recognize that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming part of daily life and can be a valuable tool for learning, research, and professional growth. We encourage candidates to use AI responsibly as a support in preparing application materials, live assessments, and interviews. However, we value authenticity, accuracy and truthfulness. Application responses and interview answers must reflect your own knowledge, skills, and experiences. While AI can supplement preparation, it cannot replace the originality and judgment we look for in our employees. This ensures fairness, transparency, and equity for all applicants in the hiring process.

The City of San Jose offers a wide range of core health benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Disability, and Savings Plans. Please visit the City's benefits pagefor detailed information on coverage, cost, and dependent coverage.

For information on the City’s Retirement Plan(pension for full-time employees), please visit the Office of Retirement Services website. You will be able to view information based on different Sworn/Federated job classification.

In additional to the benefits above, there is an additional perks siteto explore further benefits of working for the City of San Jose like paid leave, educational reimbursements, and holiday pay are specific to the job classification and union membership.

Closing Date/Time: 9/4/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

CITY OF SAN JOSE jobs

Water Systems Operations Superintendent I/II - Environmental Services Department