Wastewater Plant Operator Intern

Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District (FSSD) is currently seeking a candidate to fill an Operator Internship opportunity within our Operations Department.
We're in search of someone who is eager to dive into the role of a wastewater operator and gain valuable experience! If you embody the qualities of a team player who fosters trust and determination, and you're enthusiastic about learning through active participation with your team, then you're an excellent fit for this opportunity. We are particularly interested in candidates who are currently enrolled in a wastewater education program or hold an Associate's degree or program completion certification in this field. Your dedication to wastewater education and your commitment to professional growth make you an ideal candidate for this role.

To thrive in this position, you should be engaged, collaborative, studious, and possess a foundational understanding of wastewater operations. Moreover, your exceptional interpersonal skills and cultural awareness will significantly contribute to the team's cohesion. Your capacity to communicate transparently, directly, and constructively will be highly valued.

Here are a few reasons why this role is worth your consideration:

• Your contributions will directly influence the District's ability to deliver crucial public services.
• You'll have the privilege of learning from an highly skilled and knowledgeable team.
• While acquiring a comprehensive grasp of wastewater treatment, you'll also accumulate valuable OIT work experience hours, which align with your certification requirements.

Challenges you'll embrace:

• Meeting the job expectations for this position, including diligently maintaining a work log of your daily activities, will be a part of your responsibility.
• Navigating through competing demands and shifting priorities will be a regular aspect of your role.
• You'll encounter a diverse array of communication and learning styles, and your adaptability in response will be crucial.

This role offers you the chance to not only enrich your own learning journey but also contribute to the vital work of wastewater treatment and its impact on the community.

OPPORTUNITY AWAITS!

Over several decades, the District has evolved from a technical engineering entity to a valuable resource manager, partner in local economic development, and active member of the watershed community. The District has taken numerous actions to shift conventional thinking about the way wastewater utilities are run.

• We are an award-winning facility, including winner of the 2024 Water Environment Federation Utility of the Future Award, 2022 California Water Environmental Association (CWEA) California Plant of the Year Award and the 2022 National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) Platinum Peak Performance Award.

• Over the years many of our employees have been recognized as operator of the year, laboratory person of the year, and mechanical technician of the year (to name a few).

• We are always looking for innovative solutions and often participate in various research pilots, which offers unique opportunities for our staff.

• We strive to obtain as much energy as possible from waste product and renewable energy through solar power, wind turbines, and cogeneration engines.

• We have a history of creative partnerships to address the issues we face, such as our partnership with Lystek International, who constructed a biosolids-to-fertilizer processing plant at our wastewater treatment facility.

At the Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District, we work together and break down barriers to accomplish major projects and facilitate successful daily operations of the facility. The District is a highly collaborative organization. By fostering a relatively flat organizational structure, minimizing bureaucracy, and promoting employee empowerment, the District achieves a high degree of cooperation and partnership between departments to seek out the best overall solutions to shared challenges. At the heart of the Districts progress is an organizational culture that continues to embrace positive change. We have a leadership team that supports the growth and needs of the employees and encourages ongoing feedback to make the District an employer of choice.

Here at the District, we are dedicated to providing what we believe to be an excellent work environment. We strive to maintain good wages and benefits, open communications and opportunities for creativity, ownership and fun. Apply today!

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES
An intern in the operations department will be expected to learn and participate in all aspects of day-to-day operation of a wastewater treatment plant and collection system. Some experiences may include:

• Learning to conduct daily checks
• Making process adjustments
• Gaining a basic understanding of SCADA systems
• Learning industrial safety programs such as confined space and lock-out tag-out procedures
• Learning to troubleshoot and identify electrical component failures
• Conducting tests of laboratory analysis
• Managing chemical inventories
• Accommodating construction project activities.

By the end of the internship period incumbents should be able to draw basic diagram of the treatment process indicating each subprocess, calculate basic wastewater math formulae typically used by District operators, apply for and take the SWRCB grade 1 state exam, perform successful demonstration of capabilities in de-ragging a pump and backwashing a filter for inspection.

HOURS OF WORK
This internship may work either 40 hours per week (preferred) or up to 29 hours per week, depending on the needs of the selected candidate, but no longer than 999 hours in a fiscal year. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
We are seeking an intern that is currently enrolled in a wastewater education program or holds an Associate's degree or program completion certification in this field.

A High School diploma or GED with six educational points is required for the internship and to obtain the OIT certificate.

Experience working in a closely related field such as water/wastewater maintenance, lab, inspection, or other forms of industrial operations is preferred but not required.

PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING CONDITIONS

• Mobility and Dexterity: Positions in this class typically require frequent stooping, kneeling, reaching, standing, walking, fingering, grasping, feeling (i.e., sense of touch), and repetitive motion.
• Lifting, Carrying, Pushing and Pulling: Employees in this class will be exerting up to 75 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects.
• Vision: Positions in this class require the employee to have close visual acuity, with or without correction, to prepare and analyze data and figures, transcribe, view a computer terminal, read, etc. Positions in this class also requires employees to have depth perception to operate a motor vehicle.
• Hearing/Talking: Positions in this class require the employee to perceive the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction and have the ability to receive detailed information through oral communication. Positions in this class require the employee to express or exchange ideas by means of the spoken word.
• Working Conditions: While some work will be in an office setting, visits to outdoor worksites will require an employee in this class to work outside and be subject to a variety of weather conditions, walking on uneven terrain, and working around vehicles in operation and around machinery with moving parts. Employees in this class may be required to operate a vehicle and thus will be subject to traffic hazards while driving.
• Work in a Wastewater Treatment Facility: Employees in this class will be working in a wastewater treatment facility and thus will be subject to exposure to chemicals, toxic agents, blood and other bodily fluids, and communicable diseases. There may also be occasional exposure to extreme temperatures, inadequate lighting, and workspace that restricts movement. Employees in this class may be required to work in an industrial area and outdoors and thus will be subject to exposure to moving mechanical parts, electrical currents, fuel, oil, gases, smoke, fumes, odors, pollens, dust, vibrations, and intense noises as well as field conditions including rainy, windy, cold, or hot weather.
• Working at Heights: Employees in this class may be required to work at heights 15 feet and more above the ground on equipment and structures.

Some of these requirements may be accommodated for otherwise qualified individuals requiring and requesting such accommodations, absent undue hardship.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

• Background Checks: The District may conduct a background check and a reference check on candidates prior to appointment to a position within this class.
• Independent Travel: Incumbents are required to travel independently, for example, to perform work at other work sites, to attend meetings with other District employees, to attend meetings with community organizations, etc.
• Hours of Work: Incumbents may be required to work weekends, holidays, irregular hours, and after normal business hours.

SELECTION PROCESS

July 9, 2025 Tentative dates for hiring interviews.

Responses to supplemental questions may be used as screening and testing mechanisms and will be used to assess an applicants ability to advance in the process; as such, responses to supplemental questions should be treated as test examination responses.

All applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through any subsequent phase of the recruitment process .
HOW TO APPLY

A completed FSSD employment application and supplemental questionnaire must be submitted by clicking the APPLY button in the upper right hand corner. This recruitment will close at 5:00pm, on Monday, June 16, 2025.

IMPORTANT: Contact with candidates will primarily be via email. Make sure you list a current email that you check regularly with your application. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed application packet.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Applicants receiving a conditional offer of employment must successfully complete the pre-employment process for this position before a final offer will be extended. Pre-employment assessments for this position include a background, pre-employment physical, and pre-employment drug screen.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

It is the policy of Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District to consider all applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, ancestry, medical condition, genetic information, military or veteran status, or other protected category under the law.

ABOUT FAIRFIELD-SUISUN SEWER DISTRICT
The Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District is a wastewater special district serving approximately 149,000 customers in Central Solano County, California, about 40 miles northeast of San Francisco. The District safeguards public health and helps protect the Suisun Marsh, the nations largest brackish water marsh and the largest remaining contiguous wetland on the Pacific Coast of North America.

The District has a purpose, vision, mission, and core values that we strive towards every day our employees show up for work.

Purpose : Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District protects public health and the environment for the communities we serve in an efficient, responsible and sustainable manner.

Vision : Our vision is to be a recognized leader in our industry.

Mission : We achieve our purpose by excelling individually and organizationally.

Core Values : As we strive to realize our vision of the future, all our actions and efforts will be guided by a certain set of values. These core values are our pledge to each other and to the community as to how we will conduct business.

• Global Thinking: We strive to consider the broadest consequences of our actions.
• Positive Working Relationships: We value strong working relationshipsboth internally and externally.
• Proactivity: We are future driven. We anticipate challenges and prepare for them.
• Honesty and Integrity: We practice honesty and integrity in all that we do.
• Creativity: We value innovation, and look for new and unique ways to conduct business.
• Ownership: Each of us is responsible for the Districts success.
• Fun: We appreciate the importance of fun in a productive workplace.
• Solution Driven: Finding solutions is just as important as identifying problems. When we see a problem we provide a solution.
• Fiscally Prudent: We take our fiduciary responsibility seriously. Our decision process balances cost and results.
• Quality: We take pride in our work and strive for excellence.

Visit our website at www.FSSD.com