Environmental Engineer



Job Details

Environmental Engineer
Employer

Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County

Salary

$82,488.00 - $114,228.00 Annually

Location

Various (please refer to job posting), CA

Job Type

Monthly

Job Number

RB-100-18

Department

Environmental Engineering Recruitment

Opening Date

01/04/2018

JOB POSTING



The incumbent will perform engineering work related to wastewater management and/or solid waste management in areas such as: design, recycled water research and production, energy recovery, stormwater management, operations, water and air quality, project management, planning, construction and source control.

The most qualified applicants will have superior technical writing and communication skills, analytical skills and project management skills.  It is desirable that applicants have the ability to develop and maintain good working relationships with multiple departments and sections within the Sanitation Districts. 

Engineers are involved in all phases of our work, from conception to operation. Almost all engineering is performed in-house. Our engineering positions offer challenge and diversity as well as internal transfer opportunities to promote professional growth.

OUR MISSION

The Sanitation Districts protect public health and the environment through innovative and cost-effective wastewater and solid waste management, and in doing so convert waste into resources such as recycled water, energy and recycled materials.
 
ORGANIZATION

The Sanitation Districts function on a regional scale and consist of 24 independent special districts serving approximately 5.6 million people in Los Angeles County, a population larger than that of 30 states in the United States. The service area covers approximately 824 square miles and encompasses 78 cities and unincorporated territory within the county.

The Sanitation Districts were created in 1923 when a significant number of cities were forming and it was clear that managing wastewater on a regional scale made sense. The Sanitation Districts' purpose was to construct, operate, and maintain facilities that collect, treat, recycle, and dispose of domestic, commercial and industrial wastewater. Individual districts operate and maintain the District-owned collection systems. Cities and unincorporated areas within the district are responsible for their smaller local collection systems.

Cities and unincorporated parts of the county are also responsible for the collection of solid waste. In the 1950s, it became apparent that solid waste management would benefit from a regional approach. At that time, the Sanitation Districts were given the responsibility to provide for the management of collected solid waste, including disposal and transfer operations, and materials and energy recovery.

To maximize efficiency and reduce costs, the 24 Sanitation Districts work cooperatively under a Joint Administration Agreement with one administrative staff headquartered near the City of Whittier. Each Sanitation District has a Board of Directors, consisting of the mayor of each city and the Chair of the County Board of Supervisors for unincorporated territory. Each Sanitation District pays its proportionate share of joint administrative costs.

Approximately 1,400 miles of sewers, 47 active pumping plants, and 11 wastewater treatment plants convey and treat over half the wastewater in Los Angeles County. The Sanitation Districts' solid waste management sites similarly provide about one-fourth of the countywide solid waste management needs. The Sanitation Districts operate two sanitary landfills, two landfill energy recovery facilities, one recycle center, and three materials recovery/transfer facilities, and participate in the operation of two refuse-to-energy facilities.

CONVERTING WASTE TO RESOURCES

The Sanitation Districts are innovators in the production of green energy and water recycling. Approximately 100 megawatts of electricity, enough to supply the needs of about 100,000 homes, are created in the Sanitation Districts' wastewater and solid waste operations. Approximately 100,000 acre-feet of recycled water are typically used each year at more than 860 sites throughout the county. Uses of recycled water include industrial, commercial, and recreational applications; groundwater recharge; and agricultural, landscape, park, and golf course irrigation. Today, the Sanitation Districts are one of the top producers of beneficially reused recycled water in the United States.

BUDGET

Overall wastewater and solid waste management budgets for 2016-17 were $609 million and $133 million, respectively. Both systems provide essential public services at some of the most competitive service charges in the country.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Applicants must possess:

 
Option A:    A bachelor's degree in engineering -AND- a master's degree in a pertinent engineering discipline;
 
Option B:    A bachelor's degree in engineering -AND- four years of verifiable related professional engineering experience obtained after earning a bachelor's degree in engineering.
 

The desirable educational qualifications are a bachelor's degree in civil/environmental, chemical or mechanical engineering -AND- a master's degree in environmental engineering. Candidates with a bachelor's degree in a pertinent engineering discipline, plus relevant experience, will be considered for positions on a case-by-case basis.
 

KNOWLEDGE OF: Engineering theory and practices; principles and practices of physics, chemistry, and higher mathematics used in performing complex professional engineering work; hydraulics; and technical writing.

ABILITY TO: Analyze large scale, complex engineering problems and develop appropriate solutions; apply appropriate engineering principles; prepare and coordinate the preparation of comprehensive reports.
 
LICENSE:  Possession of a valid California Class C driver license.

NOTE: All degrees must be either from an accredited college or university in the United States; -OR- if a degree was obtained from a foreign college or university, it must be evaluated through a credential evaluation service at the applicant's expense. 

Engineering opportunities in other disciplines may occur in the future.  Please use the online job interest card system to be notified of future Engineering opportunities. 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Application Process:

Only online applications that include a resume and cover letter will be accepted. Please make sure to attach your resume and cover letter before submitting your online application. Resumes will not be accepted in place of a completed application.  Completed applications may be retained and considered for future vacancies. 

The best qualified applicants will be invited to an initial screening interview and will be provided with an interview date/time.  Interviews will be conducted via an online video conference at the designated time.  Applicants that are invited for an interview are expected to have the ability to be interviewed through their personal device (e.g. computer, tablet, mobile phone).  Applications will be accepted until positions are filled; however, the first review of applications will take place on Monday, February 5, 2018. 

RETIREMENT
 
The Districts belong to the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS), which includes an "employee share" and the "employer share" similar to Social Security. All monthly status new hires will be enrolled in CalPERS. Most new hires will be enrolled in the defined benefit formula of 2% @ 62 in accordance with the Public Employees' Pension Reform Act (PEPRA) and are required to contribute to the plan (which is approximately 5.75% for the 17/18 fiscal year).

Those who qualify based on current or previous public service may be enrolled in the defined benefit formula in place on December 31, 2012, which was 2% @ 55 and are considered "classic" members.  For "classic" members, the Districts pay some or all of the "employee share." 

Please contact the Human Resources Department for more information regarding contribution rates.  Although Districts employees are exempt from Social Security, employees are required by federal law to contribute a percentage of their salary for Medicare coverage.

Survivor's Benefit - A mandatory deduction of $2.00 per month provides an allowance for surviving dependents of employees whose death occurs before retirement.
 
SALARY ADJUSTMENTS AND PROMOTIONS
  
Job classifications are compensated on a 5-step salary range.  New employees may receive a 5.5% step increase after successfully completing a 6-month probationary period and yearly thereafter until step 5 is reached.  The Districts' typically promote qualified internal applicants before considering outside candidates.  For engineering professionals, there are three levels of Engineering Associate (EA) and administrative promotion is possible to an EA II or EA III level after an engineer completes 2 years as an EA I or EA II respectively.  Engineers are eligible for administrative promotion to the Civil Engineer level when they obtain registration as a Professional Engineer in the State of California and have a bachelor's degree from an accredited university and 6 years of professional engineering experience, a master's degree from an accredited university and 3 years of professional engineering experience, or a PhD and 2 years of professional engineering experience.  An employee with four years of experience at the Civil Engineer level may apply to compete for promotion to Senior Engineer.  Promotions to the Senior Engineer level are made depending upon the needs of the Districts.  Supervising Engineer positions are filled through a competitive selection process.  Management level positions may also be filled through a competitive selection process, or by appointment by the Chief Engineer and General Manager.

 
LEAVE TIME
  
  • VACATION: 80 hours of paid vacation time is available after one full calendar year of service, increasing to 120 hours per year after five years, 160 hours after 15 years and up to 200 hours after 25 years.  Prior to one year of full service, employees are given partial vacation time on January 1, based on the time worked in the preceding year.
  • SICK LEAVE:  Eight hours of full-pay sick leave per month or 96 hours a year.  Proof of illness may be required for usage.  Current year sick leave, up to 96 hours, may be sold back to the Districts if the employee has accrued sick leave in excess of 240 hours.
 
  • PERSONAL LEAVE, AND HOLIDAYS: Employees may use up to 24 hours per calendar year from current year sick leave for personal reasons.  Thirteen and one-half paid holidays depending on employee's work schedule. 

HEALTH INSURANCE
  
  • MEDICAL: The Districts contribute up to $1,650.07 per month for medical insurance.  Depending on the choice of health plan, the Districts contribution covers all or a large portion of the premium for family coverage.  Employees may switch medical plans during the open enrollment period, which occurs in September/October each year.
  • DENTAL: The Districts pay the full premium for employee and dependent coverage for a prepaid dental program which provides for most routine dental care through a panel of contracting dentists with no deductibles.  Reduced rates are charged for specialty dental services such as orthodontics and dentures.  Employees are eligible to enroll in an indemnity plan if requested within thirty days after completion of three years of employment, or during subsequent open enrollment periods occurring each September/October.
  • VISION: Employee paid.
  • LIFE: The Districts pay for a term life policy; the amount depends on the employee's bargaining unit.  Employees can buy additional types and amounts of life insurance coverage at group rates.
  • LONG TERM DISABILITY:  The Districts provide a policy to partially compensate employees who can no longer perform their regular duties.  This benefit provides 66-2/3% to 70% of their salary from the 91st day of disability up to 2 to 5 years depending on the employee's bargaining unit.

ENGINEERING TRANSFER PROGRAM
  
Engineers can participate in a voluntary transfer program to gain experience in various engineering sections.  Transfers are made whenever vacancies and qualifications match.  An engineer may apply for transfer after they have served in their assignment for 2 years.

PAYDAYS
  
Employees are paid on the 10th and 25th of each month.  If payday should fall on a holiday or a weekend, then checks will be distributed on the preceding workday.  Employees may authorize direct deposit of their net pay into designated bank account(s) in lieu of receiving a check.

TUITION REIMBURSEMENT AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
  
 Employees may be eligible for tuition reimbursement for approved accredited course work.  Employees may be reimbursed for membership dues/fees for job-related professional organizations, seminars or workshops, technical books and computer software.

FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNTS

Eligible employees may elect to defer a portion of their salary from their gross income and use the tax-deferred income to pay for dependent care, insurance premiums or medical expenses.

DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN

Participation is at the employees' option and expense.

CREDIT UNION

The Southland Credit Union provides a wide range of financial services including automatic payroll deductions, savings and checking accounts, Visa Cards, CDs, IRAs, and a variety of loans.  Employees may call the Credit Union at (562) 862-6831 to request an enrollment package.

WORK ENVIRONMENT & OTHER BENEFITS
  
  • Clear policies and procedures.
  • Health and safety programs.
  • A rewarding career contributing to society and the environment.
  • Carpool opportunities with monetary or work schedule incentives depending on the worksite.
  • More detailed benefits information can be found here: http://www.lacsd.org/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?blobid=14042
NOTE: The provisions of this posting do not constitute an expressed or implied contract. Any provision contained in this posting may be modified and/or revoked without notice.
Updated 1/4/2018

01
Each applicant must complete this supplemental questionnaire as a part of the application screening and selection process. The information you provide will be reviewed and used to determine your eligibility to move forward in the selection process. Incomplete responses, false statements, omissions, or partial information may result in disqualification from the selection process. Do you agree to answer each supplemental question truthfully and that your responses can be verified from information included within the application?
  • Yes
  • No
02
Do you have a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from an ABET accredited college/university in the United States or a foreign college/university with a program that is accredited or recognized by ABET?
  • Yes
  • No
03
Do you have a bachelor's degree in Civil/Environmental Engineering from an ABET accredited college/university in the United States or a foreign college/university with a program that is accredited or recognized by ABET?
  • Yes
  • No
04
Do you have a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from an ABET accredited college/university in the United States or a foreign college/university with a program that is accredited or recognized by ABET?
  • Yes
  • No
05
Do you have a master's degree in Environmental Engineering from an ABET accredited college/university in the United States or a foreign college/university with a program that is accredited or recognized by ABET?
  • Yes
  • No
06
If you answered "No" to the previous question, will you obtain a master's degree in Environmental Engineering before June 30, 2018 from an ABET accredited college/university in the United States or a foreign college/university with a program that is accredited or recognized by ABET?
  • Yes
  • No
07
For purposes of the following question "sponsorship for an immigration-related employment benefit" means "an H-1B visa petition, an O-1 visa petition, an E-3 visa petition, TN status, and 'job flexibility benefits' (also known as I-140 portability or Adjustment of Status portability) for long-delayed adjustment of status applications that have been pending for 180 days or longer." (Please ask us if you are uncertain whether you may need immigration sponsorship or desire clarification.) Will you now or in the future require "sponsorship for an immigration-related employment benefit?"
  • Yes
  • No
08
List any specific engineering experience and skills that you have which may benefit the Sanitation Districts if you were selected for this position. Indicate which sections/areas (e.g. design, research, air and water quality monitoring, stormwater management, reuse & compliance, planning, construction, field engineering, wastewater collection systems, energy recovery, wastewater and solid waste operations and source control) of the agency might benefit most from your experience/skills and why.
09
Do you have prior work experience at public or private sector organizations that provide Environmental Engineering services related to the Sanitation Districts?
  • Yes
  • No
10
If you answered "Yes" to the previous question, please list these organizations and your job title at each organization.
11
Did you include your resume and cover letter as part of this application?
  • Yes
  • No
12
Available start date for full-time employment:
13
How and when did you find out about this job opportunity?

* Required Question

Employer
Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County
Address
1955 Workman Mill Road

Whittier, California, 90601
Phone
562-908-4288 xt 1310
Website
http://www.lacsd.org

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