The City of Fort Worth's Water Department is seeking an Assistant Director to lead the Strategic Operations Division, who will report to the Water Utility Director. The Strategic Operations Division includes 54 employees currently subdivided into horizontal asset management and development planning, facilities planning and asset management, SCADA and Data Analytics services, regulatory and legislative affairs, and a centralized laboratory.
This position will direct a multi-disciplinary team of individuals focused on supporting operating divisions and ensuring that operating and performance data is utilized enterprise-wide to inform decision making. The division will perform strategic system planning for the Utility; develop, adopt, and implement enterprise-wide strategic asset management plans and framework; negotiate and administer development and third-party contracts that support the Utility; and oversee the development of the Five Year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).
The Five-Year CIP is updated annually and submitted to the City Council for approval as part of the annual budget process. Implementing the current Five Year CIP is estimated to cost over a billion dollars, with funding coming from various sources, including pay-as-you-go cash, revenue bonds, state revolving fund low-interest loans, impact fees, and other miscellaneous sources. This position is responsible for developing the Five Year CIP using the CIP Planning Framework outlined in the Utility's Strategic Asset Management Plan in close collaboration with divisional staff, CIP Asset Management Committee and the Executive Team.
The CIP development would draw from recommendations included in master planning reports, asset management plans, risk models, development agreements, regulations, and citywide initiatives. The Strategic Operations division is also responsible for managing the utility impact fee process, including establishing fees, ensuring land use and capital improvement plans are updated and current, coordinating meetings with the Citizen Advisory Committee, and preparing semi-annual progress reports. This position will work in close consultation with departmental leadership and the city attorney's office to negotiate and administer new wholesale contracts, amendments to existing wholesale contracts, development agreements, and major operations contracts.
This position will work with engineering, finance, and regulatory staff to make logical assumptions and perform business case analysis to justify approval of short- and long-term contracts. This position will be required to periodically evaluate existing contracts to ensure compliance with terms and conditions and verify assumptions used in their justification are still legitimate. The candidate shall be familiar with various contract forms and procurement options and have experience in contract negotiation. The candidate may be asked to present a business case analysis and explain contract terms to city leadership and elected officials.
The successful candidate will be knowledgeable regarding regulations that affect water and wastewater utilities and be able to develop plans to position the Utility to meet future regulations. The NELAP-accredited central laboratory services the water utility, wholesale customers, and other agencies. The central laboratory falls under the general supervision of this position, so an understanding of laboratory operations, management, and accreditation requirements is beneficial.
The successful candidate will be knowledgeable regarding the tools utilized to capture and distribute operations, maintenance, and customer data across the Utility, including SCADA systems, computerized maintenance management systems, and advanced metering infrastructure. The successful candidate should understand these tools' capabilities, how the data can be presented and utilized across the Utility, and where data gaps need to be addressed.
Ideal Candidate
The successful candidate should be comfortable directing, managing, and coordinating internal staff and personnel, focusing on developing staff to their full potential through training, support, and encouragement. The candidate will also interface regularly with external engineering consultants, contractors, and vendors.
They will have a thorough knowledge of water and wastewater infrastructure and facility master planning, design, and procurement. The candidate should be knowledgeable with asset management principles and practices, how they can be applied across the Utility to improve performance and be capable of leading that effort in Fort Worth. The candidate should understand data acquisition tools and interfaces and be willing to lead initiatives to improve service levels, efficiencies, and productivity. The candidate should be familiar with state and federal regulatory rules and agencies, especially regarding water and wastewater treatment, distribution, and collection system operations. The ideal candidate shall have active listening skills, excellent communication skills, a proven ability to lead and manage staff, work effectively with internal teams and external wholesale and development-related customers, and deliver reports and recommendations, speaking effectively on technical issues in formal and informal settings. The ideal candidate shall be an experienced administrator who can prepare and adhere to established budgets.
Education and Experience
The candidate shall possess a Bachelor's degree in engineering from an accredited college or university and at least six (6) years of increasingly responsible experience, including management of engineering and technical staff with oversight of complex programs and budgets. Applicants shall possess or can obtain a Professional Engineer certification in the State of Texas. If licensed in another state, continued employment will be contingent upon obtaining registration as a Professional Engineer within the State of Texas within six months of employment. This position reports to work in person, working at the Water Utility offices at Fort Worth City Hall.
Interested applicants, please 'Apply Now' with your CV/Resume and we will be in touch with you shortly. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.
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