Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator III

Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator III

Salary

$41.28 - $50.23 Hourly

Location

5915 Windsor Island Rd N Keizer, OR

Job Type

Fulltime-Career

Job Number

26-0561-02

Department

Public Works Department

Opening Date

08/03/2026

Closing Date

8/23/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Job Summary

The City of Salem is looking for a Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator III!

Make an impact:

Willow Lake is the primary treatment facility for the City with a dry weather secondary treatment capacity of 65 million gallons per day (mgd), a wet weather secondary treatment capacity of 105 mgd, and a peak wet weather capacity of 155 mgd. The River Road Peak Wet Weather Treatment Facility is a high rate, physical chemical ballasted flocculation facility with ultra-violet disinfection. This facility is operated only when flows at the Willow Lake Facility are above 95 mgd. Operation of this remote facility is permitted for use to prevent sanitary sewer overflows associated with wet weather. The facility staff of 53 employees provide Operations, Maintenance, Laboratory, Biosolids, and Administrative Services for both facilities.

Learn and grow:

The Public Works Department values employees and their professional development. If you are someone that takes pride in collaborating on innovative ideas, proactively responding to community needs, and being a good environmental and financial steward, we look forward to meeting you! The Public Works Department promotes a healthy work life balance, while maintaining the utmost dedication to the health, safety and welfare of our community, including our team!

What you will do:

We have a diverse team of tenured and newer employees working together to support each other and our community. The successful candidate's work schedule will vary biannually depending on the results of a seniority-based work schedule bidding system. The successful candidate may work day, swing, or night shift, as well as weekends and holidays.

This is a lead level position responsible for the operation and routine maintenance of a wastewater treatment plant on an assigned shift as well as being assigned regularly as a shift lead worker. The successful candidate will alternatively serve as a team member and a team leader. Work is performed independently and is performed consistent with Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator Class III certification.

The successful candidate will be knowledgeable of and experienced with team leadership principles; wastewater treatment processes; wastewater treatment equipment; use of distributed control systems (DCS); and wastewater treatment hazards and safety protocols.

Additional information on job responsibilities:

• Effectively and independently lead a team.
• Make accurate gauge and meter readings and maintain operational records.
• Diagnose equipment and malfunctions and take corrective action.
• Perform mathematical computations
• Comprehend technical written materials
• Explain plant operations both orally and in writing
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with other departments, employees, and the public.
• Meet City driving standards.
• Consistently adhere to work schedules set by the supervisor.
• Work in all weather conditions
• Respect, seek to understand, and value individual differences to foster and support a diverse and inclusive workplace.
• Mentor and train less experienced personnel.
• Collection of representative samples
• Treatment process control
• Plant operating data collection and evaluation

What are the minimum qualifications?

• High school diploma or GED, AND
• Current Oregon Class C Drivers License and meet the City of Salems driving standards.
• Grade III or IV Oregon Wastewater Treatment Operator Certification.
• Candidates with out-of-state licenses will be required to obtain Oregon certification within six months of hire.
• Must pass pre-employment background check.

What can we offer you for all your hard work?

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your family.
• Paid vacation and sick time in accordance with City policies.
• Competitive pay.
• Employer-paid PERS contribution of 6%.
• Opportunity for voluntary pre-tax contributions to a 457b account.
• Health care and dependent care flexible spending accounts.
• Voluntary long-term care.
• Employee wellness program.
• Employee assistance program.
• Employee health clinic.
• The schedule will vary biannually based on the results of a seniority-based work schedule bidding system. The successful candidate may workday, swing, or night shift, as well as weekends and holidays.

The City of Salem offers a comprehensive and equitable base salary within the listed range based on your experience, skills, and education. We encourage you to clearly describe how you meet the minimum qualifications and essential attributes in your application materials. Learn more about Equal Pay.

About us:

The City of Salem is the second largest City in the State of Oregon. Located in the lush Willamette Valley, Salem is the capital city of Oregon with a population over 180,000. Centrally located, Salem is 47 miles south of Portland and an hour from the Cascade Mountains to the east and an hour from the ocean beaches to the west. Salem is an exceptional community for living and working with exciting new and comfortable well-established neighborhoods and carefully preserved historic buildings.

A full-service City, Salem has eight primary departments: Community Services, Finance, Fire, Enterprise Services, Legal, Police, Public Works, and Community and Urban Development. Several departments also have functional divisions within their department. The City has five labor unions and employs roughly 1,350 talented and dedicated staff members.

The Public Works Department values employees and their professional development. If you are someone that takes pride in collaborating on innovative ideas, proactively responding to community needs, and being a good environmental and financial steward, we look forward to meeting you! The Public Works Department promotes a healthy work life balance, while maintaining the utmost dedication to the health, safety and welfare of our community, including our team!

Where can I find out more about the position?

Go to the menu option for Class Specifications and search for WTP Operator 3 .

How can I apply?

The City of Salem invites individuals of all diverse communities and backgrounds to apply for our available job opportunities as we strive to provide the best service to everyone. The City of Salem is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all and has a culture that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. We believe that by welcoming differences, encouraging new ideas and views, listening to, and learning from each other, we are better able to serve the community.

To apply, click on the green "Apply" button to complete your application. Make sure that you specify how you meet the qualifications outlined in the class specification and complete the application.

Applicants that meet the minimum qualifications as outlined above but not selected for this position may be placed on an eligibility list, and candidates may be hired from the list. Eligibility lists are valid for six months. The City will send email notifications to eligible candidates about potential hiring opportunities so please ensure your email settings accept our system generated email notifications.

You may subscribe for automatic notification of job openings at the City of Salem through the Job Interest Cards - sign up today!

For more information about employment at the City of Salem, please visit our website at www.cityofsalem.net/jobs.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT AN IMPLIED CONTRACT AND MAY BE MODIFIED OR REVOKED WITHOUT NOTICE

For benefits information, please, go to:

https://www.cityofsalem.net/government/jobs/employment-information/afscme-general-service-employee-benefits

01

What is your highest level of education? We encourage you to include supporting details in your application.

• High school graduate or GED
• Some College
• Associates degree
• Bachelors degree
• Masters degree
• Doctorates degree
• N/A

02

How many years of wastewater treatment plant experience do you have? We encourage you to include supporting details in your application.

• No experience
• Less than 1 year
• 2-4 years
• 5-8 years
• 9-10 years
• More than 10 years

03

What grade of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Wastewater Treatment Operator Certification do you possess? Please attach a copy of your current certification and include supporting details in your application.

• Grade IV
• Grade III
• Out-of-State equivalent Grade III or Grade IV (ability to obtain Oregon Grade III Certification within 6 months of hire date)
• Lower than Grade III
• None of the above

04

How many years of experience do you have as a team or project leader? We encourage you to include supporting details in your application.

• No experience
• Less than 1 year
• 1-2 years
• 3-5 years
• More than 5 years

05

How many years of experience do you have working with plant Distributed Control System (DCS) or Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) ? We encourage you to include supporting details in your application.

• No experience
• Less than 1 year
• 1-2 years
• 3-5 years
• More than 5 years

06

Are you willing to work night, day, swing, and weekend shifts?

• Yes
• No

07

Are you willing to temporarily work other shifts to cover staffing shortfalls and/or cover shifts other than scheduled as needed?

• Yes
• No

Required Question

Employer City of Salem

Address 295 Church St. Suite 210

Salem, Oregon, 97301

Phone 503-588-6102

hrrecruiting@cityofsalem.net

Website https://www.cityofsalem.net/jobs