POLK COUNTY, FLORIDA
Polk County is at the geographic center of Florida and encompasses over 2,000 square miles. The current population of Polk County is approximately 500,000, and it continues to experience significant growth, with the character of the County transitioning from rural to urban. In addition to the County seat of Bartow, major metropolitan areas include the greater Lakeland area (pop. 190,000) and the greater Winter Haven area (pop. 150,000). The seventeen cities in Polk County contain approximately 40% of the population, with the remainder living in unincorporated areas.
Polk County boasts a number of recreational and cultural amenities that contribute to a high quality of life. Polk County is home to the spring training operations of two major league baseball teams, Cypress Gardens, Fantasy of Flight, Polk Community College, a branch campus of the University of South Florida, several private colleges, a number of community theatres and museums, a symphony orchestra, and numerous special events.
Polk County is traversed by the Interstate-4 high tech corridor and is less than one hour from the two larger metropolitan areas of Orlando and Tampa.
Policy is established by the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) which consists of five Commissioners who are elected to four-year terms. The BOCC appoints the County Manager, who is responsible for the execution of policy and the management of all County personnel.
The Technical Services Division is located in the Utilities Department. The Utilities Technical Services Director reports to the Director of Utilities who, in turn, reports to the Deputy County Manager for Infrastructure/Growth Management. Reporting to the Director of Utilities are the directors of three divisions: Technical Services, Operations and Maintenance, and Customer Service and Finance.
Polk County Utilities provides quality water and wastewater services for its customers to sustain and protect public health and land development in rural and suburban areas of the county. Utilities provides water, wastewater, and reclaimed water services to approximately 49,000 households and commercial customers.
The goal of Utilities is to provide safe, reliable, and satisfactory water, wastewater, and reclaimed water service to existing and future customers at reasonable rates. The department operates and maintains 42 water plants, 11 wastewater plants, 230 wastewater lift stations and water pumping stations, and approximately 796 miles of distribution and collection pipelines.
POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES
The Utilities Technical Services Director provides professional engineering work supervising staff and managing: utilities development coordination; water and wastewater systems capacity and related issues; utilities engineering design and permitting; and utilities geographic information systems.
The Utilities Technical Services Director oversees 35 employees in three Sections: Capital Projects, Renewal and Replacement, and Development Engineering Permitting.
Following are some of the major specific responsibities of the Utilities Technical Services Director.
· Manage utilities development coordination to ensure compliance with County and Division requirements
· Regulatory agency permit application review, quality control, approval, and execution
· Record review, quality control, and approval
· Monitor and plan for water and wastewater system capacities
· Lead preparation, modification, and maintenance of the Polk County Standards and Specifications for Utility Construction Manual
· Coordinate the Utilities Capital Projects Section for development compliance with the Polk County Comprehensive Plan and negotiate agreements with developers for improvements to utility systems
· Approve, sign, and seal all documents as the professional engineer in responsible charge of in-house design and permitting work
· Oversee negotiation and work efforts for consulting engineers
· Coordinate tasks of other departments with Technical services, such as GIS, General Engineering Consultants, and Water Resources Planning
· Oversee preparation of the Technical Services Division budgets.
A Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, with major course work in hydraulics, environmental, water, and/or wastewater. Five or more years experience in utilities engineering design and construction, with a minimum of two years personnel supervision and project management of environmental, water or wastewater systems and facilities projects.
A Master’s Degree with major coursework in environmental engineering is preferable.
| Strength in the strategic planning process |
| Excellent written and oral communication skills |
· Superior technical knowledge of the planning of water and wastewater utilities
| Familiarity with cutting-edge technology and methods |
| Ability to work effectively regulatory agencies and with other governmental agencies |
| Good-natured and friendly, yet can be assertive in advocating his/her views and expectations |
| Strong internal and external customer service orientation |
| Able to build strong working relationships across division lines |
| Strong familiarity with reclaimed water, water conservation, and water supply issues |
| Ability to accommodate demanding work schedules and supply support during emergencies |
COMPENSATION
Starting salary is up to $88,000, depending on qualifications. Generous fringe benefits.
HOW TO APPLY
Open until filled. Cover letter, resume, and salary history immediately to: Tom D. Freijo, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, The Mercer Group, Inc. Email: Freijo@Mercerfl.com P.O. Box 9328, Winter Haven, Florida 33883. TEL: (863) 299-3571 FAX: (863) 299-6737. EOE. Applications in Florida are a matter of public record upon receipt.