Engineering Technician IV

The tasks listed below are those that represent the majority of the time spent working in this class.  Management may assign additional tasks related to the type of work of the class as necessary.

Organizes, supervises and inspects engineering activities and plant operations within the County’s utilities system for compliance with established regulations, codes and specifications.

Supervises the work of assigned staff; supervisory duties include instructing, planning and reviewing work, maintaining standards, coordinating activities, allocating personnel, assisting with the selection of new personnel, acting on employee problems, and recommending employee discipline. Reviews the work of subordinates for completeness and accuracy; evaluates performance and makes recommendations as appropriate; offers training, advice and assistance as needed.

Administers and reviews County utility construction projects, including inspections, application review, change orders and records maintenance; ensures projects are completed in a timely and cost-effective manner.

Researches sewer availability for contractors, homeowners and developers; conducts on-site evaluations as necessary.

Supervises the operation and maintenance of County-owned and operated water and wastewater treatment facilities; conducts daily inspections of treatment systems to ensure proper operation and compliance with regulations and standards.

Researches and interprets County ordinances and regulations related to utility construction and connections.

Investigates possible violations of state and local laws and regulations regarding utility construction and connections; serves citations and initiates other legal actions as appropriate; provides court testimony as necessary.

Provides engineering expertise as requested in the planning, design and project management of utility construction, renovation and installation of projects.

Develops and/or approves maps, scopes of work, estimates, engineering plans and specifications; researches and requisitions project materials and equipment as needed.

Coordinates and supervises system maintenance and repairs with contractors; provides contractors with available as-built information on systems as needed.

Assists in coordinating projects with local, state and federal agencies, as well as other County and municipal departments, contractors, developers, engineers, land surveyors, architects, attorneys, environmental agencies / special interest groups, and other parties as necessary.

Represents the department and County at various County, civic, professional and community meetings as required to discuss department programs and projects.

Receives and responds to inquiries, concerns, complaints and requests for assistance regarding areas of responsibility.

Compiles data for and prepares a variety of reports, records, recommendations, presentation materials, legal documents, etc., as required by the department, County and/or other agencies.

Works outside of regular work schedule to include on-call, holidays, nights, and weekends when needed.

Performs general administrative work as required, including conducting and attending meetings, preparing reports and correspondence, entering and retrieving computer data, preparing spreadsheets, copying and filing documents, etc.

Attends conferences, meetings, training, seminars, etc., as necessary to maintain and enhance job knowledge and skills.

Considered essential employee in the event of inclement weather or emergency conditions.

All other duties as assigned.

Requires compiling, analyzing, interpreting, and disseminating data or information and implement and report on operations and activities which are very broad in scope.

Requires operating or repairing complex machinery or equipment; application of custom or commercial software or systems; utilize a variety of office equipment such as computer, fax machine, printer, copier, and telephone. 

Requires ability to analyze, evaluate, apply and perform work involving the application of logical principles and thinking to solve or define problems within or applying to a unit or division of the organization.  Must have the ability to comprehend, interpret and apply State and County ordinances and regulations relative to this position.

Requires using algebra working with such factors as exponents, logarithms, linear and quadratic equations; concepts of analytic geometry, differentiation and integration of algebraic functions; statistics, applying such functions as frequency distribution, reliability, validity and correlation techniques; finance and economics using financial and econometric models.

Requires reading journals, manuals and professional publications; speaking informally to groups of co-workers, staff in other organizational agencies, the general public, people in other organizations; presenting training; composing original reports, training and other written materials using proper language, punctuation, grammar and style.

Requires extensive understanding of operating policies and procedures and ability to apply these to complex problems; or the coordination of sub professional work in these disciplines; requires continuous, close attention for accurate results and frequent exposure to unusual pressures.

Requires four years of relevant professional, technical or vocational experience.

Requires precise movements of fingers/hands/arms on continuous basis when utilizing the computer and telephone; simple movements of legs and feet periodically and may require coordinated efforts of fingers, hands, arms, and torso.

This position routinely requires repetitive motion, balancing, bending/kneeling, climbing, crawling, lifting, pulling, carrying or pushing of objects weighing up to 50 pounds. The incumbent must be capable of sitting, stooping and reaching when performing normal job functions.

The job requires normal visual acuity and field of vision, hearing and speaking abilities, odor perception, color perception, texture perception, and depth perception.

Requires Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate discipline or equivalent professional experience.

Must possess a valid state driver’s license.

Professional Engineer registration in the state of South Carolina is preferred.

May require additional technical certification(s) as deemed necessary by manager.

This position is a safety sensitive position.  The job may risk exposure to bright / dim light, extreme heat and/or cold, wet or humid conditions, dusts and pollen, extreme noise levels, vibration, fumes and/or noxious odors, traffic, moving machinery, electrical shock, confined spaces, disease/pathogens, toxic / caustic chemicals, dangerous gases, etc., during field inspections.

Responsible for actions of others, requiring almost constant decisions affecting co-workers, contractors, customers, clients or others in the general public; works in a moderately fluid environment with guidelines and rules, but frequent variations from the routine.

Richland County is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  ADA requires the County to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities.  Prospective and current employees are invited to discuss accommodations.