Automation Engineer I/II/III – Regional Wastewater Facility (202300307)

Requisition Number: 202300307

Salary Range: $79,705.60 – $130,540.80 Annually

Application Deadline: 3/21/2024 11:59 PM Pacific

Automation Engineer I/II/III – Regional Wastewater Facility (202300307)

About the Department

The Environmental Services Department (ESD) is a national leader in pollution prevention, watershed protection, utility service provision, and climate action. Together, ESD employees positively impact every resident and business in San Jose.

Our department is an exceptional place to start or grow your career. We have a supportive leadership team, numerous professional growth opportunities, and an inclusive workplace culture that is welcoming of your talents! We offer an array of meaningful career paths and value flexibility. Additionally, the City offers excellent health and pension benefits, as well as 15 paid holidays!

To learn more about ESD, follow @sjenvironment on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and San Jose Environmental Services on LinkedIn.

Position Duties

The Environmental Services Department (ESD) is currently seeking to fill one (1) full-time Automation Engineer I/II/III vacancy within the department’s Energy and Automation Division’s Automation Engineering Group (AEG).

The AEG team maintains and supports the distributed controls system (DCS) for the San Jose Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility (RWF), one of the state’s largest and most advanced wastewater treatment facilities. The DCS provides automatic controls, monitoring, and data storage for various wastewater treatment processes, as well as for electrical power cogeneration and distribution.

The Energy and Automation Division is responsible for energy production and distribution and process automation and control. Staff located at the plant provide preventive and corrective maintenance, emergency repair to support 24/7 operation of the plant, and participate in the design and implementation of capital improvement projects. The division is organized in five sections: power & air, electrical, HVAC, instrument & control and plant process control.

The Automation Engineer I/II/III classifications perform programming and related work in the design, installation, configuration, operation, and maintenance of the San José-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility distributed control, network and data historian systems used for control and/or study of municipal wastewater processes.

An incumbent in this position must operate and follow directions in all phases. This position involves communication with a wide range of staff at the plant as well as contractors and help other team members with network troubleshooting and installing equipment. Automation Engineers must maintain system documentation and backups, as well as continue to acquire skills and knowledge of process control applications through on-the-job and training classes. This is essential to have the ability to identify system problems by employing hardware and software diagnostics programs, verify nature of system malfunctions and rectify or provide information required to effect repairs. All Distributed Control System (DCS) related cabinets and other equipment must be properly organized, tagged, labeled, and orderly.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Associates degree (or equivalent to 60 semester units or 90 quarter units) from an accredited college or university with a concentration in instrumentation, industrial engineering, information technology, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, or related field.

Experience:

• Automation Engineer I: One (1) year experience in configuration and programming of a DCS, SCADA, or PLC system.
• Automation Engineer II: Two (2) years of increasingly responsible experience in configuration and programming of a DCS, SCADA, or PLC system, including one (1) year experience at an industrial facility similar to the Regional Wastewater Facility.
• Automation Engineer III: Three (3) years of increasingly responsible experience in configuration and programming of a DCS, SCADA, or PLC system, including two (2) years’ experience at an industrial facility similar to the Regional Wastewater Facility.

Licenses or Certificates: Possession of a valid driver’s license authorizing operation of a motor vehicle in California.

Other Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history.

Salary range(s) for this classification are:

• Automation Engineer I: $79,705.60 – $96,969.60 
• Automation Engineer II: $96,969.60 – $117,852.80 
• Automation Engineer III: $107,328.00 – $130,540.80 

Actual salary shall be determined by the final candidates’ qualifications and experience. This classification is covered by the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local No. 3 (OE#3). To learn more about OE#3, click here.

Additional Information:

Employment Eligibility:  Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will NOT sponsor, represent or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1-B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.  

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third party job board application system.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application.  If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided.  IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email [email protected] and we will research the status of your application.