The City of Topeka is seeking an experienced professional to join its team as its Deputy Utilities Director. This is a senior-level position that plays a key role in the department’s mission of protecting the health and safety of our community through water management.

This position will assist the Director of Utilities with the overall administration, development, planning, directing and coordinating of operations for the Utilities department, with special focus on operations and regulatory compliance of the Water and Water Pollution Control (WPC) divisions. This incumbent will be assigned special projects, tasked with carrying out the department’s strategic plan, work alongside the Deputy Director of Business and Customer Services, and may act as the Utilities Director in the absence of the Director.

What you'll do:

• Assist with the planning, organizing, and directing of the department’s projects and operations to ensure regulatory compliance and goal objectives are met.
• Direct activities of subordinate staff, to include managers who oversee the Water and WPC Divisions, including Water and Wastewater Treatment (Operations and Maintenance), Water Distribution, Wastewater/Stormwater Collections, and Levee maintenance.
• Provide input and oversight for the department’s expenditures, purchase and budget.
• Assist with labor relations activities to include participating in collective bargaining negotiations and analyzing labor contract provisions.

The ideal candidate:

• Is a collaborative leader with the ability to coach and motivate staff.
• Has excellent communication skills with the ability to present complex information to a diverse audience.
• Is highly organized with the ability to prioritize tasks and exercise sound judgment.
• Has demonstrated knowledge of the principles, standard methods and practices of the operation and maintenance of water treatment and supply systems, wastewater treatment and collection systems, and stormwater management.

Minimum qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in utility management, public administration, civil engineering or a related field is preferred.
  • With a bachelor’s degree, five years of experience in operations or management is required.
  • Without a bachelor’s degree, a high school diploma or its equivalent is required with nine years of experience in operations or management.
• Two or more years of personnel management experience including performance-based management, goal setting, performance review, leadership and corrective action is required.
• Five years of progressively responsible experience in public utilities systems with experience in design engineering, water quality, and/or maintenance of distribution/collection systems is preferred.
• Must possess and maintain a valid Kansas driver’s license and city-insurable driving record.