Deputy Commissioner, Bureau of Water & Sewer Operations - Administrative Engineer M7

About the role

The NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) protects public health and the environment by supplying clean drinking water, collecting and treating wastewater, and reducing air, noise, and hazardous materials pollution. DEP is the largest combined municipal water and wastewater utility in the country, with nearly 6,000 employees.

DEP delivers more than 1.1 billion gallons per day of the highest quality drinking water to 8.5 million NYC residents and more than 1 million people in Upstate New York, and has a wastewater conveyance and treatment system capable of processing over 1.3 billion gallons of wastewater per day to protect the environment and the city's surrounding waterways.

New York City has approximately 154,000 catch basins, 109,000 hydrants, 14 gatehouses, 3 reservoirs, 68 groundwater wells, a 100 million gallon underground storage tank and 6,700 miles each of both sanitary sewers and water mains. The responsibility of maintaining these vast networks falls under the Department of Environmental Protection's Bureau of Water and Sewer Operations (BWSO). BWSO operates with an authorized headcount of over 1,300 employees, an OTPS budget over $60 million, a PS budget of $146 million, and an annual capital construction program of over $750 million.

Under executive direction of the Chief Operating Officer (COO), with the widest latitude for independent judgment and decision-making, candidate will serve as the Deputy Commissioner of the Bureau of Water and Sewer Operations. As Deputy Commissioner, the selected candidate will direct the operation, maintenance, and capital planning for New York City's water and sewer distribution systems.

The Deputy Commissioner will be overseeing all Bureau of Water and Sewer Operations divisions: Operations, Engineering & Planning, Environmental Health & Safety, and Business Operations, Core Services, and Digital Transformation.

Primary responsibility is to direct the critical mission of the Bureau; providing residents of New York City with the highest quality of potable drinking water, and a proper functioning water supply, sewer and drainage collection systems.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

The Deputy Commissioner will oversee the management of all water and sewer repairs and maintenance within New York City, the development of Capital Budget projects for in-City water main replacement, new sewer projects and distribution appurtenances, the in-City water supply distribution system, water and sewer house connections, plan review and inspections.

• This involves the planning and project development for all new sewer systems, water mains, and all other related infrastructure within New York City.
• Overall responsibility for operation of the downstate distribution system, reservoirs and pumping stations.
• Ensuring proper treatment of the NYC's drinking water supply, adequate pressure throughout the distribution system for proper delivery of drinking water to residents.

Overseeing the maintenance and repair of the in-City water supply distribution system and sewer and drainage system. This includes investigations of all water and sewer complaints, repairs of water leaks, water mains, hydrants, valves, castings, valve and regulator maintenance, performing water main shutdowns, shaft maintenance, resolving sewer back-ups, cleaning catch basins, and repairing broken sewers.

Responsible for the overall management of the review, approval and inspection of private connections to city owned water mains and sewer systems. This includes connecting private service water lines to city-owned water mains, cross connections, house connections to the City's sewer system, all plans by private developers regarding sewer systems.

Responsible for the overall management of the Bureau's Environmental Health and Safety Program. The overall objective of this program is to ensure that all Bureau operations comply with all Federal, State, and local laws and regulations regarding the environment, health and safety.

Responsible for ensuring the development of long-range policy regarding the water and sewer infrastructure within NYC; ensuring the Bureau's capital commitment plan is realized; planning long-range capital needs for the Bureau and maximizing the dependability of the infrastructure systems.

Represent the agency in meetings with external stakeholders, including government agencies, community organizations, and private sector partners, advocating for the needs and interests of the Bureau.

Oversee digital transformation initiatives within the Bureau, focusing on the integration of innovation technologies to enhance operational efficiency; and advocate for and implement digital tools that facilitate data driven decision making, improving workflow automation.

Note

All candidates MUST be permanent in the Administrative Engineer civil service title to be considered for an interview.

Qualifications & Requirements

• A valid New York State License as a Professional Engineer and six (6) years of full-time satisfactory experience in chemical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, environmental engineering, mechanical engineering, or plan examining work, at least two (2) years of which must have been in an executive, managerial, or administrative capacity.