Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wastewater Manager

🎯 Role Definition

The Wastewater Manager is responsible for the safe, efficient, and compliant operation of municipal or industrial wastewater treatment facilities. This leader oversees daily plant operations, regulatory reporting, preventive maintenance, capital projects, staff supervision and training, health and safety programs, and continuous process improvement. The role requires strong technical competence in biological and chemical treatment processes, SCADA/process control systems, laboratory and sampling protocols, and a demonstrated ability to manage budgets, contractors and stakeholder relationships.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Senior Wastewater Operator / Shift Supervisor
Water/Wastewater Treatment Plant Engineer
Maintenance Supervisor or Industrial Utilities Technician

Advancement To:

Director of Public Works / Utilities
Environmental Compliance Director
Regional Operations Manager / Plant Group Manager

Lateral Moves:

Process Control Engineer (Water/Wastewater)
Asset Management or Reliability Engineer (Utilities)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Oversee and manage all day-to-day operations of wastewater treatment facilities, ensuring continuous, reliable treatment performance and adherence to plant operating permits (e.g., NPDES), safety rules, and environmental regulations.
Develop, implement and maintain compliance programs and reporting protocols for federal, state, and local wastewater regulations, including NPDES monitoring and electronic discharge permit submissions.
Supervise, mentor and schedule operations, maintenance, laboratory and field staff, including hiring, performance reviews, disciplinary actions, and succession planning to maintain qualified operator coverage.
Maintain responsibility for plant process control, including optimization of biological nutrient removal, activated sludge management, nitrification/denitrification cycles, chemical dosing, and clarifier performance to meet effluent limits.
Manage and optimize SCADA and DCS systems for process monitoring, alarm management, trending, and automated control strategies; lead continuous improvements to reduce manual interventions and risk of permit excursions.
Direct laboratory operations and quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) programs for effluent and process sampling, chain-of-custody procedures, laboratory method validation, and corrective actions for nonconformances.
Prepare, review and submit accurate regulatory reports, incident notifications, and data packages to regulatory agencies; coordinate third-party sampling and independent compliance audits as needed.
Develop and manage annual operating budgets, forecast O&M expenses, track expenditures, and recommend cost-saving measures such as energy optimization, chemical usage reductions, and process upgrades.
Plan, prioritize and oversee preventive and corrective maintenance programs using CMMS (e.g., Maximo, Cartegraph) to extend asset life, reduce downtime, and ensure safe plant operations.
Lead capital project planning and execution including scoping, design review, procurement, contract management, construction oversight and start-up/commissioning of treatment upgrades and expansions.
Manage sludge and biosolids handling/disposal programs, including thickening, dewatering, stabilization, hauling, land application or disposal contracts, and compliance with biosolids regulations.
Develop and implement health, safety and environmental programs, including confined space entry, lockout/tagout, respiratory protection, HAZWOPER protocols, and emergency response plans.
Oversee procurement of chemicals, parts and services, negotiate vendor contracts, evaluate supplier qualifications and manage contractor performance for maintenance, construction and specialty services.
Conduct root cause analysis and lead continuous improvement initiatives (LEAN, Six Sigma, reliability-centered maintenance) to reduce permit excursions, optimize throughput and lower lifecycle costs.
Coordinate emergency response and contingency planning for spills, bypasses, power outages, extreme weather events, and other incidents impacting treatment continuity and public health.
Serve as the plant’s technical liaison with regulatory agencies, consultants, engineering firms, municipal leadership and the public on operational matters, compliance status and capital improvement programs.
Implement asset management strategies, develop condition assessments, capital renewal plans and lifecycle cost analyses to prioritize investments and extend service life of infrastructure.
Prepare and deliver technical reports, presentations and briefings to utility leadership, city councils, boards and community stakeholders to communicate performance, budgets, risks and improvement plans.
Establish and maintain operator training programs, certification tracking, on-the-job training, cross-training and safety drills to ensure a knowledgeable, certified workforce and regulatory compliance.
Manage energy and sustainability initiatives at the plant level, including biogas capture/beneficial use, process heat recovery, variable frequency drives, and energy benchmarking to reduce operating costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
Monitor odor control programs and customer complaints, implement mitigation strategies for collection system and plant odors, and coordinate community notifications when necessary.
Oversee collection system coordination when applicable, including pump station operations, force main inspection, emergency bypass management and coordination of sewer rehabilitation projects.

Secondary Functions

Support data-driven decision making by maintaining process performance dashboards, KPI reporting (e.g., BOD, TSS, nutrient removal, permit excursions) and working with IT/SCADA teams on data integrity and historian management.
Contribute to development of long-term wastewater system master plans, resilience strategies and capital improvement roadmaps aligned with community growth and regulatory trends.
Participate in grant writing, funding applications and stakeholder engagement to secure external funding for upgrades and sustainability projects.
Collaborate with procurement and finance on lifecycle costing, total cost of ownership analysis and vendor evaluation for major equipment purchases.
Represent the utility in regional associations and technical working groups to stay current with best practices, regulatory changes and emerging treatment technologies.
Oversee contractor and consultant scopes of work, change order negotiations, compliance with contract specifications and quality assurance during construction and startup phases.
Lead pilot testing and evaluation of new treatment technologies, chemical alternatives and optimization pilots to validate performance improvements prior to full-scale implementation.
Coordinate cross-departmental projects with water, stormwater, public works and planning teams to ensure integrated utility planning and regulatory alignment.
Maintain an up-to-date emergency response and continuity-of-operations plan and coordinate joint drills with local emergency management agencies.
Assist in community outreach and education activities related to wastewater treatment, sewer use ordinances, and sustainability initiatives to improve public awareness and support.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Wastewater operator certification (State Class II / III / IV or equivalent) — required or preferred depending on jurisdiction.
In-depth knowledge of wastewater treatment processes: activated sludge, MLE/MBR systems, trickling filters, lagoons, chemical phosphorus removal, and tertiary filtration.
Strong experience with SCADA/DCS systems, PLC logic, alarm management and historian data analysis for process control and troubleshooting.
Regulatory compliance expertise (NPDES permits, Clean Water Act, state discharge permits) and experience preparing regulatory submissions and responding to inspections.
Laboratory management and QA/QC experience including familiarity with standard methods, sampling plans, and maintaining chain-of-custody.
CMMS and asset management proficiency (e.g., Maximo, Cityworks, Cartegraph) for scheduling preventive maintenance, work orders and inventory control.
Experience managing capital projects, construction administration, commissioning and start-up of process equipment and systems.
Familiarity with biosolids management, dewatering technologies (centrifuge/belt press), and solids digestion & handling logistics.
Budget development and financial management skills including O&M forecasting, capital planning, and cost control.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel for trend analysis), process modeling tools, and GIS for mapping infrastructure assets.
Knowledge of electrical motors, pumps, blowers, valves, instrumentation and basic troubleshooting of mechanical/electrical systems.
Understanding of industrial safety standards (OSHA), confined space entry, lockout/tagout and HAZWOPER requirements.

Soft Skills

Proven leadership and people management: coaching, delegation, performance management and fostering a safety-first culture.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills for regulatory reporting, stakeholder briefings and community engagement.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to perform root-cause analyses and implement corrective/preventive actions.
Project management and organizational skills to manage multiple priorities, contractors and capital projects to successful completion.
Attention to detail, integrity and commitment to regulatory compliance and continuous improvement.
Collaborative mindset with the ability to work cross-functionally and build consensus across technical and non-technical teams.
Adaptability and resilience in emergency situations and during regulatory or operational changes.
Customer service orientation when interacting with municipal leadership, regulatory agencies and the public.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Associate degree in Environmental Science, Water/Wastewater Technology, Civil/Environmental Engineering Technology, or equivalent technical training plus required operator certification.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Civil, Environmental or Chemical Engineering, Environmental Science, or related field; master’s degree a plus for larger systems or regulatory-heavy roles.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Environmental Engineering / Civil Engineering
Water/Wastewater Technology and Treatment
Environmental Science / Biology / Chemistry
Mechanical or Electrical Engineering (for operations with heavy mechanical systems)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 5–12+ years of progressive wastewater operations experience, including at least 3–5 years in a supervisory or lead operator role.

Preferred:

7+ years managing municipal or industrial wastewater treatment plants with demonstrated success in regulatory compliance, process optimization, capital project delivery and staff development.
Experience with SCADA optimization, CMMS implementation, and budget management for multi-million dollar operations.