About Red Deer
Red Deer sits at the heart of Central Alberta along the QEII corridor, perfectly positioned between Calgary and Edmonton. With more than 100,000 residents and a regional reach of over 300,000, it’s a growing hub for business, services, and opportunity.
Here, big-city amenities meet small-city ease. Enjoy abundant parks and trails, vibrant arts and culture, excellent recreation and education, and a strong sense of community.
With easy access to lakes, outdoor adventures, and the mountains, plus a thriving economy and high quality of life, Red Deer is an inviting place to live, work, and grow.
About The City of Red Deer Municipal Government
The City of Red Deer is a dynamic municipal organization with a $480M operating budget, a $60M capital program, and a workforce of nearly 1,700 employees. It is focused on growing with purpose by attracting talented, community-minded people who want to make a difference.
Guided by the vision “Our City, One Voice,” Red Deer is building a thriving, inclusive, and connected community, with priorities centered on a vibrant economy, community wellbeing, and strong engagement.
At its core, the City values its people, embracing diverse perspectives and fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and shared success.
The Opportunity:
The City of Red Deer is currently recruiting a Wastewater Collection Operator to fill a permanent full-time position. The Wastewater Collection Operators are responsible for the day-to-day and emergency operation and maintenance of the Class IV wastewater and stormwater collection systems. Key accountabilities are to perform work functions that ensure compliance to established policies and procedures, OH&S and the AENV Approval to Operate. Collection Operators provide for the safe, efficient and reliable collection and transportation of water in the collection and stormwater systems and to provide direct customer service for related issues.
Top Key Responsibilities:
- Operate Wastewater and Stormwater Systems - Safely operate specialized vehicles and equipment to maintain wastewater collection and stormwater infrastructure.
- Perform System Cleaning and Maintenance - Flush and clean sewer mains, catch basins, vaults, valve chambers, and excavations, and remove wastewater and debris.
- Inspect, Repair, and Maintain Equipment - Conduct equipment inspections, perform minor repairs, calibrate equipment, and recommend major maintenance or replacements.
- Monitor System Performance - Read gauges and meters, make process control adjustments, monitor hazardous environments, and record operational data.
- Respond to Emergencies and Sewer Blockages - Investigate blockage reports, respond to emergency calls, and implement corrective actions to restore service and ensure public safety.
- Provide Frontline Customer Service - Respond to customer complaints, conduct on-site investigations, identify issues, and communicate solutions professionally and courteously.
- Manage Spill Response Activities - Perform spill containment and cleanup, collect samples, prepare reports, notify regulators and supervisors, and coordinate with emergency services and contractors.
- Maintain Operational and Maintenance Records -
Complete operational logs, daily diaries, maintenance records, incident documentation, and data collection requirements.
- Support Health, Safety, and Regulatory Compliance - Follow health and safety programs, conduct hazard assessments, use specialized protective equipment, monitor risks, and stop work when unsafe conditions exist.
- Participate in Training and Continuous Improvement - Support SOP development and updates, provide operational feedback, and participate in training and knowledge-sharing initiatives.
As our preferred candidate, you will have:
- Grade 12 or equivalent
- 4 years in a Level III or IV Provincial Wastewater Collection operation or equivalent
- Wastewater Collection Level 2 certification through Alberta Environment. Incumbents must maintain required certifications and may be subject to external audits, spot inspections and other reviews
- Specialized courses in wastewater collection to maintain Provincial certification
- Class 3Q (air brakes) driver’s license endorsement
- Work Management training
- Defensive driving and traffic rules and regulations training
- Corporate Spill Response training
- WHMIS, MSDS, TDG, First Aid, CPR, Confined Space Entry, SCBA, Ground Disturbance, Fall Arrest, Hazard Assessment and H2S safety training
Competencies:
- Initiative, teamwork and safety-consciousness are essential
- Ability to handle new or emergency situations in a logical and reasoned manner
- Considerable knowledge of heavy equipment, materials, testing equipment and other industry related tools and equipment associated with operations and maintenance
- Ability to understand and follow verbal and written instructions on moderately complex matters
- Demonstrated ability to work unsupervised and co-operate with colleagues as a team, to understand and follow instructions and to provide guidance and instructions to junior operators
- Ability to exert high physical effort in routine activities (ex: lifting manhole covers, pick use)
- Understanding of wastewater and stormwater collection system maps and “as built” drawings and plans to assist with inspections, cleaning activities and coordinating work schedules
- Ability to use due care and attention during work duties to prevent infrastructure damage
Working Conditions:
- To participate in the on-call reporting for 24-hour coverage
- Continually work in exposure to confined spaces, heat, cold, humidity, noise, darkness, dusty conditions, fumes, chemicals, grease and oil, electrical energy, ladders, working alone, odours, construction equipment, excavations, explosive/toxic gases, fall potential, chemicals, rotating equipment, biohazardous contamination and drowning potential
- Must be physically fit to operate equipment with the ability to access awkward locations (ex: confined spaces, heavy traffic areas) with unstable footing while carrying equipment (ex: pumps, plugs)
- Hepatitis A and B inoculation is recommended prior to employment
Specific Demands of the Job:
- This position is responsible for being aware of and complying with all applicable regulations, policies and procedures for day-to-day operations and to immediately report non-compliant situations
- This position requires operators to troubleshoot problems and exercise critical thinking initiatives
- This position may significantly influence public health and safety. Operators are accountable to provide continuous wastewater collection service to all customers; failure to do so could result in property flooding and contamination and environmental damages
- Required to interact directly and professionally with customers without supervision in potentially adversarial/confrontational situations to identify problems and explain solutions
- This position has a wide range of functional responsibilities and skill requirements and is required to be proficient with a variety of tools and equipment
- This position will require the incumbent to work in hazardous work environments including in traffic. Other hazards may be encountered through entering domestic and commercial properties; site specific regulations may also need to be adhered to if requested by the property owner/developer
Affiliation: Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 417
Status: Regular Full-time
Remuneration: $35.74 to $40.62 per hour
Hours of Work: 80 hours biweekly; Monday to Friday, after hours on-call is a requirement, some overtime when needed.
The City of Red Deer does not permit the use of unauthorized internet resources or Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools (for example, Copilot, ChatGPT or any other form of AI) during interviews or any supervised or timed assessments. Any violation may be investigated and result in serious consequences, including the rejection of your application.
We thank you for your application. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
