CHIEF OF WATER SYSTEM OPERATIONS (PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR) (EM-08) [1 vacancy]
Salary
$11,121.00 - $16,933.00 Monthly
Location
Oahu, HI
Job Type
Full-Time Permanent
Job Number
219256
Department
Honolulu Board of Water Supply
Opening Date
02/06/2026
Closing Date
Continuous
Position Information
"Help carry out the BWS vision and mission with excellence."
The Honolulu Board of Water Supply (BWS) is looking for a Chief of Water System Operations (Program Administrator) in Honolulu. This position heads the Water System Operations Division with full responsibility for the distribution of water throughout the BWS system by regulation and diversion of water from the supply source through various storage facilities utilizing mechanical, electrical, and telecommunications equipment; the operation, control, maintenance and repair of pumping plants for the BWS island-wide water system; compliance with water quality standards; safeguard of water system facilities from unauthorized access, natural disasters and other emergency situations; and related programs.
What You Will Do
Formulate and execute policies and division priorities, analyze pertinent operational issues and information; and assess the impact of proposed policies and guidelines to ensure efficient and effective service to BWS water consumers.
Develop and implement short-term and long-term goals and objectives pertaining to the operation of the BWS water system.
Oversee the planning and review of division programs for the proper design, operation and maintenance of the water system facilities to ensure efficient, effective and timely distribution of quality water.
Develop and justify the operating and capital improvement budget for the division.
Serve as principal advisor to the Manager and Chief Engineer on water system operations and its related programs.
Develop internal procedures and practices for providing the highest quality of services and coordinative efforts among managers, supervisors and employees.
Determine needs and develop specific plans for organizational or operational changes that have the potential for significant impact on the division.
Oversee the coordination of internal work and resolve conflicts among staff in areas of shared responsibility, personnel, and other administrative issues and concerns.
Keep employees informed of BWS and division goals and objectives, ensuring that revised policies, procedures, methods and related work changes are implemented and executed in the proper and timely manner.
Actual salary will be commensurate with applicable experience, pending approval.*
Enjoy excellent employment benefits including generous time off (up to 21 vacation days, 21 sick leave days, and holidays), comprehensive health coverage, retirement plan, career development, and much more! View details about all our available benefits by clicking on the "Benefits" tab at the top of this posting or visiting https://www.honolulu.gov/dhr/benefits/.
Apply today and take the first step toward a lasting career!
Additional Job Information
Some notifications will be sent via e-mail. You are responsible for monitoring instructions and correspondence from this office by checking your email account in a timely manner. To ensure proper delivery, please make sure you:
Notifications may also be sent via text message if opted into the service. Data and text messaging fees apply.
Minimum Qualification Requirements
At time of application, you must be a citizen, national or permanent resident alien of the United States or a non-citizen eligible under federal law for unrestricted employment.
EDUCATION REQUIREMENT:
Equivalent to graduation from a regionally-accredited four-year college or university with a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, civil engineering, or a related engineering field.
Education Verification: Education information must be listed clearly on your application. If available, please attach a legible electronic copy of your diploma, official transcripts, and/or applicable foreign credential evaluation to your application. As part of the hiring process, you may be asked to furnish documentation to verify your education to move forward for further consideration.
EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT:
Five (5) years of registered professional mechanical, electrical or civil engineering experience, two (2) of which shall have involved the operation and evaluation of water or related systems and pumping or industrial plant machinery and equipment, including or supplemented by three (3) years of experience in an administrative capacity.
Applicable Skills Needed
Knowledge of:
Ability to:
QUALIFYING EXPERIENCE:
For this position, the qualifying experience in an administrative capacity must conclusively demonstrate the scope and level of experience comparable to that of a branch chief or higher.
QUALITY OF EXPERIENCE:
Having the required number of years of experience will not in itself be accepted as qualifying for the position. Your overall experience must have been of such scope, level and responsibility as to conclusively demonstrate the ability to perform the duties of the position.
LICENSE REQUIREMENT:
Valid drivers license (Type 3/automobile), as required.
Current State of Hawaii registration as a professional civil, electrical, or mechanical engineer.
NOTE: Applicants with a current out-of-state civil, electrical, or mechanical engineering license must obtain their Hawaii license prior to appointment.
Verification Requirement: Please attach an electronic copy of your professional civil, electrical, or mechanical engineer license (Hawaii or out-of-state) to your application; Or mail a photocopy of your license to the following address: Department of Human Resources, 650 South King Street, 10th Floor, Honolulu, HI 96813. Copies will not be returned.
Examination Process
If you qualify for the position, your name will be eligible for consideration for current vacancy/vacancies and future job openings with this job title. Screening will be based on the education, experience, and other job-related information provided in your application. Failure to provide sufficient information may result in your application being rejected or your receiving a lower rating. All information provided on an application is subject to verification. As applicable, false or misleading statements or omissions of material facts are grounds for disqualification and/or termination of employment with the City and County of Honolulu.
What are the benefits of being a City Employee?
To view additional information, please visit our Benefits of City Employment page.
01
APPLICATION GUIDELINES & INSTRUCTIONS
When applying for this position, please thoroughly complete the Education, Work Experience, and Supplemental Question sections of your application. The information provided in these sections, particularly the job-specific Supplemental Questions, will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements for the job and your final score. Failure to provide detailed and complete information or submit any required documentation may result in your application being rejected or you receiving a lower score.
Please do not submit resumes in place of completing any of these sections.
List each work experience separately, do not combine jobs. For example, if youve held more than one position or job level(s) for the same employer, they should be listed and described separately so that the resulting changes in your duties and responsibilities are accurately reflected. If any part of your experience is unclear, you may be asked to provide a copy of your official job/position description (PD).
In general (unless otherwise specified on the job posting), the following criteria is utilized for evaluation of the Minimum Qualification Requirements:
Substitute, temporary assignment, internship or volunteer experience requires an official letter of verification from your supervisor and/or Human Resources department. The letter should include the job title, employment dates, number of hours worked, a description of the duties performed, and a contact name and phone number.
Concurrent or overlapping experiences and/or education will NOT be double credited.
Professional experience refers to work that generally involves independent critical thinking, solving complex, non-routine problems, preparing reports, and interpreting and applying technical information.
Most work experience as an intern will NOT be creditable as equivalent to professional experience.
Calculation of experience will be based upon a full-time, 40-hour work week. Part-time experience will be pro-rated. Hours worked in excess of 40 hours/week will not be extra credited.
Example: Twelve months of experience at 20 hours/week will be pro-rated to six months of experience.
Example: Twelve months of experience at 60 hours/week will be credited as one year of experience, NOT one and a half years.
All requirements for the position must be met at the time of application or by the closing date of the recruitment.
Possession of the required amount of experience will not in and of itself be accepted as proof of qualification for the position. The overall experience must be of such scope and responsibility as to conclusively demonstrate that you have the ability to perform the duties of the position.
Any information you submit is subject to verification. Supporting documents must be either electronically attached to your application or submitted to our office at: Department of Human Resources, 650 South King Street, 10th Floor, Honolulu, HI 96813. Documents should be identified by job title and recruitment number.
If you previously submitted education documents (e.g., transcripts, diploma, etc.) to our office, for most cases you are not required to resubmit them. Supporting documents with an expiration period (e.g., drivers license, Department of Transportation medical certificate, etc.) will need to be submitted with each application to verify possession of a current license or certificate at the time specified on the job posting.
02
LICENSE REQUIREMENT
Current State of Hawaii registration as a professional mechanical, electrical, or civil engineer.
NOTE: Applicants with a current out-of-state mechanical, electrical, or civil engineering license must obtain their Hawaii license prior to appointment.
Verification Requirement: Please attach an electronic copy of your professional mechanical, electrical, or civil engineer license (Hawaii or out-of-state) to your application; Or mail a photocopy of your license to the following address: Department of Human Resources, 650 South King Street, 10th Floor, Honolulu, HI 96813. Copies will not be returned.
In which state(s) are you registered as a professional engineer? Include your License No(s)., expiration date(s), and date(s) first licensed.
03
WATER SYSTEM ENGINEERING EXPERIENCE
Describe in detail your registered professional experience in civil, electrical, or mechanical engineering that involved the operation and evaluation of water or related systems and pumping or industrial plant machinery and equipment.
Indicate which position from the Work Experience section of your application where you had such experience and include the following:
a) the kind of water or related plant system you operated and managed;b) the components that made up the system you operated and managed (e.g. service capacity of system; number of wells, reservoirs, linear miles of pipe; etc);c) the kind of pumping or industrial plant machinery and equipment you used while operating and managing the system;d) your duties and responsibilities in regards to evaluating the effectiveness of such systems, machinery and equipment; ande) your duties and responsibilities in regards to conducting research and proposing improvements or changes to such systems, machinery, and equipment.
04
ADMINISTRATIVE EXPERIENCE
For each position where you had ADMINISTRATIVE experience (i.e., work experience that conclusively demonstrates the scope and level of experience comparable to a branch chief or higher), provide a description of the department or organization in which you worked.
Indicate which position from the Work Experience section of your application where you had such experience and include the following:
a) the type (private sector, government, etc) and size of the overall department/organization;b) the numbers and kinds of divisions, identify the divisions, and major functions of the division;c) the relative level of your position within the department/division;d) the title(s) and number of employees you supervised; ande) the title of your immediate supervisor.
05
Describe your administrative duties and responsibilities in the area of PLANNING and GOAL POLICY DEVELOPMENT, i.e., formulating and executing policies and programs to accomplish basic objectives of the department/agency, formulating and integrating long range objectives and goals, and developing, implementing and/or enforcing laws, rules, guidelines and procedures. Include the kinds of policies/programs you established and implemented and the percentage of time you spent performing these activities relative to your overall duties and responsibilities.
06
Describe your administrative duties and responsibilities in the area of MANAGEMENT and ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS, i.e., reviewing and analyzing program proposals, objectives, functions, etc. to establish the basic functions of the organization/unit and type of work to be performed by each unit, and continuously making decisions and embodying them into specific policies, general instructions, and rules and regulations affecting the operations of the entire organization/unit.
07
Describe your administrative duties and responsibilities in the area of BUDGET ADMINISTRATION, i.e., developing, reviewing and monitoring the budget process, preparing operating budgets, and fiscal planning and control for an operating unit within the organization. Include the type and amount of the budget and the percentage of time you spent performing these activities relative to your overall duties and responsibilities.
08
Describe your administrative duties and responsibilities in the area of STAFFING, i.e., determining personnel needs to carry out the functions of the organization, conducting the overall human resources program including the selection, termination, and training of staff, dealing with labor relations matters, and determining effective utilization of the personnel within the organization. Indicate the percentage of time you spent performing these activities relative to your overall duties and responsibilities.
09
Describe your administrative duties and responsibilities in the area of SUPERVISION, i.e., overseeing and directing subordinates, making and following up on assignments, evaluating employee performance, and disciplining unsatisfactory performance.
10
Describe your administrative duties and responsibilities in the area of REPORTING, especially having the final responsibility for making recommendations/decisions, and preparing reports of these actions to higher management. Include typical reports you have prepared and the impact of your recommendations and/or decisions.
Required Question
Employer City and County of Honolulu
Address 650 South King Street, 10th Floor
Honolulu, Hawaii, 96813
Phone (808) 768-8536
Website https://www.honolulu.gov/dhr/