Water Quality Program Specialist*

Water Quality Program Specialist*

Salary

$63,871.08 Annually

Location

119 E. Olin Ave., Madison, WI

Job Type

PERMANENT FULL TIME

Job Number

2026-00294

Department

Water Utility

Opening Date

11/03/2026

Closing Date

11/17/2026 11:59 PM Central

Comp. Group/Range

16/11

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

General Description

The City of Madison Water Utility is looking for qualified applicants for our Program Specialist-Water Quality vacancy. This position conducts responsible program coordination, project collaboration, and specialized work in the Water Utility's Water Resources section. The work involves receiving and following up on customer water quality concerns, coordinating the Utility's Private Well Program, and assisting with Wellhead Protection Program reviews, outreach, and educational activities. This position also provides support for other water resource priorities including water quality monitoring and cross connection control. Good customer service skills are essential to assist customers in understanding and resolving water quality issues and to communicate clearly the requirements of the Private Well Program and Wellhead Protection Program. With limited supervision from the program supervisor and section manager, the position requires the exercise of judgment and discretion in the independent interpretation of policies and development of procedures. This position reports to the Water Quality Program Supervisor.

Employees may be eligible for loan forgiveness through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

Black, Indigenous, people of color, women, trans, nonbinary, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. We value the unique blend of lived experiences and diverse perspectives that comes from non-traditional education pathways and the variety of transferrable skills each candidate brings to the table. We value diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Even if every item on the job posting doesn't match your experience perfectly, we encourage you to apply and share how your skills and experience can best serve our community.

Examples of Duties and Responsibilities

General Water Resources Program Administration

• Respond to customer complaints and/or questions about water quality, coordinating with other areas of the water utility when action or information is needed.
• Maintain records of customer correspondence.
• Prepare periodic reports.
• Maintain, organize, and update water quality information for the water utility website. Review and provide updates to website program pages for private well permitting and abandonment, wellhead protection, and cross connection control.
• Provide technical and administrative support for water sampling/compliance monitoring and cross connection control programs.
• Update and maintain electronic database of residential cross connection control surveys.

Private Well Program Coordination (Permitting and Abandonment)

• Receive and process well operation permit applications.
• Coordinate with inspectors for well inspection, well sampling, and abandonments.
• Prepare periodic reports on well permitting and abandonment activities.
• Determine applicability of private well permitting and water service connection requirements for locations served by a private well.
• Receive and evaluate completeness of requests for delayed connections.
• Prepare official notices for compliance.
• Communicate program objectives to well owners and contractors.
• Process reimbursement applications for the abandonment of private wells and connection to municipal water.
• Coordinate surveys for unabandoned private wells, for applicable properties.
• Maintain records of correspondence and compliance.

Wellhead Protection Program Coordination

• Assist with the review of proposed land uses, or changes in use, for parcels located within Wellhead Protection Zones/Districts. Gather necessary information from project representatives and property owners and maintain records of correspondence, development plans, and active reviews.
• Assist with updating contaminated source inventories for municipal wells utilizing government records, electronic databases, reconnaissance surveys and personal accounts; Develop and maintain an electronic database to document the contaminant source inventory results; Coordinate updates to wellhead protection plan maps and tables that include new surveillance information.
• Assist with the development and implementation of a public education and awareness program for wellhead protection activities; Provide copies of wellhead protection plans to neighboring municipalities; Prepare and distribute informational brochures to elected officials, City committee members, residents and property owners with existing or potential contaminant sources in the WHPA, local schools and the general public; attend neighborhood and public meetings and lead discussions.

Perform other job-related assignments as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Three (3) years of technical or administrative experience in a water or natural resources management related field, utility operations, regulatory compliance, or similar areas, with an emphasis on customer service.

OR

• Two (2) years of experience performing technical office and/or field work in support of engineering activities, with an emphasis on customer service.

OR

• Vocational school or college training in the area of civil engineering technology, environmental studies, geography, geology, or a closely related area may be substituted on a year-for-year basis for the experience.

OR

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, water resources, or a related field may be substituted for the experience requirement.

The City of Madison strives to provide exceptional customer service to all its residents and visitors. Therefore successful candidates will have demonstrated ability to effectively work with multicultural communities.

For the complete list of the knowledge, skills, and abilities, please reference the Engineering Aide 1 classification specification.

Special Requirements

Possession of a valid drivers license.

Physical Requirements:

Employee can expect to work at a desk and computer for extended periods of time entering data and producing reports and/or planning documents. Limited field reconnaissance work may be expected. Employee may be expected to periodically attend meetings outside the normal work schedule, including evenings and/or weekends. Employees must be able to lift/carry objects weighing up to 20 pounds on a periodic basis.

• Payroll title for this position is Engineering Aide 1.

The City of Madison offers excellent pay and benefits for employees. City Ordinances, handbooks, and labor contracts provide specifics; the description here is not to be considered a binding statement but offers an informal summary.

Compensation

The City of Madison strives to pay competitive wages. View the current salary schedules for pay for all classifications. Employees receive increases based on tenure with the City.

Benefits

The City offers a competitive benefits package, including a generous leave package, a variety of insurance options, and non-traditional benefits such as optional pet insurance, a bus pass for all employees, and the possibility of flexible work schedules. A brief summary of benefits is listed below. Please visit our website for more information.

Leave

Vacation is earned upon starting employment and can be used after completion of probation. The general vacation schedule is below.

0-3 years 10 work days of vacation

After 3 years 12-1/2 days

After 7 years 15 days

After 11 years 17-1/2 days

After 15 years 20 days

After 19 years 25 days

After 27 years 27 days

Employees earn 3.5 personal days in addition to vacation.

Employees receive eight official paid holidays (New Years Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day), as well as 3 paid leave days (the Friday after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, New Years Eve).

Employees also earn 13 sick days annually that may accrue to a total of 150 days.

Retirement

The City of Madison participates in the Wisconsin Retirement System through the State of Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Funds.

Insurance

The City of Madison offers a variety of optional insurance programs including:

• Health Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Pet Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Income Continuation Insurance (for short and long-term disability)
• Long Term Care Insurance

Other Benefits

The City offers numerous other benefits and programs for employees, including:

• 457(b) deferred compensation plans
• Employee Assistance Program
• Bus Pass on Madison Metro
• Flexible Work Schedules
• Employer-paid Training

01

Please indicate your level of education (check all that apply).

• Bachelors degree in engineering, water resources, or a related field
• Associates degree in civil engineering technology, environmental studies, geography, geology, or a closely related area
• Bachelors Degree in an unrelated field
• Training courses / Continuing Education in groundwater, hydrogeology, water treatment, drinking water regulations, environmental remediation, or other closely related area
• None of the above

02

Please indicate your field of study

03

Please indicate any certifications you have (Check all that apply):

• Operator Certification-Municipal Waterworks
• Subclass G - groundwater
• Subclass D - distribution
• Any other subclass or water related certification
• N/A

04

Please specify the other Operator Certification subclass or other water related certification you have, if you have checked yes to that option above.

05

How many years of technical or administrative experience, in a water or natural resources management related field, do you have?

• Three (3) or more years
• Two (2) to less than three (3) years
• One (1) to less than two (2) years
• Less than one (1) year
• None of the above

06

How many years of customer service (answering phones, interacting with customers, responding to inquiries) experience do you have?

• Three (3) or more years
• Two (2) years to less than three (3) years
• One (1) to less than two (2) years
• Less than one (1) year
• No experience

07

Please indicate your level of proficiency using Microsoft Word.

• None or limited
• Beginner (Can create, edit, and save documents; create and edit tables, etc.)
• Intermediate (Can use templates, merge files, manage data in a table, understand basic macros, etc.)
• Advanced (Can create and manage tables of contents, indexes, master documents; use academic reference features; teach others to use software, etc.)

08

Please indicate your level of proficiency using Microsoft Excel

• None or limited
• Beginner (Can use basic functions like SUM, AVERAGE, and MAX in formulas; perform basic calculations; format cells; filter and sort data, etc.)
• Intermediate (can use formulas like VLOOKUP and INDEX-MATCH; sort, filter, and group data; create and manipulate PivotTables, etc.)
• Advanced (Can use complex formulas, data visualization tools, and What-If Analysis tools; create scripts to automate repetitive tasks; use PivotTables to extract insights from data, etc.)

09

Please indicate your level of proficiency using GIS/Mapping Software

• None or limited
• Beginner (Routinely utilize Google Maps or other mapping tools available to the general public)
• Intermediate (Have taken courses in GIS or other mapping software, Use occasionally or have used in the past)
• Advanced (Routinely utilize GIS or other mapping software, Can create maps and./or manipulate layers to complete projects/tasks)

10

Please select all you have experience with:

• Outreach, education, and awareness program development
• Public speaking - presentations at neighborhood/public meetings or state/regional conferences
• Permitting, regulatory compliance, and/or enforcement
• Environmental contamination and remediation
• Wellhead protection planning
• Wisconsin geology and hydrogeology
• Municipal drinking water regulations (i.e. Chapter NR 800 series)
• Municipal drinking water supply, treatment, and distribution; utility operations
• None of the above

11

For which types of organizations have you worked? (Choose all that apply)

• City of Madison
• Governmental (Local/Municipal - except City of Madison, County, State, or National)
• Public Utility
• Private Utility Company
• Private employer/contractor
• No related experience

Required Question

Employer Madison, City of (WI)

Address 215 Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd.

MMB Rm 261

MADISON, Wisconsin, 53703

Phone (608) 266-4615

Website http://www.cityofmadison.com/jobs