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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wastewater Program Officer

💰 $70,000 - $110,000

EnvironmentalWater & WastewaterRegulatory CompliancePublic Works

🎯 Role Definition

The Wastewater Program Officer is a mid- to senior-level position responsible for administering wastewater permitting and compliance programs, supervising monitoring and inspection activities, analyzing effluent and collection system data, managing stakeholder and permittee relationships, and supporting capital and operational initiatives to meet regulatory requirements (NPDES, state permits, pretreatment). This role frequently coordinates with laboratories, operators, engineers, legal counsel, municipalities, industrial dischargers, and state/federal regulators to interpret regulations, enforce standards, and recommend technical solutions that protect water quality.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Environmental Technician / Laboratory Technician (Wastewater)
  • Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator (Class II/III)
  • Environmental Compliance Specialist / Permit Coordinator

Advancement To:

  • Senior Wastewater Program Officer / Principal Program Officer
  • Wastewater Program Manager / Pretreatment Program Manager
  • Director of Water Resources / Director of Environmental Services

Lateral Moves:

  • Pretreatment Coordinator / Industrial Compliance Officer
  • Collection System Asset Manager
  • Environmental Permitting Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Develop, implement and manage municipal and industrial wastewater permitting programs (NPDES and state equivalents), including drafting permits, writing permit conditions, preparing fact sheets, and ensuring legal and technical consistency with Clean Water Act and state regulations.
  • Oversee and coordinate routine and special compliance inspections of wastewater treatment plants, collection systems, pumping stations, and pretreatment facilities; prepare detailed inspection reports and follow up on corrective actions to ensure timely resolution of violations.
  • Lead permit compliance monitoring programs: design sampling plans, set monitoring frequencies, review laboratory QA/QC data, validate analytical results, and evaluate compliance with effluent limits, biomarkers, biosolids and sludge requirements.
  • Manage wastewater monitoring and data management systems (including SCADA, CMMS, laboratory information systems and GIS) to track effluent performance, sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs), bypasses, and trends; generate dashboards and regulatory reports.
  • Coordinate and supervise field sampling efforts (influent/effluent, sludge, combined sewer samples, pretreatment sampling), ensuring chain-of-custody procedures, sample integrity, and adherence to approved methods and holding times.
  • Prepare, compile and submit regulatory reports and permit renewals (monthly/quarterly/annual discharge monitoring reports, DMRs, non-compliance reports, biosolids reports) to state agencies and EPA in a timely and accurate manner.
  • Perform technical review of engineering plans and specifications for wastewater capital improvement projects, treatment process modifications, equipment upgrades, and collection system rehabilitation to verify regulatory compliance and operational feasibility.
  • Manage enforcement response and compliance strategies for permit exceedances: issue notices of violation, coordinate corrective action plans, negotiate consent orders, and support administrative or legal actions where necessary.
  • Lead pretreatment program administration: issue discharge authorizations, review industrial monitoring plans, enforce categorical pretreatment standards, and provide technical assistance to industrial users to reduce pollutants of concern like FOG, toxic organics, metals, and high-strength wastes.
  • Administer grant-funded projects and state/federal funding applications for wastewater infrastructure, including preparing scopes, budgets, performance metrics, and compliance documentation for funding agencies.
  • Serve as primary point of contact for state and federal regulators during inspections, audits, permit reviews, and emergency responses; prepare briefing materials and lead coordination meetings.
  • Maintain and update program standard operating procedures (SOPs), quality assurance plans (QAPP), and sampling manuals to ensure consistent and defensible data that meets regulatory and accreditation requirements.
  • Develop and deliver operator and staff training on new permit requirements, sampling techniques, pretreatment expectations, spill response, and best practices for process control and compliance.
  • Conduct technical analyses and modeling to evaluate mass loading, load allocation, nutrient trading opportunities, and to support Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) implementation and watershed-based permitting strategies.
  • Manage contractor and consultant scopes: prepare RFQs/RFPs, evaluate proposals, oversee deliverables, and verify technical adequacy of studies such as pilot testing, feasibility investigations, and full-scale design support.
  • Implement and maintain an asset management and predictive maintenance strategy for collection and treatment systems to reduce SSOs and unplanned discharges that could cause regulatory violations.
  • Facilitate cross-functional coordination between operations, engineering, legal, finance and customer service to ensure permit-driven capital and operational decisions are executed within budget and on schedule.
  • Lead public outreach and stakeholder engagement for projects and program changes, prepare technical summaries for non-technical audiences, and represent the agency at community meetings, technical committees, and interagency workgroups.
  • Coordinate emergency response and contingency planning for sanitary sewer overflows, bypasses, major treatment disruptions, and hazardous discharges; lead incident documentation and regulatory notifications.
  • Monitor emerging contaminants, regulatory trends (PFAS, nutrients, microplastics), and new treatment technologies; recommend pilot projects, policy updates, and strategic investments to maintain compliance and environmental leadership.
  • Conduct cost-benefit and lifecycle assessments for process changes, chemical usage, energy optimization, and biosolids handling to support sustainable and cost-effective wastewater management decisions.
  • Support annual budgeting and grant management: track program expenditures, forecast permit-related costs, and ensure allowable use of funds for monitoring, enforcement and capital projects.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
  • Maintain comprehensive electronic records for permits, inspections, and enforcement actions to enable fast retrieval and regulatory audit support.
  • Assist in seasonal or emergency staffing coordination for sampling, inspections, and public notifications as needed.
  • Help develop and maintain GIS layers for collection system assets, monitoring stations, and sample locations to improve field efficiency and reporting accuracy.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Regulatory permitting and compliance: deep knowledge of NPDES, Clean Water Act, state water quality standards, pretreatment regulations and permit-writing best practices.
  • Wastewater treatment process knowledge: activated sludge, biological nutrient removal (BNR), trickling filters, primary/secondary treatment, tertiary filtration, disinfection, sludge treatment and biosolids management.
  • Sampling and laboratory QA/QC: field sampling techniques, chain-of-custody, EPA-approved analytical methods, interpreting laboratory reports, and understanding limits of detection.
  • Data management and analysis: experience with DMR systems, Excel (advanced), SQL, data visualization tools (Power BI/Tableau) and basic statistical analysis for trend detection and compliance screening.
  • SCADA and instrumentation familiarity: reading process control data, alarm management, and integrating monitoring data into program decision-making.
  • GIS and mapping: ability to use ArcGIS/QGIS to map collection systems, sampling points, and environmental receptors.
  • Asset management and CMMS: understanding of computerized maintenance management systems for prioritization of repairs and prevention of SSOs.
  • Plan and technical review: capability to review engineering drawings, specifications, and design reports for regulatory and operational compliance.
  • Enforcement and legal process: experience drafting NOVs, consent orders, and coordinating with legal counsel on escalated enforcement actions.
  • Project and grant management: budget development, grant reporting, procurement, consultant oversight and contract management.
  • Modeling and environmental analysis: familiarity with mass balance calculations, load allocation, nutrient modeling or watershed models is a plus.
  • Certifications (preferred): Licensed Wastewater Operator (State Grade II/III), Certified Environmental Professional, or relevant permit-writing training.

Soft Skills

  • Strong written and verbal communication: prepare clear technical reports, fact sheets, and public-facing materials; present to regulators and community stakeholders.
  • Analytical thinking and problem-solving: interpret complex monitoring data and design practical corrective actions.
  • Stakeholder management and diplomacy: build collaborative relationships with municipalities, industries, regulators and the public.
  • Project management and organization: manage multiple permits, projects and deadlines with attention to detail.
  • Leadership and coaching: mentor operators and junior staff, lead cross-functional teams and coordinate contractors.
  • Decision-making under pressure: respond rapidly to SSO events, bypasses, or compliance emergencies.
  • Attention to compliance detail and ethics: maintain rigorous documentation and impartial enforcement practices.
  • Adaptability and continuous learning: stay current with regulatory changes, emerging contaminants, and treatment technologies.
  • Customer-service orientation: balance regulatory enforcement with practical technical assistance to permittees.
  • Negotiation and conflict resolution: mediate disputes, negotiate compliance schedules and secure commitments for corrective actions.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science, Civil or Environmental Engineering, Chemistry, Biology, Public Health, or related technical field.

Preferred Education:

  • Master's degree in Environmental Engineering, Water Resources, Public Administration, or related field.
  • Professional registrations or specialized certifications (e.g., PE in Environmental/Civil, Certified Wastewater Operator).

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Environmental Engineering
  • Civil Engineering (water/wastewater emphasis)
  • Environmental Science / Biology / Chemistry
  • Public Health / Environmental Policy

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–7 years of progressively responsible experience in wastewater operations, permitting, compliance, or environmental program administration.

Preferred:

  • 5+ years managing wastewater permits, pretreatment programs, or enforcement with demonstrated success in NPDES permit writing, DMR review, enforcement actions, and stakeholder coordination.
  • Prior experience working for a municipal utility, state regulatory agency, or engineering consulting firm supporting wastewater compliance programs.
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