Plant Operator

About Veolia North America

Veolia North America (VNA), a subsidiary of Veolia group, is recognized as the leading environmental company in the United States for three consecutive years. It is the largest private operator and technology provider in water management, as well as a major player in hazardous waste and pollution treatment. VNA provides comprehensive services including water and wastewater treatment, commercial and hazardous waste collection and disposal, energy consulting, and resource recovery. Serving commercial, industrial, healthcare, higher education, and municipal customers across North America, VNA operates from its headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts, with over 10,000 employees working at more than 350 locations continent-wide.

Role Overview

The Process Supervisor at the Anaerobic Digestion (AD) Plant is responsible for supervising plant operations, maintaining safe and efficient functionality, optimizing production processes, ensuring compliance with environmental and safety regulations, and leading operational teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage and adjust key systems such as pumps, blowers, sludge handling, and chemical metering equipment to maintain steady operation.
• Conduct daily inspections of plant machinery and operations, documenting any issues, safety hazards, or anomalies and reporting them to the Plant Manager.
• Initiate maintenance work requests for malfunctioning equipment and collaborate with Plant and Maintenance Managers to ensure timely repairs.
• Supervise completion of assigned work orders and provide constructive feedback for improving maintenance processes.
• Facilitate pre-shift meetings and shift handovers to ensure clear communication and the sharing of operational updates and improvement suggestions.
• Coordinate transportation logistics for residual and digester trailers.
• Perform daily chemical inventory checks and order supplies as necessary.
• Lead initiatives to optimize production efficiency, monitor plant parameters within design specifications, and troubleshoot operational bottlenecks.
• Enforce compliance with environmental regulations including spill control, discharge limits, and accurate reporting of gas releases or spills.
• Uphold safety standards by ensuring adherence to personal protective equipment protocols, standard operating procedures (SOPs), risk assessments, life-saving rules, and maintaining facility cleanliness.
• Maintain cleanliness and proper material storage in critical areas including digestion management buildings, centrifuge room, residue management, and wastewater treatment zones.
• Provide team leadership by supervising, evaluating, and training operations personnel, ensuring smooth communication and conflict management within teams.
• Manage staff schedules, vacation requests, and ensure adequate shift coverage, occasionally providing shift coverage during absences or staff shortages.
• Oversee preventive maintenance, troubleshooting equipment failures, analyzing root causes, and updating operational procedures and documentation as needed.
• Operate and maintain specialized plant components such as pulpers, grit removal system, suspension buffer tanks, digesters, digester management buildings, residue management, biogas systems, centrifuge operations, water management units, aeration tanks, DAF systems, and wastewater building operations according to specific operational parameters.

Required Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent with effective written and oral communication skills.
• Associate's degree in science or technical field preferred.
• Minimum five years' experience in a similar role within water or wastewater treatment environments.
• Understanding of Biological Treatment Anaerobic (BTA) processes, wastewater treatment operations, water quality assurance, maintenance strategies, and laboratory procedures.
• Strong problem-solving, troubleshooting, team-building, and communication abilities.
• Capability to manage budgets and control costs.
• Proficiency in documenting and reporting operational information clearly and accurately.
• Competence in using personal protective equipment and facility computer systems including email, SCADA data retrieval, and training platforms.
• Ability to respond to emergency situations and work extended hours as required.
• Commitment to compliance with legal regulations, company codes of conduct, and policies.

Work Environment and Conditions

• Fast-paced, physically demanding work involving repetitive tasks and requiring attention to detail.
• Exposure to dust and odors related to recycling processes.
• Requirement for personal transportation.
• Shift work with two main shifts Monday to Friday: 6:00 AM–2:30 PM and 2:30 PM–10:30 PM, with overtime and rotation every two weeks; potential future extension to three shifts.

Compensation and Benefits

• Hourly wage ranging from $26 to $31.
• Opportunities for career development and involvement in large-scale projects.
• Supportive training programs both within and outside the company.
• Competitive salary, pension plans, and benefits.
• Multidisciplinary teams working within an occupational health and safety focused environment.

Additional Notes

The company values applicants looking for career growth, challenging work, and a collaborative environment. Only candidates selected for further consideration will be contacted. The salary and benefits information are accurate as of the time of posting and may be subject to change in compliance with applicable laws.