Senior Instrumentation Technician

The Position

The City of Santa Rosa is excited to announce that we are seeking a highly-qualified candidate to join our team of professionals with an immediate opening for Senior Instrumentation Technician in the Water Department.

The City of Santa Rosa is committed to building a workforce reflective of our community and establishing a lasting culture of equity and belonging within our organization. Our collective talents and expertise contribute to high-quality public services that support a vibrant, resilient, inclusive City for our community and visitors. We celebrate a diverse workforce and welcome all qualified candidates to apply.

THE BENEFITS OF CITY EMPLOYMENT:

In addition to offering a rewarding work environment, opportunity for career growth, and excellent salary, the City of Santa Rosa provides a generous suite of benefits, including retirement through CalPERS, a competitive leave accrual package, your choice of three health plans, and top of the line employer paid vision and dental coverage. More information about available benefits can be found in our comprehensive online Benefits Guide and in unit 07 Memorandum of understanding.

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS INCLUDE:

• 12 paid holidays annually, plus 2 to 3 “floating” holidays per year depending on years of service
• $500 annually for wellness
• The City is a Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF) Employer
• Paid Family Leave 
• 4% General Salary Increase – July 2026

ABOUT THE POSITION:

The City of Santa Rosa is seeking enthusiastic, highly qualified candidates for the position of Senior Instrumentation Technician. This is a lead worker level class in the Instrumentation Services section of the Santa Rosa Water Department assisting with the direction of the technical staff involved in the design, repair, and maintenance of the sub-regional wastewater treatment plants, reclamation systems, bio-solids facility, and related City facilities. This class also provides field and office support to the Wastewater Maintenance Superintendent.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE: 

The ideal candidate will possess journey-level maintenance experience in a heavy industrial environment and demonstrate the ability to work safely and effectively around medium-voltage electrical systems (1,000–60,000 volts), particularly in proximity to system controls. They will have experience interpreting, editing, modifying, and creating electrical schematics and technical drawings with accuracy and attention to detail.

In addition, the ideal candidate will demonstrate knowledge of system modernization principles, including the ability to support or implement updates to outdated electrical or control systems, improve operational efficiency, and adapt legacy infrastructure to current technologies and standards.

SELECTION PROCESS: Applicants possessing the MOST DESIRABLE qualifications based on a screening of application materials, including the required supplemental questionnaire, will be invited to continue in the selection process. The selection process may consist solely of an application and training and experience screening or may include a written and/or oral examination of knowledge and skills that will result in an eligible list of candidates to be forwarded to the hiring department(s) for an interview.

Please complete a thoughtful, thorough Supplemental Questionnaire submission. As part of the selection process, your responses to these questions will be scored using criteria specific to this position. Incomplete responses, or responses such as “See Resume” can result in disqualification from the selection process.

Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position. If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer is contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter. 

Examples of Duties and Responsibilities

The following duties are considered essential for this job classification:

• Assist with scheduling and assigning the construction, maintenance, design, and repair of the process control, data acquisition, radio-telemetry systems, and instrumentation associated with the City’s wastewater treatment plants, reclamation systems, bio-solids facility, and related City facilities.
• Estimate quantities and order materials and equipment.
• Train staff in work techniques, use of equipment, and safety programs and techniques.
• Confer with engineers, contractors, vendors, other City departments, and staff regarding projects, project scheduling, material purchases, work assignments, office procedures and work production.
• Safely use and care for a variety of tools and equipment common to the work;
• Purchase required parts and equipment.
• Contact vendors and other agencies to determine the availability, applicability and performance of components.
• Inspect and test components installed by contractors and staff.
• Review and maintain time of work orders equipment records and preventative maintenance programs.
• Assist in the development of the Utilities Department budgets and the Enterprise Asset Management System.
• Supervise training programs. 
• Design, install, test, calibrate, maintain, and repair computer, electronic, hydraulic, pneumatic and radio systems, and components for process control, telemetry, data acquisition and supervisory controls.
• Write computer programs for the process control and data acquisition systems.
• Understand and use digital and analog calibration equipment.
• Perform electrical wiring required for the installation of electronic equipment.
• Troubleshoot and repair high voltage electrical system controls, and related equipment.

Additional Duties:

In addition to the duties listed in the Essential Duties section, each employee in this classification may perform the following duties. Any single position may not be assigned all the duties listed below, nor do the examples cover all the duties which may be assigned:

• Perform maintenance and repair on commercial and industrial building lighting and environmental control systems.
• Maintain recording devices.
• Review projects with staff and contractors and perform related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

Knowledge of: Uses and operation of tools and equipment required for specific work assignments; regulations and codes applicable to area of assignment; arithmetic sufficient to calculate volumes, areas, lengths, percentages and conversions; safe work practices, including safety precautions for operating power equipment, working in traffic under hazardous conditions, working around high voltage electrical distribution systems, and in an industrial environment; Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) Systems and Enterprise Asset Management Systems (EAMS), design, installation, maintenance, and repair of industrial electrical control systems; high voltage distribution system controls, supervisory controls, including solenoids, mercury switches and relays; electronic, digital, and analog circuits and power switching to the component level; building lighting and environmental control systems; theory and practice of the principles of electronics, computer systems used in an industrial environment, pneumatics, hydraulics, and radio systems; operation of flow and level measurement, frequency-based and process control systems and instrumentation, programmable logic control, alarm, and pneumatic systems; maintenance and repair of test instruments; computer programming as applied to controllers and electronic test equipment used in wastewater treatment and reclamation facilities; and basic principles of supervision.

 

Ability to: Plan and set up work and delegate tasks to others; train and supervise workers; communicate with the public and co-workers in a tactful and effective manner; work effectively as a member of a team; communicate orally, face to face, in a one-on-one situation, using a telephone, or in a group setting; operate the specialized hand and power tools and heavy equipment used in performing work in the area of assignment; understand and carry out oral and written directions; hear and distinguish oral directions while working in noisy conditions; read and interpret work orders, diagrams, blueprints, and maps; safely use and care for a variety of tools and equipment common to the work; work independently with minimal technical guidance; estimate costs, time, and labor requirements from blueprints or work plans; make sound judgments regarding work methods, tools and safety; writing work orders, incident reports, and daily logs of work performed; calculate quantities of materials needed to complete tasks; prepare and maintain accurate records, reports, and work estimates; write specifications and sole source documents; diagnose faults in complex electronic and electrical equipment; work in a hazardous environment and in emergency situations; operate a variety of electronic and electrical test instruments; read and prepare a variety of wiring diagrams; write and review computer programs involving advance level languages as applied to PLC’s and various specialized controllers; install and troubleshoot various high speed data network hardware and software in wired and wireless environments; understanding of various high speed network protocols; and provide technical and work direction to staff.

 

Experience and Education:  ANY combination equivalent to experience and education that could provide the required knowledge and abilities would be qualifying.  A TYPICAL way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

 

Experience – Sufficient journey level maintenance experience in a heavy industrial environment, with emphasis on work on high voltage (480-60,000 volts) system controls and repair electronic systems such as those found in water or wastewater treatment or distribution systems, to demonstrate possession of the knowledge and abilities listed above. Experience in the maintenance and repair of electronic sensory and control systems is desirable. Education – Equivalent to completion of the twelfth grade. Technical college certification in electricity or electronics, completion of an apprenticeship program and or CWEA Instrumentation certification are desirable. 

 

License:  Possession of, or ability to obtain, a Class C California motor vehicle operator’s license. Possession of a First Aid or Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certificate issued by the American Red Cross is desirable.

Additional Information

Work is performed in a high voltage, high current, industrial environment. Normal duties will require the incumbent to ascend and descend ladders, operate and work from elevated platforms to access work areas. Tasks will be performed in confined and enclosed spaces, in cramped quarters, and in a variety of atmospheric conditions and extremes of weather and temperature. The work often involves lifting heavy objects, such as transformers and switchgear, weighing up to 100 pounds. The incumbent will be expected to walk on rough, uneven, or rocky terrain, as well as wet and slippery surfaces. The work requires the ability to distinguish colors of piping, electrical tape, and electric wiring, and to hear audible alarms, such as chlorine and equipment failure alarms. An incumbent observes or monitors flow meters, amp meters, pressure gauges, digital, and analog displays, and data printouts to determine compliance with prescribed operating or safety standards. Installing electronic or radio equipment requires making precise arm-hand position movement, fine, highly controlled muscular movements to adjust the position of a control mechanism, and standing for extended periods of time unable to sit or rest at will. Operating a forklift or crane requires coordinating the movement of more than one limb simultaneously. Working on piping and engines involves prolonged bending, stooping, standing, reaching, crawling, and climbing repeatedly or continually over time. Working on overhead piping requires lifting arms above shoulder level. Some work is performed in sumps, vaults, galleys, and other small, cramped areas and involves sitting for extended periods of time without the ability to change position. Work on overhead piping, conveyers, and roof-mounted equipment is performed at heights greater than ten feet. 

The City does not discriminate on the basis of disability in employment. Requests for reasonable accommodations needed to participate in the recruitment process may be made by submitting a Request for Reasonable Accommodation Form within five (5) business days of being noticed that an event requiring accommodation is occurring. You may also contact the Human Resources Department at (707) 543-3060 or jobs@srcity.org.