Waste Operations Technical Lead

We are Uisce Éireann. Every day, we are responsible for the delivery of secure, safe, and sustainable water services for the people of Ireland. As Ireland's national regulated water utility, our vision is a sustainable Ireland where water is respected and protected, for the planet and all the lives it supports.

Our purpose at Uisce Éireann is to rise to the challenge of delivering transformative water services that enable communities to thrive. That means we are proud to take on the responsibility of protecting our water supply and passing on a safe and secure water system to a rapidly growing population and empowering Ireland's social and economic growth.

We are passionate about empowering our people, enabling them to make a positive impact on communities across Ireland. We are guided by a shared vision and purpose, grounded in values that define who we are and shape how we work, where we deliver for customers and communities, we work better together, we do the right thing, we aim high, and we keep each other safe. Our behaviours define how we interact, communicate, and succeed together. These values and behaviours apply to each one of us, across every role, location, and level.

Our goal is to attract and develop skilled and talented people from diverse backgrounds, who bring a dynamic range of expertise and insights to our work. With a strong, values-driven workforce, we ensure Uisce Éireann can continue advancing Ireland's water services and meeting the needs of the communities we serve for generations to come.

The Role:

The Asset Operations function forms the cornerstone of service delivery to customers, protecting the environment and meeting regulatory standards as well as managing the majority of operational expenditure. The Asset Operations function has responsibility for operational and maintenance strategy, policies, planning and standard operating procedures for Water and Wastewater operations both nationally and regionally, ensuring that value for money and customer service is delivered.

The Wastewater O&M Management area is responsible for the national delivery of wastewater operational services through the operation, inspection, maintenance and repair of the wastewater network and treatment assets.

Reporting to the Waste Operations Technical Manager, the Waste Operations Technical Lead will be responsible for the management and active monitoring of waste compliance within Uisce Éireann, liaising with Operational Contract Management as required to ensure compliance with current and future regulations affecting waste activities.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

• Responsible for monitoring and auditing of recycling and disposal activities of fully treated waste (wastewater and water sludge), including monitoring offsite end of process activities e.g., land spreading, landfill, incineration etc.
• Ensure Uisce Éireann are compliant with waste disposal routes in accordance relevant legislation / regulation
• Responsible for monitoring of waste through the various waste disposal routes to ensure compliance is met by contractors (By the use of waste transfer / weighbridge certificates etc.), identifying alternatives as appropriate
• Support communication with the EPA / any relevant body regarding matters relating to waste management compliance, sludge disposal and recycling. Develop and carry out auditing processes. Provide management and support should there be a compliance breach or when differences arise in interpretation of regulatory application, in conjunction with Water / Wastewater Compliance Monitoring team
• Monitor and track the movements of waste from point to point using GPS on all vehicles
• Liaise with the appointed private disposal companies to ensure compliance with national law, establishing strong working relationships
• Monitor weight and volumes entering / leaving site from external contractors, checking invoices and ensuring the correct fee is charged for different sludge types to different outlets
• Responsible for supporting operational changes to waste monitoring including efficiency initiatives to support with wider cultural change
• Responsible for monitoring samples of sludge at disposal points to ensure they are compliant. Coordinate with Sampling as required in dealing with sample results and analysis, liaising with Operational Contract Management and Water / Wastewater Treatment Operations regarding any breaches
• Implement successful mitigation strategies to effectively deal with waste monitoring and compliance, liaising with Asset Strategy and Operational Contract Management to effectively deal with emerging liabilities and risks
• Responsible for the management of incidents relating to waste monitoring. Protect Uisce Éireann's reputation by ensuring such incidents, events and complaints are minimised through timely intervention and / or resolution
• Provide advice and guidance to operatives, team leaders and operations management on complying with legislation and provide site-specific training on sludge regulation requirements
• Responsible for liaising with Operational Contract Management team in changing operational contractual requirements as required e.g., giving notice to change the specification of sludge from being suitable for land reclamation to land recycling/agriculture
• Liaise with Water / Wastewater Treatment Operations and Water / Wastewater Treatment Maintenance teams in relation to waste issues where areas of risk to public health /environment have been identified
• Responsible for carrying out any other duties deemed necessary and / or required, which the Waste Operations Lead may reasonably request

General Duties and Responsibilities

• Collaboration with key internal stakeholders across the UÉ business.
• Responsible for promoting and delivering relevant health and safety commitments across UÉ and its supply chain, reinforcing positive behaviours and delivering health and safety objectives and requirements to the highest industry standards.
• Support the delivery of the Uisce Éireann Transformation Programme, driving results required within the Directorate and supporting organisation-wide objectives.
• Conducts duties and responsibilities in accordance with Uisce Éireann's Information Security policies, standards, processes and controls to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of UÉ business information, and delivery of critical services, in accordance with the NIS Directive and any other relevant cybersecurity regulation.
• Other duties as required.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

• Relevant third level qualification in any of the following disciplines (Engineering, Environmental Science, Chemistry), or equivalent qualification / experience.
• Minimum of 5 years directly relevant experience of working in a waste management role for the water industry is desirable
• Knowledge of waste management processes and environmental knowledge around impacts of sludge disposal
• Knowledge of both risk assessment and relevant legislation/regulations (Waste Management Act), coupled with the practical ability to undertake auditing and provide recommendations for improvements
• We aim high- analytical and problem solving skills - e.g. ability to assess waste management performance to determine efficiencies, and to identify contingency procedures to minimise risk to public health and the environment if disposal / recycling problems arise
• Good written and communication skills and the ability to deliver training to operations staff
• We keep each other safe- experience/understanding of working within a strong health and safety culture
• Full, clean, class B driving licence. A clean driving licence is defined as meaning that the applicant has not been convicted of an offence under the Road Traffic Acts (other than an offence for which the penalty is the imposition of penalty points)
• We do the right thing- solid practical operational experience allied to technical knowledge, together with an excellent understanding of the best operating practices is desirable

The closing date for receipt of applications for this vacancy is XXX.

Please note that applications submitted after this closing date will not be accepted.

Please be advised that if successful you will be placed on the salary range based on your skills and experience. Please note the Market reference point (midpoint) of the range is generally the upper end of the offer where someone is deemed to be fully competent to take on the duties of the role, and leaves room for the employee to progress through the pay range as their experience develops further.

Uisce Éireann is an equal opportunities employer.

We are committed to providing a diverse and inclusive place of work and have a robust strategy and framework called ibelong to enable this. We are an equal opportunity employer and through our recruitment process we welcome and encourage applications from interested and suitably qualified individuals regardless of gender, age, racial or ethnic origin, membership of the traveller community, religion or beliefs, family or civil status, sexual orientation/gender identity or disability.