Water Treatment Specialist or Water Plant Operator I​/II​/III

Location: Denver

We are hiring a new Water Treatment Specialist or Plant Operator to join our incredibly talented and dedicated team plant operators! Our ideal candidate will have a CO water plant operator A certification. If you are a person that likes variety, challenges, and accomplishments, is team oriented but can work individually to deliver a common goal, this is the place for you.

2026 Salary Ranges for specific positions below DOE and certification level

Water Treatment Specialist: $37.80-$49.90/hr

Water Plant Operator III: $33.01-$43.58/hr

Water Plant Operator II: $30.85-$40.72/hr

Water Plant Operator I: $28.83-$38.06/hr

Compensation & Benefits

* $Base hourly pay rate + shift differential pay + overtime pay

* 11 Paid Holidays plus up to 2 Floating Holidays

* Generous Vacation & Sick Leave

* Health Insurance (Cigna or Kaiser)

* Dental Insurance (Delta)

* Vision Insurance (VSP Vision)

* Life, Dependent Life & Supplemental Life Insurance Options

* Flexible Spending Plan

* Retiree Health Savings Plan

* Pension Plan & Deferred Compensation Plans with up 7.6% Employer Match

* Multilingual Incentive Pay

* Recreation Center Pass for you and your immediate family members

* Wellness Program - Learn more here

* In-House Training Opportunities

* Tuition Reimbursement

* Employee Assistance Program

The Community

Thornton is a diverse community with a strong commitment to quality of life. The community's location provides an ideal environment for business and recreation. Located in the Denver metropolitan area, the City of Thornton is adjacent to Westminster, Broomfield, Northglenn, Federal Heights, and Commerce City. The community's natural setting of ridge lines, wildlife, waterways, rolling hills, and undeveloped land provide Thornton residents with amenities that contribute to a unique quality of life.

The City of Thornton is the sixth largest city in Colorado. Located in the northeast quadrant of the Denver metropolitan area and comprising 37 square miles, Thornton is only 10 minutes from downtown Denver, 35 minutes from Denver International Airport (DIA) and less than 2 hours from the Breckenridge and Vail ski areas. Thornton offers convenient access to Interstate 25, Interstate 70, Interstate 76, E-470, and U.S. 36 and is serviced by the Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD), which provides public transportation.

The Infrastructure Department

The Infrastructure Department is a dedicated team of approximately 200 that provides a variety of services, including raw water rights and accounting; water treatment; water quality testing; water distribution; sanitary sewer collection; stormwater conveyance and flood control; street maintenance and snow plowing; trash and recycling collection; traffic engineering and operations; engineering services including capital project management, surveying, MS4 Program management, ArcGIS services, ROW permitting, and utility locates;

and real estate/real property management. The Departments' total annual operating budget is approximately $45M, funded through various general government and enterprise funds (water, sewer, stormwater, sanitation).

The Position

The city of Thornton is seeking a Water Plant Operator/Water Treatment Specialist who represents a culture of health and is committed to providing high quality drinking water to our diverse customer base of 160,000 people and growing. Our system is also diverse, with multiple source waters including the South Platte River, Clear Creek, and a developing source on the Cache la Poudre River;

two water plants; multiple pump stations; and plenty of capital improvement projects on the horizon, all making Thornton a very exciting place to work. Some job duties include:

* Operate one of two High Performance Water Treatment plants - Learn more here

* 50 mgd ultrafiltration plant

* 20 + mgd ozone/biofiltration plant

* Monitoring Raw, Process and Finished Water Quality

* Adjusting Water Treatment Chemicals

* Perform Lab Bench Tests

* Adjusting Raw and Finished Water Flows

* Ordering and Receiving Chemicals

* Filter and Membrane Surveillance

* Rotating Shifts

Under specified supervision, monitors water plant operations and computerized control systems, and adjusts plant-operating conditions to provide a safe and adequate treated water supply.

Positions in this class are flexibly staffed and are normally filled by advancement from level I or, when filled from the outside, require prior directly related experience.

Water Plant Operator I:

Under immediate supervision, this is the entry-level class in the Water Plant Operator series.  Incumbents entering the class are required to have little directly related work experience.  Generally, work is observed and reviewed both during performance and upon completion, and changes in procedures or exceptions to rules are explained in detail as they arise.

Water Plant Operator II:

Under general supervision, this is the intermediate-level class in the Water Plant Operator series, which requires the appropriate Plant Operator's certification. …