Deputy Director of Utilities - Water Resources Division

This recruitment will remain open until filled.

This is a broadband, at-will position. Anticipated annual hiring range is $170,000 to $210,000, depending on qualifications and experience.

The City of Santa Maria is seeking an accomplished and visionary professional for the position of Deputy Director of Utilities - Water Resources Division (Organizational/Enterprise Leader - Non-Safety classification). This dynamic leader will oversee the City’s water and wastewater systems, ensuring reliable services, long-term sustainability, and regulatory compliance. The Deputy Director will lead a diverse team of nearly 60 staff members, providing direct oversight to the operations, regulatory compliance, and engineering and technology teams.

This role is crucial for ensuring seamless continuity of daily operations and critical services, while strategically advancing the organization's Capital Improvement Program.

The Utilities Department serves the growing City of Santa Maria on the beautiful Central Coast. With a population of approximately 111,000, the department delivers reliable water, sewer, refuse collection, and disposal services to the community. Its mission is to provide efficient, innovative utility services, focusing on exceptional customer service and the sustainable use of public resources for the community's long-term benefit.

The Water Resources Division operates an annual revenue of approximately $65-Million. The Division ensures the City’s water and wastewater systems maintain reliability, sustainability, and compliance with all regulations. In addition, the Division actively manages a comprehensive Capital Improvement Program. This program is essential for planning and delivering infrastructure projects that ensure the City’s water and wastewater systems can meet current demands and are prepared for future growth.

• Water System:
  The City's extensive water distribution network reliably serves approximately 23,000 customer accounts. This complex system is built upon 340 miles of mains, managed by 10,000 valves for precise flow control, and includes 3,600 fire hydrants. The City's water supply is composed of imported State Water and local groundwater wells, which are supported by six active wells, three reservoirs with 19 million gallons of storage, and a blending/disinfection facility.
  
  The system can meet peak demands exceeding 20 million gallons per day and provide fire protection flows. The City also supplies water to the nearby unincorporated community of Nipomo, a service required by the Santa Maria Groundwater Litigation settlement. By providing this water, this eases demand on the groundwater basin and promotes aquifer health for the future.
• Wastewater System:
  The City operates and maintains a Grade 4 wastewater treatment plant and sewer collections (sanitary and storm sewer) system that serves the community’s residential, commercial, and industrial needs. The plant treats more than 7.3 million gallons of wastewater daily and operates a pretreatment program to ensure reliable operations and compliance with regulatory requirements.

The Deputy Director of Utilities - Water Resources Division manages the planning, design, construction, operation, and compliance of the City’s water and wastewater facilities. This role requires both strategic vision and technical expertise to ensure sustainable, efficient, and cost‑effective service delivery.

The Deputy Director will oversee division heads, regulatory compliance managers, and technology and engineering teams who manage the daily operations of water distribution and production, sewer collections (sanitary sewer and storm sewer), and wastewater treatment. The Deputy Director has autonomy to make independent, professional decisions for the Water Resources Division and reports directly to the Director of Utilities.

Currently, the Water Resources Division is developing long‑term master plans for water and wastewater and implementing major improvements to the wastewater treatment plant. The Deputy Director will lead these initiatives while also advancing other capital projects related to water and sewer…