DIRECTOR OF GAS SERVICES

Full Job Description

Water.

Every day, Long Beach Utilities treats 32 million gallons of drinking water at the Long Beach Groundwater Treatment Plant (GWTP) and distributes this water after blending with imported water, to 90,000 households and businesses throughout the City of Long Beach.

The GWTP also hosts a California Environmental Laboratory Accreditation as a Certified Water Quality Laboratory, which performs 60,000 to 70,000 water quality tests per year to ensure the high quality of the drinking water.

Gas. As a municipal utility, Long Beach Utilities’ natural gas rates and policies are established by the Board of Utilities Commission, consisting of five residents of Long Beach.

The City Charter requires Long Beach rates to be comparable to the rates charged by surrounding gas utilities for similar types of service.

In the region, the Southern California Gas Company is the only other natural gas utility providing similar service and serves as the market benchmark.

The City of Long Beach natural gas service territory includes the cities of Long Beach and Signal Hill, and sections of surrounding communities including Lakewood, Bellflower, Compton, Seal Beach, Paramount, and Los Alamitos.

Sewer. Long Beach Utilities owns, operates and maintains over 700 miles of sanitary sewer lines, safely collecting and delivering over 32 million gallons of wastewater per day to the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County for treatment.

Under the direction of the Senior Director of Utilities Field Customer Service, the Director of Gas Services is responsible for directing the operations of the Gas Services Bureau, which includes all aspects of field customer service including gas and water turn-ons and turn-offs, gas emergency response services, dispatch of work orders, installation and repair of residential and industrial gas meters, regulators and telemetry processes.

Requirements

• Provides managerial and technical oversight to the employees of the Gas Services Bureau and ensures the bureau’s goals and objectives relative to emergency response and safety, customer service, and the meter replacement program are met.
• Ensures compliance with safety and federal regulations (OSHA/DOT-PHMSA) including but not limited to operator qualification, building and maintaining Meter Set Assemblies (MSAs), pressure regulation, appliance servicing, emergency response to leak and carbon monoxide calls, and customer response inquires relating to utility bill.
• Oversees all gas customer service activities, ensuring efficient and timely completion of field activities while providing courteous and helpful service to all customers.
• Directs the repair and installation of residential and industrial gas meters, district regulators, and telemetry equipment and programs.
• Ensures that all operations of the gas distribution system are performed safely and following the appropriate State and Federal regulations.
• Ensures that Bureau operations are properly interfaced with and supportive of the requirements of the Commercial Services Bureau of Financial Management and Development Services Department.
• Coordinates the Bureau’s personnel activities such as hiring, training, assignments, scheduling, and disciplinary actions.
• Develops, plans, and directs the Bureau’s performance management and strategic planning objectives.
• Coordinates the operation of the Bureau’s radio and data communications and dispatch systems.
• Prepares periodic reports and maintains records of the various customer service activities carried out by Bureau personnel.
• Prepares and manages the annual budget for the Gas Services Bureau.
• Provides prompt responses to inquiries from consultants, in-house customer service teams, internal divisions, and bureaus.
• Communicates and/or corresponds with internal Utilities employees, outside agencies, and external consultants via email, phone, or live meetings.
• Develops and administers the Bureau’s annual budget including forecasting for staffing, equipment, materials, and supply needs.
• Keeps the Senior Director of Utilities Field Customer Service and other staff informed regularly on the status of open issues.
• Coordinates and follows up with Gas, Water, and Sewer Operations teams as required to maintain the flow of accurate information.
• Researches and makes recommendations on new technologies and emerging processes.
• Makes improvements and modifications to existing practices, materials and equipment to improve operational efficiency.
• Communicates with personnel, departments, consultants, contractors, vendors, and outside organizations to coordinate activities and programs, resolve issues/disputes, and to exchange information.
• Oversees and responds to customer service requests and complaint inquiries.
• Communicates regularly with the Call Center and Billing workgroups to coordinate field customer services activities .
• Manages Bureau contracts, including the development of specifications, request for proposals (RFPs), invitations to bid (ITBs), and related documents needed for the procurement of goods and services.
• Other duties as required.

• Natural gas end-use applications and equipment.
• Organize, implement, and direct gas services operations including dispatch, telemetry, SCADA, meter operations and customer service.
• Qualitative and quantitative methodologies used to evaluate the technical, economic, and market feasibility of existing and new equipment and/or concepts.
• Draw upon knowledge of the Long Beach Utilities Department’s core and non-core gas services, rate options and programs to support Billing and Call Center.
• Knowledge of gas regulatory compliance, occupational hazards, and standard safety practices. Routine and emergency field operation procedures and equipment.
• Best management principles for gas services operations and procedures, and standard practices.
• Principles and practices of supervision, leadership, motivation, team building and conflict resolution.
• Principles of personnel management including employee development, training, progressive discipline, and succession planning.
• Principles and practices of effective customer service.
• Principles and practices of project management.
• Budget preparation and control.
• Interpret, apply, and explain Department rules, regulations, policies, and procedures.
• Read and understand Geographic Information System (GIS) maps.
• Principles and techniques of working with groups and fostering effective team interaction to ensure positive collaboration.
• Demonstrate leadership skills that include maturity, vision, and an ability to articulate the department’s vision and mission to others.
• Ability to establish, build, and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external colleagues at all levels.
• Exemplify high standards of integrity, ethics, and professionalism, in accordance with Department and City policies.
• Ability to effectively communicate ideas in a clear, concise, and professional manner both verbally and in writing.

Qualifications

• Five years of progressively responsible administrative, supervisory or operational experience directly involving gas services, preferably related to utility customer service.
• A valid driver’s license, or the ability to arrange necessary and timely transportation for field travel, may be required for some assignments.

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in a related field.

Additional Information

The City of Long Beach is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value and encourage diversity in our workforce.

The City of Long Beach is committed to creating a workplace where every employee is valued for who they are.

Having our workforce reflect the diversity of our community at various levels of the organization is a continuous goal embraced by our departments, management staff, and policymakers.

To support efforts of fairness and diversity, City Leadership is committed to incorporating equity and inclusion into our work by supporting staff and community partners.

We are committed to promoting transparency by publishing updated demographic information for employees, including workforce diversity data and pay by race and gender.

The City of Long Beach will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act.

You are not required to disclose your criminal history or participate in a background check until you receive a conditional job offer.

If the City of Long Beach has concerns about a conviction that is directly related to the job after making a conditional job offer and conducting a background check, you will have the opportunity to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide evidence to mitigate concerns, or challenge the accuracy of the background report.

Find out more about the Fair Chance Act by visiting https://calcivilrights.ca.gov/fair-chance-act

The City of Long Beach intends to provide reasonable accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. If a special accommodation is desired, or if you would like to request this information in an alternative format, please call (562) 570-2141.