Candidate Profile

SENIOR PROCESS ENGINEER

WATER AND WASTEWATER OPERATIONS
POSITION NUMBER WO22
Organisational Background
The Toowoomba region is about balance balance between work and play, between urban and
rural lifestyles, between recreation and education and between affordability and investment
potential. Toowoomba is the economic and commercial hub of the Darling Downs. It services a
diversity of primary and secondary industries and plays a significant role in the economic
development of a large area of southern and south western Queensland.
Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) services a regional population of 163,000 with a staff of
approximately 1,750. The rapidly growing region offers a wealth of opportunities for people looking
for a rewarding career based in one of South-East Queensland's most sought-after areas. It offers all
the benefits of urban and country living including some of Australias finest education facilities,
highly regarded health services and a growing reputation for restaurants, coffee shops and
wineries.
At TRC we understand that the continued success of our organisation depends on the quality of our
people. To ensure we attract and retain the best possible employees to meet our future needs, we
provide a comprehensive package of employee benefits.

Organisational Context
The Water and Waste Services Group of Toowoomba Regional Council provides drinking water and
wastewater treatment, distribution and collection services to connected populations of about
136,000 and 112,000 respectively. Water Operations Branch, through the Water and Wastewater
Operations Section, is responsible for the operation of Councils water and wastewater
infrastructure and systems. Water Infrastructure Asset Management Branch and Water Projects
Branch are responsible for water and wastewater asset maintenance and major projects
respectively, while Strategy and Coordination (Water and Waste) Branch provides demand
management, education and strategic planning services.
The drinking water supply system comprises 24 schemes sourcing water from five surface water
storages and groundwater from 63 bores. Council owned surface water storages range in size from
less than 200 ML to 80,000 ML useable volume, and can be supplemented with water from
Wivenhoe Dam via a 14,000 ML per year capacity raw water pipeline. We operate seven
conventional water treatment plants, servicing populations ranging from 300 to 113,000 people and
a 2ML per day reverse osmosis plant treating saline groundwater. We also operate more than 1,850
km of water mains, ranging from 100 mm treated water distribution mains to 760 mm raw water
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mains transporting water from Toowoombas dams, and 69 raw and treated water reservoirs,
ranging in capacity from 25 kL to 15 ML. Our raw water lifts are the highest in Australia at up to 700
m. The total water asset replacement value is $867 M.
Water Operations Branch also operates 13 wastewater schemes, including 2 CED schemes and 6
wastewater treatment plants, ranging in size from 300 EP to a 130,000 EP BNR plant capable of
treating 30 ML per day to a 5:1 nitrogen: phosphorus licence standard. We also operate an
advanced water treatment plant capable of producing 3,000 ML per year of Class A+ recycled water,
and hold contracts for 4,000 ML per year of recycled water for industrial use, as well as supplying
recycled water to a number of agricultural and sporting irrigation schemes. The total asset
replacement value, including more than 1,150 km of sewer mains and 110 sewage pump stations, is
approximately $832 M.
Councils drinking water and sewerage schemes are operated under an approved Drinking Water
Quality Management Plan, a HACCP based risk management plan and a 3rd party certified ISO 9001
management system. In addition to water and wastewater operations, Water Operations Branch
incorporates a Trade Waste Section which manages more than 1,600 trade waste generators
discharging to all of Toowoomba Regional Councils sewerage schemes and Laboratory Services
Section, which provides NATA accredited water and wastewater testing services to internal
customers and a wide range of external customers.
The Water Operations branch has a staff of 74 and an annual recurrent budget in the order of $20
M.

Role Purpose
The Senior Process Engineer Water and Wastewater Operations reports to the Principal Engineer
Water and Wastewater Operations. The role provides process engineering expertise, professional
and technical support to the Manager Water Operations, Principal Engineer Water and Wastewater
Operations and other officers as required. This officer will play a key role in documenting,
troubleshooting and optimising water and wastewater treatment processes and will be required to
work closely with operations teams.

Technical Criteria
Qualifications
1.

Bachelor Degree in Process or Chemical Engineering or a related field from a recognised

university with extensive relevant experience or Civil Engineering with extensive water and
wastewater treatment process experience.

2.

Registered Professional Engineer or eligibility to apply.

3.

Possession of a WH&S Competency Card for CPCCOHS1001A Work Safely in the

Construction Industry or 30215QLD Course in General Safety Induction (Construction
Industry), or a willingness to obtain this card before commencement.

4.

Possession of a current C Class Drivers Licence.

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Skills and Competence

1.

Demonstrated ability to assess the performance of treatment plants and associated

infrastructure in order to identify improvements and optimise processes.

2.

Demonstrated ability to review designs and specifications, provide solutions and high level
technical advice for water and wastewater related projects.

3.

Demonstrated ability in establishing control philosophies, process descriptions and

functional descriptions of water and wastewater treatment processes.

4.

Excellent time management skills including the ability to set outcomes and negotiate
matters on behalf of the branch or activity.

5.

High level experience in or knowledge of legislative and technical issues relating to

operation and maintenance of wastewater and/or water treatment. This would include
some or all of the following:

Wastewater treatment

Wastewater pumping operations

Bulk water supply, treatment and distribution systems

Drinking Water Management Plans (DWQMP) and HACCP processes.

Environmental management systems

6.

Experience in budget preparation and expenditure monitoring and control.

7.

Advanced investigation, decision-making and report writing skills, with excellent oral and
written communication skills.

8.

Demonstrated ability to develop and implement engineering projects or corporate programs

with limited guidance.

9.

Knowledge and experience of the implementation and maintenance of quality and risk
management systems.

10.

Knowledge of statutory legislation and regulations pertaining to the water industry and
environmental protection.

Behavioural Criteria
Successful candidates should display the following traits:
1.

Excellent customer service skills with the ability to resolve issues and provide expert advice
about complex matters in a pleasant and helpful manner consistent with organisational
goals, policy and procedures.

2.

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work with various
branches of Council.

3.

Display personal character strengths of trust, respect, integrity and fairness, and lead by
example.

4.

Demonstrated ability to lead and work cooperatively in a team environment.

5.

Commitment to continuous improvement and quality and engage in ongoing learning.

6.

Commitment to workplace health and safety in the workplace, and a commitment to the
principles of anti-discrimination and equal opportunity in the workplace.

7.

Set expectations and monitor delegated activities, with the ability to coach employees by
providing feedback and support to encourage growth.

8.

Demonstrated ability to collect appropriate data and manage by fact, and make decisions in
a consistent, objective and timely manner.

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9.

Ability to use authority appropriately to accomplish goals and promote positive, realistic
views of the organisation.

10.

Exhibits high quality professional behaviour with high priority being given to mentoring and
coaching. Ensures high level achievement against opportunities, commitments and targets.

Organisational Cultural Fit

The successful candidate will embrace and actively participate in a Water and Wastewater
Operations Section team culture which respects, recognises and values all team members for their
experience, knowledge and contributions. Where there are shortcomings in our past and current
practices, procedures and facilities, they will acknowledge them, but not seek to lay blame. Instead,
they will be focused on cooperatively moving forward, to firstly get the best possible performance
out of what we have and then strive ultimately for best practice. They will be approachable and
actively seek to pass on their own knowledge, participate in formal and informal learning and
knowledge sharing, constructively criticise and mentor team members.

Motivational Fit
The successful candidate will enjoy working with people from a range of professional, technical and
educational backgrounds, and will be committed to helping each of those people develop and
perform to the best of their personal potential. They will be committed to ongoing learning,
continuous improvement and quality management and take pride in providing customers with the
best possible service and value for money. They will embrace the principles of risk based
management and be committed to the development, implementation and maintenance of such
systems within Water Operations branch.

Career Fit
This role will suit an experienced water and wastewater professional who wishes to apply their skills
and knowledge to the challenges of understanding and optimising the operation of multiple, diverse
water and wastewater schemes in a rapidly changing technological, legislative and organisational
environment.

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