Leakage Detection Operative

Grade and Salary Grade G (€30,917 - €46,375)

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

The Leakage Detection sub-area is responsible for leakage detection supported by the Water Leakage Analysis and Water Conservation & Network Planning teams within the Asset Management function. The fix element of Leakage will be undertaken by internal resources in the Water Network M&R team and supplemented by third party / contractors as required. 

Reporting to the Leakage Detection Team Lead, the Leakage Detection Operative is responsible for monitoring Uisce Éireann pipe infrastructure using specialised equipment to measure water pressure and flow, detecting leaks in the network, and escalating these to the Team Lead. 

We are currently recruiting roles nationwide, across our regions. A panel will be put in place for vacancies that arise in the next 12 months.

Night time working may be required in line with operational requirements in addition to working overtime as required.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

• Monitor and detect leakage across the water network
• Work with specialised monitoring equipment to measure water flow and pressure across water network in assigned region
• Responsible for isolating and re-commissioning sections of the distribution network in a controlled manner so as to not adversely impact the network (alongside Water Network Operations teams) and carry out step testing and zero pressure testing activities
• Escalate detected leakages immediately to Team Lead to facilitate early intervention by Maintenance and Repair teams
• Contribute to the team’s performance culture
• Support the execution of leakage sweeps and surveys by Leak Detection Senior Operatives and Team Leads 
• Develop, promote and improve understanding of systems (Maximo and LMS) and processes for OLM
• Assist with the maintenance of District Metered Areas (DMAs) pro-actively monitoring and checking their integrity and operability
• Assist in streamlining information sharing and progress reporting on issues affecting OLM
• Carry out duties according to regional leakage detection plans
• Participate in out of hours and standby working as required
• Champion the culture of continuous improvement, cost efficiency and quality, challenging and developing solutions for improvements to existing operational practices and systems and adopting industry best practice
• Understand objectives set by regional managers and review and monitor individual performance 
• Responsible for fully using handheld technology provided and carrying out associated training of this technology. Responsible for adopting and fully using any new technology and carrying out associated training of this technology
• Develop effective working relationships within the region
• Support the Customer Operations function in the resolution of customer enquiries and/or issues
• Responsible for collaborating and liaising with third parties/contractors employed in water conservation activities within the region as required
• Responsible for carrying out any other duties deemed necessary and / or required, which the Leakage Detection Team Lead may reasonably request

Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

• Secondary level education or equivalent work experience 
• A minimum of 1 years' experience relevant experience in a similar role in the water, utilities or similar industries would be an advantage 
• We keep each other safe - experience and understanding of working within a strong health & safety culture
• Proactive, with ability to work on own initiative and with others to ensure success in the performance of a team
• Proven effective time management skills with the ability to prioritise and remain focussed
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to convey messages in a clear and concise manner
• We work better together - proven ability to create and develop good working relationships to facilitate the accomplishment of work goals, coupled with the ability to gain commitment from others 
• Experience working in outdoor environments
• Ability to set up ongoing processes and procedures to collect and review information
• Flexible with regard to working in a changing environment and the ability to adjust to new work structures, processes and requirements as necessary
• We aim high - proactively identifying new areas of learning and using newly gained knowledge and skills on the job
• Striving for quality and ensuring consistent high standards of work
• Strong Computer skills with a proficient working knowledge of MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
• Basic knowledge of network management 
• Ability to use monitoring and record-keeping IT equipment and interpret data and network drawings (GIS/Geo field) in order to analyse and investigate areas of potential interest in the network
• Full, clean and valid Irish category B driving licence is minimum requirement. Additional Driving License categories an advantage. 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)..

*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.

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