Assistant Director, Austin Water Customer Experience

City of Austin • Austin, TX

1d • $188,000 - $198,000

About The Position

JOIN THE CITY OF AUSTIN TEAM At the City of Austin, we are more than just an employer—we are a vibrant community dedicated to shaping one of the nation's most dynamic and innovative cities. As we strive to fulfill our commitment as public servants, it is important that we ground our efforts in a set of guiding principles – Empathy, Ethics, Excellence, Engagement, and Equity – anchors in delivering services that significantly impact the lives of Austinites. Joining the City of Austin means embarking on a purposeful career, contributing to the community, and being part of a forward-thinking organization that values every employee. What Makes the City of Austin Special? Make a Difference: Join a team driving meaningful change in one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation. Value and Innovation : Work in an environment where employees are valued and innovation thrives. Competitive Benefits: Enjoy a comprehensive compensation package that includes generous leave, work-life balance programs, and extensive benefits. Retirement Security: Plan for the future with the City of Austin Employees' Retirement System. Sustainable Transportation Options: Commute easily with access to public transit and bike-friendly infrastructure. Focus on Wellness: Stay healthy through wellness programs, on-site fitness centers, and mental health support. Career Growth: Advance your skills and expertise with professional development and leadership opportunities. Modern Workspaces: Work in innovative and sustainable environments that foster collaboration and inspiration. By joining us, you become part of a community that values its people and is committed to making Austin the most thriving and resilient city in the country. About Austin Water: For over 100 years, Austin Water has been committed to providing safe, reliable, high-quality, and affordable water services to our customers. Today, we serve over 1,000,000 people in the Austin metropolitan area, across more than 548 square miles. The utility draws water from the Colorado River into three regional water treatment plants, Handcox, Davis, and Ullrich, which have a combined capacity of 335 million gallons per day. Austin Water has two wastewater treatment plants, Walnut Creek and South Austin Regional, that can receive up to 150 million gallons per day of sewage to treat. Wastewater is cleaned into high-quality effluent that is safely returned to the Colorado River to augment environmental flows. More than a billion gallons of this high-quality effluent are reclaimed each year for outdoor irrigation, industrial cooling, manufacturing, and other uses. Job Description: Assistant Director, Austin Water Customer Experience Purpose: Under nominal direction of the Director of Austin Water (AW), this position is responsible for planning, developing, directing, and measuring all aspects of the utility’s Customer Experience (CX) Program Area, including oversight of AW’s 24/7 emergency calls and dispatch center, key account and customer account management, advanced metering operations, customer and operational data analytics, and marketing and communications.

Requirements

• Knowledge of fiscal planning and budget preparation.
• Knowledge of Local, State, and Federal water and wastewater utility regulations.
• Knowledge of City practices, policies, and procedures.
• Knowledge of technical aspects of operations and maintenance.
• Knowledge of supervisory and managerial techniques and principles.
• Skill in oral and written communications.
• Skill in handling multiple tasks and prioritizing.
• Skill in using computers and related software applications.
• Skill in managing multiple programs, projects, and tasks.
• Skill in negotiations and conflict resolution.
• Skill in analyzing complex data from various sources, synthesizing collected information, and developing sound decisions/recommendations.
• Skill in developing, reviewing, monitoring, and evaluating contracts for services and/or materials.
• Skill in development and implementation of customer facing programs.
• Skill in effectively resolving customer/citizen escalations.
• Ability to handle hostile conflict and uncertain situations.
• Ability to quickly recognize and analyze irregular events.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and programs simultaneously within approved budgets.
• Ability to quickly recognize and analyze irregular events.
• Ability to establish and maintain excellent communication and working relationships with city personnel and the public.
• Graduation with a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in a field related to Business, Communications, or Public Administration, plus six (6) years of progressively responsible management experience in a related field, including at least three (3) years of experience with a water and wastewater utility.
• Graduation with a Master’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in a related field may substitute for up to two (2) years of the required experience.

Nice To Haves

• Expertise in a water/wastewater utility or similar organization
• Incident Command experience – ability to navigate crisis situations with strong decision making
• Advanced conflict resolution and negotiation skills
• Safety expertise – ability to identify areas of opportunity to create safer working conditions.
• Customer Focused – ability to utilize customer portal for enhanced communications to end users
• Experience leading a 24/7 operation
• Change Management – ability to lead change initiatives to move the organization forward in a meaningful way
• Regulatory Framework Expertise – experience maintaining compliance in a highly regulated industry. Knowledge of local, state, and federal utility regulatory framework is highly desirable
• Experience delivering presentations to Boards, Commissions, and City Council

Responsibilities

• Oversees the Customer Services Operational Area comprised of the Customer Services division, 24-7/365 Emergency Dispatch Services, and Key Accounts. These groups are responsible for permitting of new water/wastewater connections, revenue protection and recovery, billing escalations, 24-7 high volume call center, and oversight of key account management, including Medically Vulnerable accounts.
• Oversees the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Program responsible for customer meter connections across AW’s entire service area and delivers the complete project scope.
• Oversees the AMI Water Meter Operations division, which is responsible for the strategic oversight and administration of enabling AMI software and systems designed to capture metering that supports billing and customer service activities.
• Oversees the Data Analytics division staff supporting AMI and strategic customer insights that provide the Executive Team and organizational leadership decision making real-time data.
• Oversees all AW Marketing and Communications that provide internal and external stakeholders and customers with information regarding AW’s services. This includes all AW digital platforms, including the My ATX Water customer portal and AW website, AW media and ad campaign strategies, and creative design.
• Identifies and executes improvements across the customer experience, including phone services, customer portal and engagement, key accounts, and benchmarking to JD Power surveys.
• Drives improvements in key metrics on citizen satisfaction with City services and stakeholder engagement.
• Assists in the preparation, presentation, and monitoring of departmental budget.
• Represents the department at City Council meetings, citizens groups, boards, and commissions.
• Provides support and coordination to other City departments and agencies as needed.
• Responsible for the full range of supervisory activities including selection, training, evaluation, counseling, and recommendation for dismissal.

Benefits

• Competitive Benefits: Enjoy a comprehensive compensation package that includes generous leave, work-life balance programs, and extensive benefits.
• Retirement Security: Plan for the future with the City of Austin Employees' Retirement System.
• Sustainable Transportation Options: Commute easily with access to public transit and bike-friendly infrastructure.
• Focus on Wellness: Stay healthy through wellness programs, on-site fitness centers, and mental health support.
• Career Growth: Advance your skills and expertise with professional development and leadership opportunities.
• Modern Workspaces: Work in innovative and sustainable environments that foster collaboration and inspiration.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director