Salary : $105,308.00 - $202,800.00 Annually
Location : Bureau of Utilities, 8250 Old Montgomery Rd., Columbia, MD
Job Type: Full Time
Job Number: 26-00612
Department: Public Works
Division: DPW - Utilities Support
Opening Date: 09/01/2026
Closing Date: 9/22/2026 11:51 AM Eastern

POSITION SUMMARY/CLASS DESCRIPTION
POSITION SUMMARY:The Deputy Bureau Chief of Utilities position is located in Department of Public Works, Bureau of Utilities and will manage the technical and engineering aspects of the Bureau of Utilities as well as the support functions to include operational budgeting and accounting for the Utility Fund and purchasing for the Bureau. This position performs the duties of the Bureau Chief of Utilities during their absence.?

STARTING SALARY HIRING RANGE:$50.63 - $57.06/hour$105,310 - $118,681/year

*This is the anticipated starting salary range for this position. Please note that the final salary will be determined by the Office of Human Resources, commensurate with experience and aligned to ensure internal equity with similarly situated roles.*

CLASS DESCRIPTION:
Performs mid-management level and advanced engineering and/or architectural work under general supervision from an administrative or technical superior. Work involves managing the administrative, technical and budgetary affairs of a division or overseeing the activities of the Bureau of Facilities. Work includes preparing and maintaining an operating budget; projecting manpower needs, materials, and equipment; plans reviews and resolving the most difficult engineering and/or architectural design problems.
This is a Classified position, meaning that it is a part of the Howard County Classified Service upon completion of a probationary period of at least six (6) months.

*This position has been designated as "essential personnel," meaning an employee is expected to report for regular work shift during inclement weather, emergency situations, County holidays and on an on-call basis.*

This position is not telework eligible.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Leadership & Strategic Management:

• Leads decision-making, operational oversight, personnel management, emergency response, financial stewardship, and representation of the Bureau to County leadership, regulatory agencies, and external stakeholders.
• Manages personnel overseeing daily operations, inspections, budgeting, purchasing, accounting, and support activities.
• Performs special projects as needed with or without advance notice.
• Serves as Acting Bureau Chief of Utilities with full responsibility for leadership, administration, and management of the Bureau.

Asset Management & Infrastructure Planning:

• Collaborates with DPW's Enterprise Asset Manager to oversee long-range infrastructure replacement and renewal strategies.
• Guides asset condition assessment, lifecycle planning, and risk-based investment priorities to ensure reliable and sustainable water and wastewater infrastructure.
• Collaborates with the Water and Sewer Planning Division to prepare the Water and Sewer Master Plan and supports Water and Sewer capital project implementation.
• Provides leadership and oversight of customer service, meter services operations, and water and sewer system repair and maintenance activities.

Regulatory Compliance & Environmental Protection:

• Ensures adherence to EPA, MDE, OSHA, and County regulatory requirements.
• Directs implementation of the Capacity, Management, Operations, and Maintenance (CMOM) Program.
• Oversees annual Water Audit, permit compliance, regulatory reporting, and technical investigations.
• Leads corrective actions to protect public health and the environment.

Operational Technology, Cybersecurity & Digital Systems Oversight:

• Provides oversight of the Bureau's Operational Technology systems, including SCADA.
• Leads initiatives to improve system reliability, cybersecurity, digital transformation, and data integration supporting efficient and safe utility operations.

Financial Management, Budgeting & Contract Administration:

• Directs development and administration of the Operating Budget.
• Supports capital budgeting and long-range financial planning.
• Oversees procurement, purchasing, contract administration, and financial controls.
• Guides utility rate studies and cost-of-service analyses.
• Coordinates water and wastewater payments and billing between Howard County and regional utility partners.

Intergovernmental & Regional Coordination:

• Represents the Bureau in coordinating technical, operational, and financial activities with regional utilities and government partners including Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Anne Arundel County, WSSC Water, MDE, and EPA.
• Assists with negotiation, administration, and oversight of intergovernmental agreements, regional partnerships, and service contracts.

Emergency Management & Preparedness:

• Manages the Bureau's emergency response and homeland security planning programs.
• Serves as emergency personnel and may berequiredto report during inclement weather or emergent situations.

MINIMUM REQUIRED EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE
Bachelor's Degree in Engineering and six (6) years related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience

REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS, LICENSES, AND REGISTRATIONS:
State of Maryland Registered Professional Engineer and/or Maryland Licensed Architect

PREFERRED EDUCATION, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Four (4) years experience in supervising technical and support personnel in the water and sewer industry
• Bachelor's Degree in Civil, Environmental or Mechanical Engineering

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; strenuous climbing, balancing; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; talk or hear; and taste or smell.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions; moving mechanical parts; high, precarious places; outside weather conditions; extreme cold; extreme heat; risk of electrical shock; and vibration.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

LANGUAGE SKILLS, MATHEMATICAL SKILLS AND REASONING ABILITY:

• Thorough knowledge of water quality management and pollution control, wastewater and water treatment, hydrology, hydraulics, water chemistry and biology, methodologies used in projecting future demands on facilities and administrative and budget management methods and techniques.
• Skill in interpreting and analyzing engineering designs, plans and specifications as well as being able to do complex design work to include detailed specifications.
• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret common scientific and technical journals, financial reports, and legal documents.
• Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from customers, regulatory agencies, or members of the business community.
• Ability to write speeches and articles for publication that conform to prescribed style and format.
• Ability to effectively present information to top management, public groups, and/or boards of directors.
• Ability to apply advanced mathematical concepts such as exponents, logarithms, quadratic equations, and permutations.
• Ability to apply mathematical operations to such tasks as frequency distribution, determination of test reliability and validity, analysis of variance, correlation techniques, sampling theory, and factor analysis.
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
• Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

TO APPLY: You must complete an employment application online to be considered for this recruitment. Resumes cannot be substituted for completion of the job application work history. No paper applications will be accepted.

Selected candidates may be subject to drug screening, background screening, and reference checks.

At time of application, please submit a copy of any college degree, coursework, licenses, or certifications that you have referenced on your application. Applicants who have education obtained outside of the U.S. may need to provide proof of the equivalent U.S. education as determined by a foreign credential evaluation service, such as the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (http://www.naces.org) or World Education Services: International Credential Evaluation (https://www.wes.org/).

Howard County Government is not sponsoring employees in application of the H-1B Visa or providing an extension of an existing H-1B Visa. All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

The following is a summary of the benefits available to Howard County employees who hold full-time benefit-eligible positions. Employees in positions covered by a bargaining agreement should consult their union contract for other specific benefits. Additional details are also available in the Employee Manual and in summary plan descriptions which are available in the Office of Human Resources or at

FLEXIBLE BENEFITS PLAN: Under the County's flexible benefits plan called CountyFlex, employees may elect to enroll in medical insurance plans, dental insurance plans, optional life insurance, dependent life insurance, and healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts. Employee contributions to these benefits are made on a pre-tax basis. Information concerning enrollment options, plan rates and a benefits comparison chart are available in the Office of Human Resources.

GROUP TERM LIFE INSURANCE: Employees receive a group term life insurance benefit equal to 2 times their annual salary at no cost. Accidental death and dismemberment coverage is included. The County pays the entire cost for this benefit. Employees may purchase additional coverage under the CountyFlex benefits plan.
PAID LEAVE BENEFITS: Annual and Disability Leaves are accrued over 24 pay periods each year. Personal leave is credited on January 1st each year. Use of Annual, Disability and/or Personal Leave requires supervisory approval.

ANNUAL LEAVE: During the first 5 years of employment, employees accrue the equivalent of 13 days per year. From years 6 through 10, the accrual is the equivalent of 16 days per year. From years 11 through 20, the accrual is the equivalent of 19 days per year. From year 21 on, the accrual is the equivalent of 21 days per year. Annual leave may not be used during the first 6 months of employment. A maximum of 40 days may be carried over from one fiscal year to th