Job description

Job Title: Ditch Technician

Department: Surveyor’s Office

Reports To: Surveyor

FLSA Status: Nonexempt

Principal Function: The Ditch Technician is responsible for managing all aspects of ditch and drainage needs within the County.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: Duties include, but are not limited to:

1. Maintains tiles and open ditches, locations of cornerstones, and surveys open drains and tiles.

2. Organizes and manages projects with contractors to ensure they remain on time and within budget.

3. Operates heavy equipment to dig ditches. Removes log jams and brush in legal ditches when needed for water flow or for erosion control.

4. Repairs broken tile for 8” - 36” drains. Replaces broken tile with plastic tile as needed for 2’ holes and longer stretches.

5. Probes legal located tile for office projects.

6. Digs and repairs tiles utilizing shovels and backhoes for depths between 1’ – 12’ deep.

7. Evaluates tile and probes for the County and in combination with the Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) joint for soil and water projects.

8. Replaces catch basins for surface water and stand-up pipes.

9. Communicates with utilities (gas, power, cable, etc.) when working close to roads and in fields within right-of-way.

10. Maintains cornerstones on County roads and state highways for property boundaries and geographic locations for Surveyors and landowners.

11. Removes and drives stakes and number signs on witness posts.

12. Digs landmarks or cornerstones as needed. Measures distance of landmarks to signs or witness posts and records on witness post and office records.

13. Services and maintains equipment, i.e. backhoe, dump truck, trailer, chain saw, etc. that are used on projects.

14. Provides stakes, flags for the placement of hubs and grade references for county reconstruction projects.

15. Orders tile for repair projects, picks-up and delivers to the job sites.

16. Utilizes laser equipment on repair projects to keep the tile on grade.

17. Completes administrative duties to include: attending meetings, reviewing statistics and reports, completing work orders when the job has been completed, approving invoices, answering inquiries, etc., as needed.

18. Maintains an effective communication process with the Surveyor and other Office employees.

Supervisory Responsibilities: Supervises the Ditch Technician’s Assistant within the Surveyor’s Office who are engaged in the investigative process. Employee carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; scheduling and approving time worked; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.

Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty according to the requirements of the organization. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties and responsibilities.

County-related Competencies: To perform this job successfully, all employees working in the County should demonstrate the following competencies:

• Attendance/Punctuality/Dependability - Is consistently at work and on time; Ensures work responsibilities are covered when absent; Arrives at meetings and appointments on time; Follows instructions, responds to management direction; Takes responsibility for own actions; Keeps commitments; Commits to long hours of work when necessary to reach goals; Completes tasks on time or notifies appropriate person with an alternate plan.
• Citizen Service - Manages difficult or emotional Citizen situations; Responds promptly to Citizen needs; Solicits Citizen feedback to improve service; Responds to requests for service and assistance; Meets commitments.
• Professionalism/Teamwork/Interpersonal Skills -Approaches others in a tactful manner; Reacts well under pressure; Treats others with respect and consideration regardless of their status or position; Balances team and individual responsibilities; Exhibits objectivity and openness to others' views and tries new things; Gives and welcomes feedback; Contributes to building a positive team spirit; Puts success of team above own interests; Able to build morale and group commitments to goals and objectives; Supports everyone's efforts to succeed; Focuses on solving conflict, not blaming; Maintains confidentiality.
• Oral and Written Communication – Speaks clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations; Listens to others without interrupting; Keeps emotions under control; Writes clearly and informatively; Edits work for spelling and grammar; Varies writing style to meet needs; Presents numerical data effectively; Able to read and interpret written information.
• Organizational Support - Follows policies and procedures; Completes administrative tasks correctly and on time; Supports organization's goals and values; Benefits organization through outside activities; Supports affirmative action and respects diversity.

Job-related Competencies – To perform this job successfully, employees in this job should demonstrate the following competencies:

· Problem Solving – Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner; Gathers and analyzes information skillfully; Develops alternative solutions; Works well in group problem solving situations; Uses reason even when dealing with emotional topics.

· Adaptability - Adapts to changes in the work environment; Manages competing demands; changes approach or method to best fit the situation; Able to deal with frequent change, delays or unexpected events.

· Judgment - Displays willingness to make decisions; Exhibits sound and accurate judgment; supports and explains reasoning for decisions; Includes appropriate people in decision- making process; Makes timely decisions.

• Safety and Security - Observes safety and security procedures; Determines appropriate action beyond guidelines; Reports potentially unsafe conditions; Uses equipment and materials properly.

Education and/or Experience: High school diploma or general education degree (GED); and one-year related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience. Class A or Class B Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) with airbrake endorsement on manual transmission is required prior to the start of employment with the County. Certifications to include: Core (Spray), Septic (identification of systems to ensure damage-free), and Pipeline Safety are required. Previous Ditch Technician experience is desired.

Other Skills and Abilities: The following skills and abilities are either required or desired.

· Computer software skills desired include: Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel, geographic information systems (GIS) software.

· Provides on-call coverage to ensure 24/7/365 service availability, as required.

· The knowledge and ability on how to complete preventative maintenance, repairs, and adjustments to the pick-up truck, dump truck, backhoe, excavator, and bulldozer to include: changing the oil, maintaining lights, changing fuel and air filters, turn signals and brake lights, etc. is required.

· The ability to operate heavy equipment to include the dump truck, backhoe, excavator, and bulldozer is required.

· A working knowledge of the use of attachments to any equipment in a safe and efficient manner is required.

· The ability to operate and maintain hand tools to include laser equipment, shovels, rakes, hammers, tile saws, chain saws, etc. is required.

· The knowledge of land use as it relates to drainage and watersheds is required.

· The ability to communicate and work with contractors and landowners is required.

· The ability to read and understand geographical maps, find locations and watersheds is required.

· The ability to adapt to work plans as they are affected by weather conditions in a timely manner in order to achieve quality results is required.

· The ability to work with other County departments to resolve citizen issues is required.

• The ability to attend meetings and seminars as requested is required.
• The ability to operate a computer, printer, copy machine, scanner, fax machine, and other office equipment is desired.
• The ability to speak, read and write in English is required. Spanish is desired.

Physical Demands: 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 duties and responsibilities.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; talk or hear; and lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. The employee is occasionally required to stand; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; taste or smell; and lift and/or move more than 100 pounds with the use of an assistive device.

Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision (clear vision at 20 inches or less), distance vision (clear vision at 20 feet or more), color vision (ability to identify and distinguish colors), peripheral vision (ability to observe an area that can be seen up and down or to the left and right while eyes are fixed on a given point), depth perception (three-dimensional vision, ability to judge distances and spatial relationships), and the ability to adjust focus (ability to adjust the eye to bring an object into sharp focus).

Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties and responsibilities.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee regularly is exposed to work near moving mechanical parts; and outdoor weather conditions. The employee is frequently exposed to wet or humid conditions (non-weather); fumes or airborne particles; extreme cold (non-weather); extreme heat (non-weather); and vibration. The employee is occasionally exposed to toxic or caustic chemicals. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate to loud.

The appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) must be worn on the job at all times in accordance with the department’s standard operating procedures (SOPs) to include: work boots, hard hats, safety goggles, gloves, protective clothing, and high visibility vest.

While the offices of Adams County are usually open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, this position may require work beyond these hours and on the weekends. It also requires the ability to drive a County vehicle and to operate heavy machinery. Thus, a valid Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) is required.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $19.75 per hour

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Monday to Friday
• No weekends

Work setting:

• In-person
• Outdoor work

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Decatur, IN 46733: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Preferred)

License/Certification:

• CDL (Preferred)

Work Location: One location

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