Utilities Engineer

Job Posting Title:

Utilities Engineer

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Hiring Department:

Utilities and Energy Management

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

Immediately

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue

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Location:

AUSTIN, TX

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Job Details:

General Notes

Who We Are

We are “the power behind UT”.

Utilities and Energy Management (UEM) provides reliable and cost-effective electricity, chilled water, steam, deionized water, compressed air, emergency power, and elevator services for The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin). We have more than 190 employees in five divisions: Electrical Distribution and Elevator Services, Energy Management and Strategic Programs; Mechanical Distribution, Operations, and Support Services.

Who We Are Looking For

We are seeking candidates who share the following core values:

Safety: Commitment to the well-being of our fellow employees, ourselves, and the campus community.

Respect: Treating everyone with fairness and dignity.

Integrity: Transparency, honesty, trust and ethics in our work and our relationships.

Reliability: Delivery of consistent, dependable, and uninterrupted services.

Teamwork: Working together through cooperation, contribution, and the sharing of our knowledge.

Excellence: Setting the highest standards through innovation, collaboration, forward-thinking, and stewardship.

You will be working for a university that is internationally recognized for our academic programs and research. Your work will make a difference in the lives of University students, faculty, and staff, thereby enhancing the experience of being a member of one of the premier institutions in the world.

If you’re the type of person that wants to know your work has meaning and impact, you’ll like working in our department and for UT Austin. UT Austin provides an outstanding benefits package including but not limited to:

• Competitive health benefits (employee premiums covered at 100%, family premiums at 50%).
• Voluntary Vision, Dental, Life, and Disability insurance options.
• Generous paid vacation, sick time, and holidays.
• Teachers Retirement System of Texas, a defined benefit retirement plan, with 8% employer matching funds.
• Additional Voluntary Retirement Programs: Tax Sheltered Annuity 403(b) and a Deferred Compensation Program  457(b).
• Flexible spending account options for medical and childcare expenses.
• Robust free training access through LinkedIn Learning plus professional conference opportunities.
• Tuition assistance.
• Expansive employee discount program including athletic tickets.
• Free access to UT Austin’s libraries and museums with staff ID card.
• Free access to all UT Shuttle and Austin CapMetro buses with staff ID card.
• For more details, please see https://hr.utexas.edu/prospective/benefits and https://hr.utexas.edu/current/services/my-total-rewards .

Learn more about Utilities and Energy Management .

Security sensitive; Certified 3-Yr Driving Record and Criminal Background Check conducted on selected applicant. Hiring decision is contingent upon applicant clearing background check and driving record requirements.

Purpose

The Utilities Engineer assumes primary responsibility for supporting all Utilities and Energy Management (UEM) working groups in an electrical or mechanical engineering capacity. The Utilities Engineer independently evaluates, selects, and applies UEM and industry standards and/or complex engineering techniques, procedures, and criteria in making adaptations and modifications to UEM systems.

Responsibilities

• System Engineering: Evaluates, troubleshoots, and reviews the operation of utility systems including but not limited to combustion gas turbines, steam turbine generators, chillers, boilers, cooling towers, and distribution systems. Analyzes controls, automation, and metered data to identify opportunities for improvements, recommend corrective actions, and optimize system performance.
• Specification Development and Design Review: Maintains, updates, and creates standard design and construction specifications and prepares design criteria as needed. Performs technical design review as a subject matter expert in the areas of mechanical or electrical engineering.
• Project Management: Manages and coordinates special utility system projects through preliminary and long-range planning, schedules, estimates, budgets, detailed final construction plans, specifications, special conditions, contracts, and agreements. Oversees project progress from design through construction and commissioning. Prepares initial, progress, and final reports.
• Field Inspections: Performs on-site investigations, conducts thorough inspections, and monitors projects to verify adherence to legal and code requirements. Reviews contractor-completed work for accuracy and recommends approval of contract changes to ensure compliance with specifications
• Cost Estimation and Reporting: Responsible for preparing cost estimates, feasibility reports, and studies. Determines project initial and long-term costs and savings and prepares life-cycle analyses. Reports findings through written reports and presentations.
• Communications Liaison: Facilitates effective communication among campus stakeholders by engaging with personnel from various departments, including administration, engineering, and construction teams. Establishes connections with external entities such as government agencies, contractors, consultants, and the public to facilitate the exchange of information, coordinate collaborative efforts, address inquiries, and provide timely responses.
• Data Analysis and Management: Updates database systems, reviews data trends, and performs data analytics using available data. Creates visuals to highlight data trends and behavior as needed to make decisions and communicate findings.
• Perform other related functions as assigned. Attend staff meetings, safety training, and meetings. Complete plant operation and maintenance training courses. Required to carry a University issued cell phone during work and on-call hours.

Required Qualifications

Graduation with a Bachelor’s degree from an ABET-accredited college or university with major course work in a field related to mechanical or electrical engineering. Five (5) years of experience in a field related to the job. Profession Engineering License Required. Ability to work independently and as part of a team. Strong technical skills. Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with multiple constituents and workforce. Ability to identify and solve problems, think critically, and create solutions. Ability to adapt to change and quickly learn new technologies and processes.

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

More than five (5) years of experience in a field related to the job. Experience with utility systems and equipment. Experience with project management and budget development. Excellent written and oral communication skills, including presentations to non-technical audiences. Project Management Professional (PMP). Certified Energy Manager (CEM). Experience with database management. Experience in building and/or utility system commissioning. Experience in the development or review of construction standards or codes. Experience in developing workflows or processes. Experience in educational, research and/or health care facilities infrastructure or systems. Experience in energy and water conservation programs.

Driving Required

This job requires a class "C" operator's driver's license. The applicant selected must provide a current three-year driving record from the current state of residence. If not currently a Texas resident, a Texas driver's license must be obtained within 30 days of becoming a Texas resident.

Salary Range

$90,000

Working Conditions
For Remote Workers:

• May work around standard office conditions
• Repetitive use of keyboard at a workstation
• Work will be performed remotely through remote connections

Environmental Demands:

• Uniforms and/or personal protection equipment (furnished)
• May work in all weather conditions
• May work in extreme temperatures
• May work around chemical fumes
• May work around standard office conditions
• May work around biohazards
• May work around chemicals
• May work around electrical and mechanical hazards

Physical Tasks:

• Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation
• Use of manual dexterity
• Climbing of stairs
• Climbing of ladders
• Lifting and moving

Additional Working Conditions:

• May be required to work in confined spaces, manholes, tunnels, elevated work, extended shifts including nights, weekends, and holidays.
• May be exposed to loud noise, high dust and allergen levels.
• May be required to lift up to 50lbs. Often required to twist, grasp, push, pull and bend.
• May be required to operate forklifts, personnel lifts and cranes. Operate job related equipment.
• May be required to perform elevated work. Occasional work from ladders and/or scaffolds.
• May require tuberculosis screening and occasional use of a respirator.
• Drive University vehicles. Maintain acceptable driver rating as established in Policy: UTS157 Section 2.5.4.
• Participate in on-call program.

Required Materials

• Resume/CV
• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer , complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form.  You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States.  Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment.  Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English) [PDF]
• E-Verify Poster (Spanish) [PDF]
• Right To Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right To Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031 .

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.