River Skimmer Captain

Veolia in North America is the top-ranked environmental company in the United States for three consecutive years, and the country’s largest private water operator and technology provider as well as hazardous waste and pollution treatment leader. It offers a full spectrum of water, waste, and energy management services, including water and wastewater treatment, commercial and hazardous waste collection and disposal, energy consulting and resource recovery. Veolia helps commercial, industrial, healthcare, higher education and municipality customers throughout North America. Headquartered in Boston, Veolia has more than 10,000 employees working at more than 350 locations across North America.

Position Purpose: 

This position is created under the requirements of the River Skimming Program Operations and Maintenance agreement between Veolia and the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD). This agreement requires that Veolia provide a certified captain for the District’s river skimming vessel.

This is a seasonal, hourly paid position of approximately 1000 hours between April and November. The position will require some scheduled weekend work and other weekly hours may vary depending on weather conditions and situations that occur that affect the The river skimmer boat captain is responsible for the safe and effective operation of the MMSD vessel for the collection of floating debris from the Milwaukee, Menomonee and Kinnickinnic River, the Burnham Shipping Canal, and Milwaukee Estuary as well as areas of the Inner Harbor, as defined in the River Skimmer Agreement with the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage. The position includes the day to day supervision of the crew contracted to staff the boat.  

Primary Duties/Responsibilities: 

• Legal and safe operation of the river skimmer boat at all times.
• Maintenance of a safe work environment on the boat for the crew and enforcement of safety procedures.
• Delivery of a daily morning safety briefing.
• Providing knowledge and training  to the crew about rocks, shoals, winds and currents that could damage the boat’s equipment or capsize the boat if not handled properly.
• Development of a logistical schedule to carry out the services agreed to in the contract.
• Ensuring that Veolia’s contract agreement with MMSD in regards to quality standards for debris removal on the included waterways are met.
• Ensuring proper disposal of the collected debris as indicated in the contract agreement.
• Providing routine maintenance of the boat and promptly reporting of any more major maintenance or repair needs to the Conveyance Dept Manager
• Promptly reporting any performance problems of crew members to their direct supervisor.

Work Environment:

• This work is performed regularly performed in an outside environment, including in inclement weather.
• The noise level for this environment is moderate.   

Education/Experience/Background: 

• High School Diploma/GED is required.
• At least 3 years of experience operating a small vessel on rivers and inner harbor areas in the Milwaukee area under varied weather conditions.
• Experience in crew supervision and training.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities: 

• Skills in safe operations of  a trash collection boat under conditions found in the Milwaukee area rivers, estuary, and inner harbor areas.
• Skills in operating the boat under both normal and unusual weather conditions and river conditions.
• Skills in responding to emergency situations in terms of crew injury, or boat operations.
• Skills in day to day supervision and  training  of boat crew members.
• Skills in logistical planning for effective scheduling of the boat operations.
• Willingness to work the assigned hours including on weekends as required.

Required Certification/Licenses/Training: 

• Courses in boat operations sufficient to obtain and maintain the required licenses and certifications indicated below
• Possession of the Merchant Mariner Credential (25 ton or larger)       
• Possession of Transportation Workers Identification Credential (TWIC card)

Physical Requirements:

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee will frequently be required to stand, talk, hear, operate a variety of mechanical and electrical equipment, and lift objects up to 50 pounds and heavier objects with mechanical assistance.

Benefits: Veolia’s comprehensive benefits package includes paid time off policies, as well as health, dental, vision, life insurance, savings accounts, tuition reimbursement, paid volunteering and more. In addition, employees are also entitled to participate in an employer sponsored 401(k) plan, to save for retirement.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer! All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

Disclaimer: The salary, other compensation, and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. The Company reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.