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Job Description
Description
Career Opportunity
The Utilities department is looking for a candidate with strong mechanical and welding skills to repair, maintain and fabricate construction equipment and tools used by the Water Gas Wastewater Operations. This role will inspect, operate and maintain water and gas distribution valves to ensure operation during emergencies and daily use, weld on gas distribution systems, mechanical units, and various tools and parts. Additional responsibilities will be to record maintenance and inspection of gas distribution valves in accordance with Federal Department of Transportation Regulations.
Ideal Candidate- Strong mechanical skills. Repair and service small engines and various tools and equipment.
- Ability to fabricate custom parts, tools and equipment.
- Welding experience with Metal Inert Gas (MIG) Welding, Shielded Metal Arc (SMAW) Welding and Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding.
- The ability to understand and interpret engineering drawings used for fabrication and pressure and vacuum gauges.
- Knowledge of safe work practices and comply with safety regulations according to Federal, State and City Policies.
- 6:30am - 4:00pm, 9/80 schedule, every other Friday off
- Willing to work overtime or on-call 4-8 hours per week for emergency repairs;
- work weekends occasionally;
- work in different locations;
- travel locally and out-of-town to pick up parts and attend training;
- attend meetings during work for work assignments and safety meetings
Essential Duties- Inspects, repairs and maintains equipment used in performing operation, maintenance and construction activities, including air relief valves, water-gas valves and fire hydrants.
- Troubleshoots electrical/mechanical malfunctions on items such as pumps, motors, compressors and electric lighting circuits/controls via functional test, visual inspection and other tests and checks to identify cause and action needed.
- Visually and mechanically inspects, cleans and orders all parts needed during overhaul.
- Rebuilds and reassembles units and checks operation and tolerances as necessary as units are redone.
- Functionally checks mechanical and/or electrical functions of newly installed units after properly setting controls by cycling equipment through proper sequences while visually/mechanically checking functions.
- Manufactures as necessary such things as plumbing, connectors, feed lines, brackets, shafts, tools, wood blocks, boxes and supports.
When assigned to Water-Gas-Wastewater:- Inspects, services and maintains: gasoline powered generators; 2-cycle, gasoline and diesel engine vibration plates; hydraulically-operated equipment; pneumatic tools; concrete saws.
- Inspects, maintains and calibrates confined entry space monitoring equipment monthly and maintains inspection log for CalOSHA.
- Measures, cuts and threads pipe for shop and field crews.
- Orders and maintains shop inventory of parts, tools and equipment required for day-to-day and emergency use.
See full job description, here.
Minimum Qualifications- Possession of a valid California Driver's License.
- Completion of 12th grade
and- 2 years experience in related shop practices.
Special Requirements:- work with dangerous substances such as methane, H2S, thinner;
- provide own safety shoes;
- wear safety gear.
For Water-Gas-Wastewater:- Ability to pass drug test as mandated by the Department of Transportation anti-drug program.
- Must become certified to weld on natural gas lines within the first six months of employment and continue certification yearly.
Supplemental Information
This position is represented by Service Employee International Union (SEIU).
The City of Palo Alto is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City will provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.
The Selection Process- More than one position may be filled through this posting.
- Recruitment status notifications will be sent via email or text (please enroll in text alerts when applying).
- Updates can also be found on your governmentjobs.com account.
- Applicants will be screened throughout the posting process and highly qualified candidates may be invited to interview at any time.
- The screening process for this position may include a virtual recorded interview and/or panel interviews preceding final interviews with the hiring manager or their designee.
- Our online application system is provided by NeoGov. If you have problems while applying online, please contact NeoGov's Live Applicant Support at (855) 524-5627 between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM Pacific Time, Monday - Friday.
See our Benefits at a Glance Bookletfor more details.
Learn more about our Memorandum of Agreements (MOAs) between the City and its bargaining units, by clicking HERE.
Closing Date/Time: 3/1/2026 11:59 PM Pacific -
ABOUT THE COMPANY
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City of Palo Alto
Show moreThe Community
The birthplace of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto, is a community of approximately 68,000 residents and nearly 100,000 jobs. Located on the mid-Peninsula between San Francisco and San Jose, Palo Alto is recognized worldwide as a leader in cutting-edge technology, medicine, and green innovation. The community's treelined streets and historic buildings reflect its California heritage, and, at the same time, many world-class businesses maintain or started offices here, such as Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Amazon, Broadcom, Hewlett-Packard, Houzz, Rivian, SAP and SAP Ariba, Tesla, and Varian Medical Systems. Numerous start-ups are also at home in Palo Alto, arguably making it the start-up capital of the world. Stanford University is foundational to the history and prestige of Palo Alto, reflected in the community's dedication to lifelong learning. Stanford's cultural and educational offerings are integral to the vibrancy and charm of Palo Alto, while the City's exceptional K-12 school district ranks among the top public-school systems in the country. With more than 50% of adult residents holding a graduate degree or higher, Palo Alto is frequently listed as one of the most educated cities in the nation. Palo Alto boasts a genuine sense of community and an active citizenry with strong environmental values. Beautiful neighborhoods are complemented by vibrant commercial corridors and a bustling economy featuring premium shopping and dining options. Excellent healthcare facilities, performing arts, and diverse recreational opportunities are some of the community's incredibly desirable and cherished amenities. To learn more, visit https://www.paloalto.gov/Departments/City-Manager/Latest-NewsCity Government
Palo Alto is a full-service charter city with a council-manager form of government. The seven-member City Council is elected at large, and the City Council annually selects the Mayor and Vice Mayor from among its members. The Mayor and City Council appoint the City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk, and City Auditor. The City Manager is responsible for the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of the City. Palo Alto is organized into 15 departments/offices with 1,093.10 authorized positions in FY 2025. There is also a FY 2025 capital budget of $316.2 million. Palo Alto owns and operates its own utilities, including electricity (carbon-neutral), gas, water, wastewater, and an expanding fiber network. This dynamic municipal environment ensures an ever-engaging platform for unique problem-solving and advances new initiatives, including sustainability, broadband, and effective service delivery. Community assets also include five libraries, 36 parks, five community centers, a museum and zoo, youth centers, a general aviation airport, an 18-hole golf course, a regional water treatment plant, and wildland open space preserves at the San Francisco Bay and in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains offering 41 miles of walking/biking trails in addition to its police, fire, and ambulance services. Palo Alto has long been a leader in sustainability, and the City's ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals are part of what sets it apart. Since the City's first Climate Protection Plan was passed in 2007, Palo Alto has set goals that exceed State and Federal targets. Today, the City's goal to reduce emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2030 (the "80x30" goal) and achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 guides sustainability efforts. An award-winning City, Palo Alto is recognized nationally as innovative and well-managed. City services and performance also receive impressive marks from community members in the Palo Alto Community Survey.
Many of those ratings put City programs and services in the highest percentiles among the hundreds of benchmark cities. Palo Alto makes decisions through comprehensive processes and proactively seeks to involve its extremely informed, educated, and engaged residents. Projects are naturally a cooperative effort among the City Council, Boards, Commissions, Committees, engaged residents, neighborhoods, businesses, property owners, and staff.
Join an Award Winning Team
Palo Alto is an award-winning City recognized nationwide as innovative and well-managed. Palo Alto is one of a small number of California cities with a AAA bond rating. Recently, Palo Alto became one of the most livable cities in the U.S. by Livability.com. It's the only city to receive the Platinum Beacon Award in sustainability best practices by California’s Institute for Local Government. We offer a variety of career paths that relate to building and improving communities. The City has fourteen departments employing 1,000 full-time staff. Police officers, fire fighters, paramedics, and building inspectors keep us safe. Engineers and public works staff build and re-build the physical infrastructure. City planners help envision and shape future community growth. Recreation, arts and library professionals enhance community life. Utilities provides electric, gas, water, sewer and other services. Internal services departments help manage, staff, and protect the City.
Want to learn more about our benefits? Learn more by reviewing our "Benefits at a Glance Booklet."
Contact Us
Phone: 650-329-2376
Email: Recruit@paloalto.gov
Location: City Hall, 1st Floor | 250 Hamilton Ave 94301 | View Map
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