Operator Trainee - Wastewater Treatment

Company: Woodard & Curran
Location: Crossville
Posted on: February 18, 2026

Job Description:

Job Description Job Description Woodard & Curran is a national engineering, science, and operations firm with a simple vision for clean water, a safe environment, healthy communities, and happy people. As an employee-owned company, we strive to cultivate teams that encourage collaboration in an inclusive culture. We seek talented individuals from all backgrounds to help us address a broad range of water and environmental issues. We prioritize our people, offering opportunities for professional growth, ownership, and flexibility. This commitment enables us to make a meaningful impact on our clients, communities, and the planet. Woodard & Curran draws on the experience of hundreds of certified operators across the country, backed by the knowledge and skills of hundreds more engineers, scientists, and regulatory experts, to quickly tackle the most challenging operational issues and keep treatment plants running efficiently and in full compliance. Woodard & Curran also aids employees in earning, upgrading, and keeping their certifications within the industry. What would you be doing at Woodard & Curran? Woodard & Curran is growing, and we are looking to mentor and train someone who is hoping to jumpstart their career in the Industrial wastewater treatment industry! This role is based in Crossville, TN and is a great opportunity for a recent high school or college graduate, as well as someone looking for a mid-career shift. The Operator in Training regularly participates in the daily operations and maintenance of the Industrial wastewater treatment facility as directed by the Project Manager. Employees who join Woodard & Curran’s staff find a culture that is welcoming, supportive, and empowering. This role requires someone who is self-motivated who takes pride in their work and is looking to pursue a career in the wastewater treatment industry. In this role, we will provide you with the opportunity to not only give back to the environment, but to the community that you are serving in Crossville, TN. If you enjoy working outdoors protecting nature’s precious resource, water, then this position is for you. Woodard & Curran is dedicated to our employees’ growth and development and wants to help you on your career path! Responsibilities include: Monitor wastewater treatment plant processes and equipment both manually and via SCADA automation, making adjustments as necessary to control their operation. Perform water quality sampling, testing, and analysis in a laboratory environment to determine compliance with federal, state, and local regulations. Operate, maintain, control, and perform routine repair of plant equipment, including preventive maintenance duties. Utilize software programs for maintenance work orders and maintains all necessary records. Schedule: Tuesday to Tuesday 7:00pm – 5:00am working a week on and a week off. Participates in an on-call rotation on weekends, holidays and outside normal workday hours. Will be required to respond to emergency or unpredicted situations. What would you need to succeed? High school diploma or equivalent. Although not required, we encourage all of our operators to obtain a State of Tennessee wastewater treatment license, which comes with opportunities for a bonus, pay raise, and career advancement. We welcome candidates who are motivated to grow in the field and have the ability to become licensed. 1-3 years’ experience in the water treatment and distribution industry preferred but will consider other related experience. Working knowledge of the principles, procedures, methods, equipment, materials, and tools employed in the operation' and maintenance of Wastewater Treatment and Collection Systems. Basic computer skills are desirable. Knowledge or ability to learn the hazards and safety precautions involved in wastewater treatment work. Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing. Must be able to lift or move up to 40 lbs. on a regular basis. Successful candidates will be required to complete a background check, pre-placement physical and drug screen before employment. Why would you choose Woodard & Curran? You would be offered a generous total rewards package: Competitive compensation. Excellent Benefits to include retirement, generous paid time off, holidays, medical & dental insurance, flexible spending account. career growth. Support and reimbursement in earning, upgrading, and keeping your licenses and certifications within the industry. Bonus potential for obtaining next level licensure. The opportunity to become more versatile and even more technically proficient. We cross-train to improve facility operations, job satisfaction, and job security. Pay range will depend on experience and/or level of certification. Employee Support & Benefits Retirement Savings: • 401(k) Pre-tax or Roth Contributions: The company matches 100% of the first 3% of salary contributed Time away from work: • Observed holidays: Choose up to 8 holidays to observe annually • Vacation: Accrued based on years of experience and calculated on hours worked • Sick time: Paid sick time for non-work-related illness or injury. • Parental leave : Up to 80 hours of Paid Parental Leave for child bonding Coverage and support for your needs and well-being: • Disability: Paid short- and long-term disability • Health : Medical plan options; plus dental and vision plans. • Life : Basic employee group life insurance and AD&D benefits; additional voluntary life insurance for employees and families is available through Sun Life. • Wellbeing: DarioMind assistance program combined with personalized mental health and wellbeing resources. E-Verify Participation Woodard & Curran participates in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify program to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. As part of this process, we display the required Notice of E-Verify Participation and Right to Work posters. To view the Right to Work and E-Verify Posters combined posters, click here. Equal Employment Opportunity Woodard & Curran is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Individuals with Disabilities and Protected Veterans are encouraged to apply. We are committed to ensuring our employment practices are non-discriminatory and based solely on job-related factors. To read our entire Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement, click here . To view the EEOC Workplace Discrimination is Illegal poster and supplement, click here . If you have a disability and need a reasonable accommodation to apply, please contact Beth Sweitzer. Inclusion & Belonging We welcome individuals from all backgrounds to apply, as we believe that different perspectives and experiences enrich our workplace and enhance our ability to serve our clients and communities effectively. At Woodard & Curran, we are committed to fostering a respectful and inclusive work environment. We understand that the best solutions for our clients and communities come from a culture that nurtures the success and growth of all employees. As an employee-owned organization, our dedication to fostering growth, access and opportunity empowers us to serve our clients effectively and advance our mission of making a positive impact on the world. Our success is rooted in supporting our team members to reach their full potential, enabling us to deliver the most innovative, sound and effective solutions to improve our communities around us. Non-Solicitation Disclosure: Please be advised that we do not accept unsolicited resumes or candidate submissions from recruitment agencies. Any resumes or candidate profiles submitted without a signed contract in place will be considered unsolicited and will not be eligible for any referral fees. Recruitment agencies must have a valid signed agreement with our company prior to following the submission process to consider potential candidates. Text Message Communication Notice: We know your time is valuable! To keep things moving, we may send brief SMS reminders or updates during the hiring process. If you prefer not to receive texts, you can opt out by replying STOP. We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. 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Keywords: Woodard & Curran, Chattanooga , Operator Trainee - Wastewater Treatment, Engineering , Crossville, Tennessee