Public Works Job Descriptions

Keeping parks clean is the responsibility of a department of public works.

The public works department in some cities, such as San Francisco, California, is committed to making the city a beautiful, livable and sustainable city. In other areas such as Baltimore, the mission of the public works department is to provide public service and a superior quality of life for residents and visitors. No matter the specific mission of each city, public works departments provide services that include trash collection, street cleaning and recycling.

Director

Public works directors receive directives from the city manager. This highly complex administration support given to the city manager includes the areas of engineering, water, construction, inspection and traffic and street maintenance operations. The primary functions of a public works director are to plan, develop, organize, direct, coordinate and implement short- and long-term goals of the different divisions within a public works department. More specifically, anyone in this position must complete tasks such as the selection and evaluation of personnel, resolve the difficult inquiries and complaints of citizens, preparing a budget for each department and participating in professional meetings to maintain a sense of departmental awareness.

Executive Secretary

Executive secretaries are under the direct supervision of the public works director. This position handles executive correspondence, maintain confidential records, prepare agendas and other related duties. All of the scheduling of meetings, appointments, conferences and travel of the public works director is done by the executive secretary. This job also requires the preparation of various office correspondence such as memorandum and other documents through word processing equipment and technology.

Maintenance Workers

Maintenance workers for public works department must possess a valid state driver's license and are subject to pre-employment drug screening. Anyone in this position is responsible for the maintenance of the city streets, vehicles, rights-of-way and equipment. In regards to the city streets, public works maintenance workers must ensure the working condition of traffic signs, signals and equipment according to safety regulations. The cleaning of ditches and hosing of streets are also tasks completed in this field. Machinery used in this position includes snow plows, salt spreaders, pickup and dump trucks and other motorized equipment.

Operator

Public works operators report to the appropriate crew supervisor for the specific job site. There are several functions a person in this position is responsible for that include performing manual tasks needed to maintain roads, bridges, drainage structures and road. Public works operators must also assure that the roads and previously mentioned structures are maintained with a standard of safety that makes them safe for use by the general public. Road and bridge equipment such as utility trucks, dump trucks and boom trucks must be operated. Other machinery used in this position include power tools such as grinders, welders, torches, chainsaws and concrete saws.

Supervisor

The public works supervisor reports to the public works division manager and is responsible for contributing to the management of the operation, maintenance and improvement of the infrastructure of a city. Persons in this position must supervise the public works operator. There are research requirements that include collecting field data and reviewing property damage claims, price quotes and departmental improvement budgets.

References

• City Of Eureka, Missouri: Maintenance Worker
• Riley County, Kansas: Operator
• MRSC: Supervisor

Resources

• San Francisco Department of Public Works