Maintenance Head (STP)

. Position Purpose

The STP Maintenance Head will be responsible for the overall operation, maintenance, performance, reliability, and compliance of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) across assigned sites.

The position will lead the maintenance team, ensure uninterrupted plant operation, maintain treatment efficiency, minimize breakdowns and downtime, control maintenance costs, and ensure that treated water quality meets applicable statutory and client requirements.

The role will also coordinate with clients, site teams, service engineers, vendors, contractors, and internal management to ensure smooth and efficient STP operations.

3. Key Responsibilities

A. STP Operation & Maintenance

• Take overall responsibility for the operation and maintenance of STP systems.
• Ensure continuous and reliable operation of STP equipment and processes.
• Monitor all treatment stages including:
• Screening
• Grit removal
• Equalization
• Primary treatment
• Biological treatment
• Aeration
• Secondary clarification
• Tertiary treatment
• Filtration
• Disinfection
• Sludge handling
• Monitor pumps, blowers, motors, agitators, valves, dosing systems, filters, clarifiers and other mechanical/electrical equipment.
• Ensure preventive, predictive and corrective maintenance is carried out as per schedule.
• Identify recurring equipment failures and implement permanent corrective actions.
• Maintain minimum downtime and ensure rapid breakdown response.

B. Preventive Maintenance

• Prepare and implement annual, monthly and daily preventive maintenance schedules.
• Ensure timely servicing of:
• Pumps
• Motors
• Blowers
• Gearboxes
• Mechanical screens
• Filter systems
• Dosing pumps
• Electrical panels
• MCC/PCC panels
• PLC/SCADA systems
• Sensors and instruments
• UV/chlorination systems
• Sludge dewatering equipment
• Maintain equipment history and maintenance records.
• Monitor equipment condition and recommend replacement before major failure.
• Maintain critical spare-parts inventory.

C. Electrical & Instrumentation

• Coordinate with electrical and instrumentation teams for STP-related systems.
• Ensure proper functioning of MCC, PCC, control panels, VFDs, PLCs and automation systems.
• Monitor electrical consumption and identify opportunities for energy savings.
• Ensure calibration and proper functioning of online sensors and instruments.
• Troubleshoot automation, PLC, SCADA and communication-related issues.
• Coordinate with automation teams for system modifications and upgrades.

D. Process Performance & Water Quality

• Monitor STP process parameters and plant performance.
• Ensure treated water quality is maintained as per applicable standards and client requirements.
• Monitor parameters such as:
• pH
• TSS
• BOD
• COD
• DO
• MLSS
• MLVSS
• Ammonia
• Turbidity
• ORP
• Chlorine
• Flow
• Analyze laboratory and online monitoring data.
• Identify deviations in treated-water quality and take immediate corrective action.
• Optimize biological treatment processes, aeration and chemical dosing.

E. Compliance & Documentation

• Ensure compliance with applicable environmental regulations and consent conditions.
• Maintain STP operation and maintenance records.
• Ensure proper documentation of:
• Daily log sheets
• Equipment maintenance
• Breakdown reports
• Chemical consumption
• Energy consumption
• Sludge generation
• Water quality reports
• Calibration records
• Preventive maintenance reports
• Coordinate with internal and external laboratories for water-quality testing.
• Support environmental audits, client inspections and statutory inspections.

F. Team Management

• Lead and supervise STP operators, technicians, electricians, mechanical technicians and service engineers.
• Prepare manpower deployment and shift schedules.
• Train operators on STP operation, safety and troubleshooting.
• Conduct regular performance reviews of site maintenance teams.
• Ensure proper discipline and adherence to SOPs.
• Develop a technically capable maintenance team.

G. Breakdown & Troubleshooting

• Take ownership of major STP breakdowns.
• Lead root-cause analysis (RCA) for recurring failures.
• Develop corrective and preventive action plans.
• Coordinate emergency maintenance activities.
• Ensure availability of critical spares and backup equipment.
• Escalate major technical issues to management with recommended solutions and estimated costs.

H. Vendor & Contractor Management

• Coordinate with equipment manufacturers, OEMs and maintenance contractors.
• Evaluate vendor performance and service quality.
• Obtain technical quotations for major repair/replacement requirements.
• Coordinate equipment servicing and AMC activities.
• Verify work completion and ensure quality of contractor work.
• Maintain a database of approved vendors and critical equipment suppliers.

I. Energy & Cost Optimization

• Monitor electricity consumption of STP plants.
• Identify high-energy-consuming equipment.
• Optimize blower operation, pump operation and aeration systems.
• Implement VFD/automation-based energy-saving opportunities.
• Control chemical, spare-parts and maintenance costs.
• Prepare monthly cost and consumption reports.

J. Automation & Digital Monitoring

• Work closely with automation/IoT teams for STP monitoring and remote operation.
• Ensure proper functioning of PLC/SCADA/IoT-based monitoring systems.
• Monitor real-time plant parameters and alarms.
• Support implementation of remote monitoring and automated reporting systems.
• Identify opportunities for predictive maintenance and condition monitoring.
• Use operational data to improve plant efficiency and reduce breakdowns.

4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

The STP Maintenance Head will be evaluated based on:

KPI

Performance Area

STP Uptime

Maintain high plant availability

Breakdown Frequency

Minimize repeated equipment failures

MTTR

Reduce mean time to repair

Preventive Maintenance Compliance

Complete scheduled PM on time

Treated Water Quality

Maintain required treatment standards

Energy Consumption

Reduce kWh per KL treated

Chemical Consumption

Optimize chemical usage

Maintenance Cost

Control O&M expenditure

Critical Spare Availability

Ensure availability of essential spares

Equipment Reliability

Improve MTBF

Safety Compliance

Zero major safety incidents

Client Satisfaction

Maintain positive client feedback

Documentation

100% timely maintenance and operational reporting

Team Productivity

Effective manpower utilization

5. Required Technical Knowledge

The candidate should have strong practical knowledge of:

• STP process design and operation
• Biological wastewater treatment
• MBBR / SBR / MBR / ASP / tertiary treatment systems
• Pumps and pumping systems
• Blowers and aeration systems
• Motors and gearboxes
• Dosing systems
• Filtration systems
• Sludge handling and dewatering
• Electrical panels and MCC/PCC
• VFDs
• PLC and SCADA
• Online water-quality monitoring instruments
• Preventive and predictive maintenance
• Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
• SOP and preventive maintenance systems
• Environmental compliance requirements
• Water and wastewater testing parameters

6. Education & Experience

Education

Mandatory:

• Diploma / B.E. / B.Tech. in Mechanical, Electrical, Environmental, Chemical Engineering or related field.

Experience

• 712 years of relevant experience in STP/ETP/wastewater treatment plant operations and maintenance.
• Experience managing multiple STP sites will be preferred.
• Experience in residential, commercial, industrial or municipal STP projects will be an advantage.
• Candidates with strong hands-on troubleshooting experience will be preferred.

7. Required Skills

Technical Skills

• Strong STP troubleshooting skills
• Mechanical maintenance
• Electrical maintenance coordination
• Process optimization
• Pump/blower troubleshooting
• PLC/SCADA understanding
• Preventive maintenance planning
• Equipment condition monitoring
• Water-quality monitoring
• Energy optimization
• Vendor management

Management Skills

• Team leadership
• Site management
• Client handling
• Problem solving
• Decision making
• Planning and coordination
• Cost control
• Reporting and documentation
• Time management

Software Skills

• MS Excel
• MS Word
• PowerPoint
• Maintenance management software/CMMS
• Basic PLC/SCADA monitoring
• Dashboard/IoT monitoring platforms

8. Desired Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate should be:

• Highly hands-on and technically strong.
• Capable of independently managing STP maintenance activities.
• Strong in troubleshooting mechanical, electrical and process-related problems.
• Comfortable managing site teams and multiple projects.
• Good at client communication and technical reporting.
• Result-oriented and capable of working under pressure.
• Willing to travel to different project sites whenever required.
• Focused on plant uptime, water quality, safety and cost optimization.

9. Authority & Decision-Making

The STP Maintenance Head will have authority to:

• Allocate maintenance manpower.
• Plan preventive maintenance activities.
• Recommend equipment replacement.
• Initiate emergency breakdown maintenance.
• Recommend purchase of critical spares.
• Coordinate with vendors and service contractors.
• Stop unsafe maintenance/operation activities.
• Escalate major technical and financial issues to management.
• Recommend process and automation improvements.

10. Reporting

The STP Maintenance Head will submit:

• Daily plant performance reports
• Weekly maintenance reports
• Monthly O&M performance reports
• Preventive maintenance compliance reports
• Breakdown and RCA reports
• Equipment health reports
• Energy consumption reports
• Chemical consumption reports
• Spare-parts requirement reports
• Water-quality performance reports
• Manpower utilization reports

Client complaint and resolution reports