1. Employment Profile: What exactly does a System Manager do? |
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 What field is your job in?
I am the manager of a small public water supply
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What is your job title?
System Manager
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Please provide a brief description of the firm or organization that you currently work for
(size and general description of what type of organization it is)
Kittson-Marshall Rural Water is a public water supply paid for by the customers. We are a public/non-profit/cooperative that provides safe, potable drinking water to small communties and farms. We have about 450 miles of water pipeline serving 400 customers. A customer is a small village or a small farm, each counting the same. Approximately 2500 people get their drinking water from us. The system is paid for by a tax assessed to the users, who own the system and is overseen by a Board of Directors. I have been the manager of the system for the past 19 years and I am responsible for every aspect of the business. I report directly to the Board President. We have 5 full time employees and many contractors that do our daily work.
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How long have you been employed in this position?
19 years on September 1, 2007
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How many hours do you work a week on average?
40-50
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Please provide a BRIEF description of your duties and responsibilities. (job description)
Hire and fire, customer service and PR, billing and accounting, I oversee the day to day operations and make all decisions concerning spending and hiring contractors. I am responsible for every aspect of the business as if it was my own business.
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What was your gross income last year? Please include any bonuses or incentives received.
$67000.00
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What is your expected gross income for this year? Please include any bonuses or incentives you expect to receive.
70000
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Please
list any benefits you have (Please include number of weeks vacation,
sick leave and type of health insurance, retirement plan 401k)
full paid health and life insurance, company paid $3000.00 flex plan, company paid retirement plan, company vehicle and cell phone, 20 paid days of vacation a year, 20 paid days of sick leave a year.
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Do you feel you are under/well/over compensated at your current position?
I feel that I am finally compensated at the right level.
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2. Work environment! |
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Does
your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this
something you like/dislike about your job? Explain
I am the manager of the business office and spend about 1/4 of my time in the office supervising 1 full time clerical worker. The other 3/4 of my time are spent "in the field", either supervising 3 operations workers, or supervising contractors which we hire to do maintenance. I enjoy working with my employees and have a good relationship with all of them. I do what they do along side them on a daily basis.
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Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
No
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Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
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Describe
your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what
you like/dislike about working in it
I have an office located in the small town of Donaldson, MN and I have leased half of our building to the U.S. Postal Service. I dislike having the Post Office in my building because we have so many people coming in and out and it is distracting. We also have three different treatment plants and locations are out in the country. I wish my office was at the main treatment plant so that I could better monitor operations. I like the aspect of my job that lets me "roam" from location to location and I am not tied to one office all day long.
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Please rank in order of importance from 1-8 (1- most important 8- least important) Assign each number once.
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5 Income
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4 Work Environment - co-workers
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3 Work Environment - supervisors
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6 Benefits
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7 Hours
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2 Level of responsibility
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1 The actual "work" you do at your job
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8 Job Title
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3. How should someone new to the workforce get a J-O-B like yours? |
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If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Go to school. I came to my job with absolutely no experience except that which I attained in the military. I am constantly going to classes and school for continuing education. Also getting on-the-job training is so important in our business, so getting a position and working on the job is very important. The main key to getting a job in the first place is having a good interview. I will not hire someone who does not interview well.
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What
skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a
position like yours? Please be specific and explain why (e.g., social
skills, organization skills, technical skills)
Good people skills are so important because we deal with the public every day. As a cooperative, we work for every customer, so how they see us is very important. A good technical skill in our job is mathematics. You cannot do this job without good math skills. Also, being a rural business, good organizational skills are important because we travel from location to location and it is expensive if you forget the things you need to do your job if you have to travel back and forth for equipment, etc.
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Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
When I started this job, you could do it and learn as you went. Now, you need some formal education because we deal with state and federal regulations on a daily basis and a mistake could cost someone their lives.
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What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Pay attention. Dont try to run this business but watch and learn from those you work with every day. I am the manager of this business and have been so for 19 years but I am constantly learning new things from my own employees who have less years of experience.
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