Irrigation Specialist

Duties/Pligte Essential responsibilities and duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

- Water balance management:

- Implementing the irrigation water resource management system by managing boreholes, river quotas, dam levels and any other irrigation water abstracted on all campuses;
- Managing and reporting water licenses, quotas intermediary and dam licenses to meet national and municipal codes on water restrictions and water times;
- Understanding the water balance on campus and allocating water according to water licences;
- Investigating and implementing sustainable water options that include rainwater harvesting, sump water and alternative water for irrigation on all campuses in collaboration with the grounds and gardens team.
- Operational Management:

- Operating, maintaining, and repairing existing automatic irrigation systems to run systematically according to the landscape care programme to ensure adequate moisture for all types of landscapes, recreational and sports facilities;
- Responding to any reactive work orders and needs for assistance by allocating work to internal teams or external contractors;
- Maintaining a proactive maintenance regime for all irrigation and dam infrastructure;
- Maintaining a safe work environment and performing all duties in a safe manner. Observing and adhering to all safety rules required by the OSHAct. Reporting all safety violations to management.
- Obtaining quotes for services from service providers as requested, and ordering irrigation supplies, spare parts, and equipment when not available in the FM store, as authorised, and accepting deliveries on or off campus, in compliance with SU guidelines;
- Maintaining employee relations by building effective working relationships with stakeholders through providing functional and technical direction;
- Monitoring soil probes daily, and making necessary adjustments as needed in consultation with the grounds and gardens team to ensure proper landscape development;
- Designing and assisting in planning and construction of irrigation in landscape and larger building projects;
- Auditing and managing the installation of new irrigation systems and backflow devices, and ensuring connection to centralised computer controllers;
- Checking quality of all irrigation work completed on all campuses;
- Performing preventative maintenance on all irrigation infrastructure, including river and borehole pumps on all campuses, including the farms at Mariendahl and Welgevallen;
- Monitoring and operating SU's computerised water management systems on all campuses;
- Installing and maintaining all irrigation backflow devices district-wide to avoid contamination of potable water with irrigation water;
- Recommending and assisting with prioritisation of upgrades and replacement of systems and equipment, as well as with budget preparation related to this work;
- Adjusting, repairing, and replacing all components associated with decorative floating aerator fountains, interactive and aesthetic fountains or water features;
- Managing stormwater off the buildings and rainwater collection systems, including tanks and pumps.
- Reporting:

- Reporting on the levels of all water sources, including but not limited to, dam levels, borehole levels, water abstraction from rivers, sump water, etc., on a monthly basis;
- Reporting on water balance - water used compared to water pumped at the source - on a monthly basis;
- Documenting and maintaining appropriate logs, records and inventory of systems;
- Collaborating with the sustainability team to report to the Lower Eerste River board and DWAF;
- Reporting on quality of water in dams and water sources by taking regular samples and getting these analysed;
- Identifying and reporting on possible system improvements.

Job Requirements/Pos Vereistes
- A minimum of NQF6 and five years¿ work experience in maintenance, design, installation, and operation of computer-controlled irrigation infrastructure and pump systems;
- The ability to perform maintenance duties in the inspection, repair, installation and alteration of irrigation infrastructure and pump systems;
- Demonstrating a strong knowledge of landscape and sport field maintenance;
- Knowledge of dam management, drainage and water management;
- Knowledge of environmental legislation and principles of water conservation and auditing as they relate to irrigation system installations;
- Computer literacy and knowledge of computer-based electronic irrigation systems;
- Good verbal and written communication skills required to present and exchange technical information and specifications;
- A valid driver's license for operating a motor vehicle in South Africa;
- The incumbent must meet the following physical demands to successfully perform the essential functions of this job:

- Fitness and health;
- The ability to work outside and the willingness to work in all weather conditions;
- The incumbent must meet the physical demands of this j