DC Water
Customer Advocate - (26-OMAC-103000-057)
🇺🇸Washington, District of Columbia, United States22 days ago
SeniorFull TimeEN
The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the major duties, locations, and responsibilities performed by incumbent(s) in this job. Incumbent(s) may not be required to perform all duties in this description, and incumbent(s) may be required to perform work-related tasks other than those specifically listed in this description. This job description is not a “contract” between the employee and the Authority. The job duties and essential functions may be changed at the discretion of the General Manager.
Job Title:
Customer Advocate
Job Code:
OA0453
Supervises Directly:
No
New or Revised:
Revised
Regular or At-Will:
At-Will
Date:
01/08/26
Exempt or Non-Exempt:
Exempt
Compensation Approval Signature:
Union/ Non-Union:
Non-Union
Department
Division
Marketing and Communications-Central Administration.
Administration
Salary Schedule:
Executive Grade
Cost Center Code:
103000
Grade:
ESSA
Essential Position:
Yes
Reports To:
Director, Community Affairs
EEO Code:
Officials and Administrators
Work Format
Hybrid
At DC Water, we provide more than 700,000 District of Columbia residents and 24.6 million annual visitors with essential water, wastewater, and stormwater services. DC Water also provides wholesale wastewater treatment services for 1.8 million people in Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland, and Fairfax and Loudoun counties in Virginia. We aspire to be known for superior service, ingenuity, and stewardship to advance the health and well-being of our diverse workforce and communities. To achieve this vision, we commit to our shared mission every day—exceeding expectations by providing high quality water services in a safe, environmentally friendly, and efficient manner.
The Customer Advocate serves as an advocate for all customers (residential and commercial) by resolving complex customer service issues and complaints and building partnerships within the community to advance DC Water’s mission of providing world-class water services. This role establishes and maintains positive working relationships with all DC Water’s customers and serves as the customer service point of contact for water and sewer projects, addressing inquiries, concerns, and feedback in a timely and effective manner.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities:
Serves as a dedicated advocate for all customers, representing their interests and addressing their needs, concerns, and complaints with empathy, professionalism, and urgency.
Works closely with customers to resolve complex customer service issues and complaints in a professional manner and informs customers about water outages and other emergency work.
Informs communities and stakeholders about DC Water’s priorities including construction projects and customer service topics including billing, customer assistance, and environmental stewardship through project and community outreach activities.
Interfaces with community and government officials, and other DC Water stakeholders regarding repair, maintenance, and construction activities associated with planned and emergency projects.
Follows-up and responds to all customer inquiries and concerns within targeted timeframes during regular and after business hours ensuring customer satisfaction.
Informs internal stakeholders, including field staff and supervisors, project design, and construction teams, etc. about planned work and key issues.
Interfaces with external stakeholders including State Highway Administration, Prince George’s and Montgomery County Departments of Public Works, Department of Environmental Services, etc. to ensure DC Water’s compliance with state and county regulations.
Evaluates customer service programs, procedures and trends, establishes, and monitors metrics and reports the results and outcomes of customer satisfaction and community outreach activities.
Maintains accurate records, logs, and databases of customer interactions, inquiries, and complaints, ensuring confidentiality, privacy, and compliance with data protection regulations.
Collects, documents, and analyzes customer feedback, suggestions, and complaints to identify trends, patterns, and areas for improvement in service delivery, processes, and policies.
Demonstrates independent, professional judgment to identify and resolve customer service issues with DC Water’s contractors including recommending and authorizing the completion of follow-up work in coordination with appropriate departments.
Responds to emergency situations, service interruptions, and crisis events affecting customers, providing support, guidance, and assistance as needed to mitigate impacts and restore services.
Collaborates with all levels including senior and executive management, communicates complex issues and suggests options for resolving concerns.
Identifies and engages new businesses to promote DC Water’s services and helps navigate processes and procedures.
Drives a vehicle to conduct DC Water business, including Emergency Response Vehicles.
May serve on committees and work teams.
Assists with consumer education and customer involvement.
Performs other duties and projects as assigned at the discretion of Director, Community Affairs.
Supervisory Responsibilities: N/A
Key Working Relationships: Interacts with co-workers within the department and throughout DC Water, government agencies, Office of People’s Council, private organizations, and the general public.
The qualifications listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and ability necessary for an individual to perform each essential responsibility satisfactorily. Reasonable amounts of training are provided.
Required Skills & Qualifications
Ten (10) years of responsible experience providing customer service to both internal and external customers.
Must have strong knowledge of DC Water operations, services, policies, and procedures.
Must have knowledge of DC Water’s information systems including Meter Maintenance
Information System (MMIS) and the water service shutdown system, Geographical Information System (GIS), Customer Service Information System (CSIS), WEB map Information System, and other systems.
General knowledge of plans, 200 ft. sheets, valve cards, plumbing cards, and other mapping documents or electronic media related to the distribution/collection Systems.
Minimum Education Requirements:
Bachelor’s degree in Business or Communications from an accredited college or university; or an equivalent combination of education and experience, consisting of a High school diploma or General Educational Development (GED) certificate and fourteen (14) years of responsible experience providing customer service to both internal and external customers.Required Skills:
Project Management.
Customer Service Mindset.
Verbal and Written Communication.
Cross-cultural Sensitivity.
Empathy & Emotional Intelligence.
Stakeholder Management.
Conflict Resolution.
Microsoft Office, including Word, PowerPoint, Publisher & Excel.
Required Licenses & Certifications:
Must possess a valid driver’s license and obtain a DC Water driver’s permit within 90 days of hire or transfer date.
Must complete the DC Water Financial Disclosure statement within 30 days of employment and annually thereafter.
Required Languages:
English
Physical Requirements:
The person in this position must be able to travel, often within the community, and work nights and weekends.
The person in this position must be available on call 24/7 and may be deemed essential at any time.
The person in this position is designated or considered emergency personnel, therefore, must report to work as scheduled or as directed by their supervisor when DC Water declares an event that requires emergency personnel to report to work.
Preferred Skills & Qualifications
Preferred Experience:
Extensive customer service and/or community outreach knowledge and experience.
Preferred Education Requirements:
Bachelor’s degree with major course work in Business, Communications, Public Relations, or related field from an accredited college or university.
Preferred Licenses & Certifications:
N/A
Preferred Languages:
Spanish
Preferred Skills:
Contract Management.
Budgeting.
Data Management Systems.
Problem Solving and Decision Making.
*The work environment characteristics described in the physical requirements section of the required skills & qualifications table are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential responsibilities.
Your Experience at DC Water:At DC Water, our people make us an industry leader. Join a group of thinkers, innovators, and problem solvers focused on protecting life’s most precious resource in the nation’s capital.
We are proud to be an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V.
We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing
The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against “qualified individuals with disabilities.”
If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to
perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please
email complianceada@dcwater.com.
