Hiring
Cobb County’s Water System has opened five job postings on the county’s government jobs portal since Oct. 30, including a trainee track for people who want to run a wastewater treatment plant but do not yet hold a state operator license. The postings, reviewed on the county’s NEOGOV careers site at about 13:20 UTC on Wednesday, Nov. 4, list hourly pay from $17.34 to $25.12 for four of the roles and an annual range topping $107,000 for a laboratory supervisor.
The listings are recruiting notices, not hires, and most do not say how many people the county intends to bring on.
A paid path into plant operations
The most accessible opening is a full-time WRF Operator Trainee (job number 05303), posted Tuesday, Nov. 3, at $18.95 to $24.16 an hour. Cobb says it has vacancies at three water reclamation facilities: South Cobb WRF on Rowland Road in Austell, and the Northwest and Noonday facilities in Kennesaw.
Trainees monitor treatment processes and chemical feeds, read meters and gauges, collect and test samples under close supervision, perform preventive maintenance on pumps and other equipment, and keep the logs that state and federal environmental rules require.
The minimum qualification is a high school diploma or GED plus one year of work experience that “shows an ability to maintain steady employment in any field.” Applicants need a valid driver’s license, and anyone hired must pass the Georgia exam for a Class III Wastewater Operator license within one year of assignment. The work is physically heavy, with regular climbing and lifting of 20 to 50 pounds and occasional loads up to 100 pounds.
Qualified applicants must pass an entry-level written exam, with a link emailed after the posting closes at 11:59 p.m. Eastern on Nov. 18. The exam window closes Nov. 25. Candidates who already hold a State Wastewater Operator Certificate skip the exam but must attach a copy of the certificate to the application.
Warehouse, office and billing roles
A Warehouse Worker posting (05294) went up Wednesday, Nov. 4, at $17.34 an hour. The worker will receive, store and issue parts, tools and supplies for the water utility, fill work orders and run inventory counts. It requires a high school diploma or GED with six months of relevant experience, a valid driver’s license, and a forklift certification, which a new hire can earn within 90 days. Applications close Nov. 19.
An Administrative Specialist III for the System Maintenance Division (05282), posted Monday, Nov. 2, pays $19.71 to $25.12 an hour. The job covers clerical coordination, scheduling, records and liaison work. Every applicant must take a proofreading test, which must be done on a desktop or laptop because phones and tablets are not supported. Applications close Nov. 9, and the test closes Nov. 16.
A Water Customer Service Specialist II for billing support (05281), posted Oct. 30, pays $18.31 to $23.34 an hour. It handles leak adjustments, corrections for misread meters, returned payments, billing exceptions and credit-balance refunds. It requires a high school diploma or GED and two years of utility billing and collections experience. The posting notes that the job may involve “irate customers.” It closes Nov. 16.
Lab leadership
The highest-paid opening is a Lab Supervisor (05261) at the Cobb County Water Lab, posted Oct. 30, with an annual salary range of $65,090.73 to $107,399.71. The supervisor handles metals analysis and leads the lab staff whose testing supports compliance at the county’s four wastewater reclamation facilities under their federal discharge (NPDES) permits, the Cobb County Watershed Protection Plan and the Industrial Pretreatment Program. Requirements are a bachelor’s degree in biology, chemistry, environmental science or a related field, five years of progressively responsible experience as a certified lab analyst, and Georgia Wastewater Laboratory Analyst certification. Applicants take a data-entry and Excel test. Applications close Nov. 16, and the test closes Nov. 20.
How to apply
All five jobs are full-time and are filed through Cobb County’s portal on governmentjobs.com. Each application includes supplemental questions, and the county warns that it may not accept “see resume” in place of a completed work history. The skills tests and exams are sent by email only to applicants who meet the minimum qualifications, so candidates should watch their inboxes after a posting closes.
Separate Cobb recruitments for 911 call-takers and firefighters were reported earlier this week and are not part of this group of Water System postings.
Sources
- Cobb County Government (NEOGOV), “WRF Operator Trainee,” job no. 05303, opened November 3, 2026. https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/cobbcounty/jobs/5536841/wrf-operator-trainee
- Cobb County Government (NEOGOV), “Warehouse Worker,” job no. 05294, opened November 4, 2026. https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/cobbcounty/jobs/5538832/warehouse-worker
- Cobb County Government (NEOGOV), “Administrative Specialist III – Water System Maintenance,” job no. 05282, opened November 2, 2026. https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/cobbcounty/jobs/5535385/administrative-specialist-iii-water-system-maintenance
- Cobb County Government (NEOGOV), “Water Customer Service Specialist II – Billing Support,” job no. 05281, opened October 30, 2026. https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/cobbcounty/jobs/5529716/water-customer-service-specialist-ii-billing-support
- Cobb County Government (NEOGOV), “Lab Supervisor,” job no. 05261, opened October 30, 2026. https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/cobbcounty/jobs/5520796/lab-supervisor
Featured photo: Aeration basins and walkways of the activated-sludge system at the City of Gresham Wastewater Treatment Plant in Gresham, Oregon, Nov. 19, 2025. Representative image; not a Cobb County Water System facility. Photo: PortlandAppraisalBlog, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Cropped from the original.
