Job Description
Salary : $53,272.00 - $78,713.00 Annually
Location : 101 City Hall Plaza, Durham, NC
Job Type: Full time with benefits
Job Number: 26-06108
Department: Environmental & Street Services
Opening Date: 09/22/2026
Closing Date: Continuous
Position Description Work, Serve, Thrive. With the City of Durham Advance in your career while making a real difference in the community you serve.
Top-notch management, highly qualified, competent staff and opportunities for career advancement and professional success make the City of Durham's Environmental & Street Services Department a great place to work. Our consistent and steady work environment sets us apart from traditional construction-related worksites, and our exceptional benefits and retirement plans support your long-term success. We create the foundation on which Durham is built, using innovative methods that support the City's growth and enhance our quality of life. We need innovative, highly qualified talent to do that. If growing professionally while serving your community is for you, bring your skills to Durham!
Salary Range: $53,272 - $78,713
Hiring Range: $53,272 - $64,766
Shift: Monday - Friday; 7:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
*After successful completion of training period, as a condition of employment, the employee must serve a rotating one week (7 day) on call shift, including weekends and holidays, and be available 24 hours per day during that period.
The Utility Locator will locate, and mark water, sewer, and storm drains to avoid damage in the excavation areas performed by other utility companies, contractors, and private residents. Other duties include maintaining locating equipment, performing periodic maintenance checks, gathering necessary marking supplies, working as a team to protect city utilities, residents, and issues of public safety, while responding to NC811 tickets using state-of-the-art utility locate software. All work is completed in the field with very little, if any, in-office duties.
Duties/Responsibilities - Plan and route daily work to perform utility locating, construction staking, and equipment maintenance; collect survey data; transport equipment and supplies; establish work safety zones; use specialized systems and equipment to perform and record operations; review maps; perform technical calculations; prioritize work orders; and follow all City policies and safety procedures.
- Maintain equipment, supplies, and vehicles, including system checks, equipment calibration, cleaning, and preventative maintenance; report unresolved equipment issues and ensure proper working condition of all assigned tools, systems, and vehicles.
- Prepare and maintain routine reports, records, field notes, and other documentation; accurately enter data into work order management or other recording systems.
- Locate and mark City-owned water, sewer, and storm drain systems.
- Organize and review daily workload; utilize GIS to research and verify work orders.
- Perform light excavation with hand tools when necessary to expose buried utilities.
- Work independently while contributing to the overall success of the team.
- Must work rotating on-call shift as a condition of employment
Minimum Qualifications & Experience - High School Diploma or equivalent (GED, HiSet, TASC).
- Two years of related experience locating utilities.
- Valid, unrestricted, North Carolina driver's license "or" if you currently have another states driver's license, must be willing and able to obtain a valid NC driver's license within 60 days of hire.
Additional Preferred Skills - Must work rotating on-call shift from 4:00pm to 7:00am as a condition of employment.
- One year of advanced study or training past high school equivalency resulting in appropriate technical certification.
- Three or more years of related experience.
- Understanding of basic utility infrastructure and interpreting GIS data.
- Knowledge of various locating devices including electromagnetic and GPR.
Benefits - General Full-Time Employees - 12-13 paid holidays per year
- 13 standard work days of vacation per year
- 13 standard work days of sick leave per year, which accumulates indefinitely; sick leave may be used toward early retirement
- 2 weeks paid military leave per year
- Medical, dental, vision, and supplemental life insurance plans
- State and City retirement plans
- Short and long term disability plans
- Paid temporary disability leave for specified conditions
- City contribution of 13.6% into the N.C. State Retirement System
- Paid funeral leave
- Employee Assistance Program - personal and family counseling
- Paid life insurance equal to annual salary
- 48 hours for volunteer work each year*
- 4 hours parental leave each year
- Workman's Compensation Insurance
- 457 Deferred Compensation Plans
Benefits - Part-Time (1,000 hours or more per year) - 401(k) retirement plan (5.0% of salary)
- State retirement plan
Benefits Part-Time (Average 30 hours per week over 12 month period) - 401(k) retirement plan (5.0% of salary)
- State retirement plan effective first day of the month following date of hire
- Health insurance effective first day of the month following date of hire
- Dental and life insurance, after one year of service
- Pro-rated vacation, pro-rated sick, pro-rated floating holiday, parttime holiday pay (based on scheduled hours for that day) after one year of service
01
Where did you first hear about this opportunity?
- City of Durham Website
- Walk in
- Job fair
- Employee referral
- Professional organization ***Please list the organization in "other" box below***
- Internet posting ***Please list the specific web site in the "other" box below***
- Craig's List
- Facebook
- LinkedIn
- GlassDoor
- governmentjobs.com
- Monster.com
- Indeed.com
- Employment Security Commission
- Magazine/Newspaper
- Other
02
If you listed "other" above please give specific web site, organization, or publication.
03
Please select your highest level of completed education.
- Less than a High School Diploma or Equivalent (GED, HiSET, TASC)
- High School Diploma or Equivalent (GED, HiSET, TASC)
- Associates Degree
- Bachelor's Degree
- Master's Degree
- PhD or Juris Doctorate
04
Do you have one year of advanced study or training (of a specific vocational, administrative, or technical nature) past the high school equivalency?
05
Do you have a valid, unrestricted, North Carolina driver's license? (If you have a valid license from a State other than North Carolina, you must be willing and able to obtain a valid, unrestricted NC driver's license within 60 days of hire).
- I have a valid, unrestricted NC driver's license.
- I have a valid license from another State and I am willing to obtain a valid, unrestricted NC driver's license within 60 days.
- I do not have a valid, unrestricted driver's license.
06
How many years of related experience do you have locating utilities?
- No related experience
- Less than 2 years of related experience
- 2 years but less than 3 years of related experience
- 3 years but less than 5 years of related experience
- 5 or more years of related experience
07
How would you rate your experience level with Geographical Information Systems (GIS)?
- No experience
- Beginner Level
- Intermediate Level
- Advanced Level
- Expert Level
08
Please briefly describe your experience using utility locating devices indicating which devices you have used and what utilities you have experience locating. If no experience please respond N/A.
09
After successful completion of training period, are you willing and able to work a rotating 7-day on-call shift (nights, weekends, holidays, 24-hour availability) as needed?
10
The annual starting salary for this position is $53,272 - $64,766 depending on education, experience, and approval by the Environmental & Street Services Director. The hiring range is non-negotiable. Do you acknowledge your review and understanding of the hiring range?
Required Question
Job Tags
Full time, Temporary work, Part time, For contractors, Work at office, Monday to Friday, Shift work, Night shift, Rotating shift, Day shift