Position summary

This recruitment is open continuously and those interested are encouraged to apply without delay. The first review date will be May 16th, 2023. Screening will be ongoing as applications are received.

Metro is dedicated to shaping a better future for the greater Portland region. The work the people of Metro do every day benefits the lives of the people who live here, today and tomorrow. We offer a highly competitive compensation and benefits program. Learn more about the benefits Metro offers.

Do you have a flexible schedule and enjoy serving the public? Do you have some customer service or cashiering and interest in taking on a more advanced role? Consider applying for one of Metro’s four available Variable Hour Scalehouse Technician jobs!

As a variable-hour Scalehouse Technician, you will work in a team setting at a drive-up window to greet customers, weigh vehicles, and collect payment from commercial drivers and residents who are dropping off garbage, yard debris, food waste, and recycling materials at Metro. You will also provide garbage and recycling information to customers and help to enforce Metro’s regulations on garbage and recycling disposal. This job is ideal for someone who has a flexible schedule, enjoys interacting with a wide range of customers and serving the public, and wants to help make sure that Metro’s customers have a positive and safe experience at our facility.

The person selected for this job will work at Metro South Transfer Station, located at 2001 Washington Street in Oregon City. Trimet’s 2000 Block Washington (ID 14047) bus stop is located just outside the entrance to Metro South.

Metro South is open to the public from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., 362 days a year. Variable Hour Scalehouse Technicians are typically scheduled to work when other employees plan to be out on vacation or other leave, and they may be called in to work if available when other employees are not able to work unexpectedly.

To learn about the transfer stations, click to view this virtual video tour of Metro Central where you’ll see vehicles drive up to the Scalehouse and be weighed. If you’d like to see what happens to customers’ garbage and recycling after they leave the Scalehouse, you can watch this live video feed of another team processing trash and this video that shows how another team processes hazardous waste.

This job is an essential part of Metro’s work to manage the region’s solid waste – also known as garbage and recycling. Metro’s Waste Prevention and Environmental Services department (WPES) meets this responsibility in part by processing some of the region’s garbage and recycling. WPES is guided by the 2030 Regional Waste Plan and is committed to leading with equity in everything we do.

As a Variable Hour Scalehouse Technician, you will:

• 
  Receive paid training for the job
• Greet customers who drive up to the Scalehouse
• Perform cashiering duties, including collecting fees, processing cash and credit card payments, and issuing change and receipts to customers
• Calculate waste drop-off fees based on Metro policy
• Collect information from customers through the computerized scaling system to ensure accurate data for billing and Metro records. This information may include the size of their garbage load, the types of material they are dropping off (by codes) and volume of waste they are bringing in.
• Provide information to the public about Metro’s policies on recycling, uncovered waste loads, and special types of waste and fees
• Use a computer and other general office equipment to perform the work
• Ensure the Scalehouse site is adequately stocked with supplies
• Complete paperwork associated with ordering and receiving Scalehouse supplies

Attributes for success:

• Ability to establish respectful effective working relationships with other employees and the general public
• Ability to provide high-quality customer service to a wide variety of customers
• Ability to remain calm and productive in busy or stressful situations
• Ability to operate two Scalehouse windows during busy times
• Good math skills and the ability to calculate/estimate quickly
• Ability to make accurate change and balance cash
• Excellent verbal communication skills
• Basic computer skills and ability to learn software specific to Scalehouse operations
• Ability to maintain electronic and physical records according to established procedures

Diversity and inclusion: At Metro, we’re committed to hiring a workforce representative of the communities we serve, recognizing that a diverse workforce strengthens our organization. We invest in employees by supporting equitable and inclusive hiring practices, employee policies and training programs.

TO QUALIFY
We will consider any combination of relevant work experience, volunteering, education, and transferable skills as qualifying unless an item or section is labeled required. Please be clear and specific in your application materials on how your background is relevant.

Minimum qualifications:

• High school diploma or G.E.D; AND
• One year experience in a position requiring extensive interaction with the public; OR
• We will consider any combination of education and experience that provides the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties and responsibilities of the position.

Required:

• Ability to work most days and shifts, including weekends and all hours of operation

Working conditions: Scalehouse Technicians work in in a small, kiosk-type building called a Scalehouse. The Scalehouse has drive-up windows, and Technicians are exposed to all types of weather at the open drive-up windows when serving customers. At the Scalehouse, technicians serve customers in a wide variety of vehicles, including cars, trucks, and garbage vehicles. The environment can be loud and at times may smell of vehicle exhaust and garbage. Uniform clothing and any required protective equipment is provided.

This position requires frequent or continuous standing, stretching, reaching, sitting, bending, grasping, repetitive motion of the hands/wrists, handling and good general hearing. It may also require walking, feeling and repetitive motions of the feet, kneeling and lifting up to 35 pounds or carrying up to 15 pounds.

If this statement is true for you, then you may be ineligible to apply:

If I was terminated for cause during any of my employment with Metro, or resigned in lieu of termination, I understand I may be ineligible for rehire for a minimum of 3 years.

Like to have qualifications:
You do not need to have the following preferred qualifications/transferable skills to qualify. However, keep in mind we may consider some or all of the following when identifying the most qualified candidates. Your transferable skills are any skills you have gained through education, work experience, including the military, or life experience that are relevant for this position.

• One year of customer service experience in a retail, restaurant, or business/industrial setting
• One year of experience taking and processing customer payments, including cash and credit cards, in a retail, restaurant, or business/industrial setting
• Bilingual in English and Spanish, Russian, or another language commonly spoken in the region
• Experience with the region’s garbage and recycling system

COMPENSATION AND REPRESENTATION
The beginning pay rate for this position is $21.58 per hour.

This position is represented and non-exempt and represented by AFSCME 3580 and is classified as a Scalehouse Technician (Download PDF reader). Classification descriptions are typically written broadly and do not include the specific duties and responsibilities of the positions.

SCREENING AND EVALUATION
The application packet: The application packet consists of the following documents. Please ensure that you upload these documents in your online application. Make sure your application is complete, missing any part of these items could result in an incomplete application and will not be moved forward in the recruitment.

• A completed online application
• Responses to supplemental questions

The selection process: We expect to evaluate candidates for this recruitment as follows. The selection process is subject to change.

• Initial review of minimum qualifications
• In-depth evaluation of application materials to identify the most qualified candidates
• Consideration of top candidates/interviews
• Testing/assessments
• Reference check
• Background, driving records check for finalist candidate

Additional Information

Questions?
Recruiter: Carrie Gundermann
Email: carrie.gundermann@oregonmetro.gov

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Equal employment opportunity: All qualified persons will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, familial status, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability for which a reasonable accommodation can be made or any other status protected by law. Assistance will be gladly provided upon request for any applicant with sensory or non-sensory disabilities.

Online applications: Metro accepts job applications online. If you need assistance or accommodation with your application, or access to a computer, call 503-797-1570.

Accommodation: Reasonable accommodation is available to anyone whose specific disability prevents them from completing this application or participating in this process. To obtain confidential assistance please contact Human Resources 503-797-1570.

Pay equity at Metro: Every worker must get equal pay for equal work regardless of your gender, race, age or other protected characteristics. Metro has established processes and conducts routine pay equity reviews as part of the hiring process to ensure compliance with the 2017 Oregon Pay Equity Act.

Public Employees Retirement System (PERS): Unless otherwise stated in a collective bargaining agreement, Metro pays both the employee and employer portion of PERS contributions for eligible employees.

Veterans' preference: Under Oregon Law, qualified veterans may be eligible for veterans' preference when applying for Metro positions. If you are a veteran and would like to be considered for a veterans' preference for this job, please provide qualifying documents as instructed during the application process.

Metro participates in the State of Oregon Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) and provides paid sick leave.