Scalehouse Technician - Variable Hour - Full-time / Part-time

About the Department

Hello, we’re Metro! 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.  
 
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 Metro’s variable hour Scalehouse Technician job!

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  at 6161 NW 61st Avenue in Portland. Metro Central Transfer Station is 1.5 miles from the NW Yeon & 44th TriMet bus stop (ID 13637). Metro Central is open to the public from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 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 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 of another team processing trash and  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  and is committed to leading with equity in everything we do.
 
As a Variable Hour Scalehouse Technician, you will:

• 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.

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 strive to cultivate diversity, advance equity, and practice inclusion in all of its work. This means attracting and empowering a workforce that is inclusive of a broad range of human qualities. Workplace diversity is both a moral imperative and a business strength, essential to providing quality support and services to our region. Metro’s goal is to hire, develop and retain highly skilled and talented individuals across all departments and programs who best reflect the diversity of our community.  
 

 
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
• Any combination of education and experience that provides the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties and responsibilities of the position. 

Working conditions: Scalehouse Technicians work in a small, kiosk-type building called a scalehouses that have drive-up windows. In their work Scalehouse Technicians experience all types of weather when serving customers at the open drive-up windows. The Scalehouses 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.

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
• Reference check 
• Background check for finalist candidate

COMPENSATION, BENEFITS AND REPRESENTATON
 
The hourly rate for this position is $23.28. This position is eligible for overtime and is represented by AFSCME 3580. It is classified as Scalehouse Technician. Classification descriptions are typically written broadly and do not include the specific duties and responsibilities of the positions.
 
Questions?
Recruiter: Carrie Gundermann
Email: Other Qualifications

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.
 
Accommodation
Metro will gladly provide a reasonable accommodation to anyone whose specific disability prevents them from completing this application or participating in this recruitment process. Please contact the recruiter outlined in the job announcement in advance to request assistance.
 
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.  
 
Pay equity at Metro
No matter who you are or where you work at Metro, you deserve to be paid fairly for the work you do. Every worker must get equal pay for equal work regardless of your gender, race, age, or other protected characteristics.  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.
 
Online applications
Metro accepts job applications online. If you need assistance or accommodation with your application, or access to a computer, please contact the recruiter outlined in the job announcement in advance to request assistance. 
 
How to Apply
For tips on how to apply and more information on what the application process looks like, visit Metro’s  page. 
 
Government Jobs
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Metro 
Led by an elected council, this unique government gives all residents of greater Portland a voice in shaping the future and provides parks, venues, services, and tools at a regional scale. We find solutions for our area’s garbage and recycling that protect clean air and water; help plan land use and development to provide jobs and safe transportation; manage local venues that provide a connection to arts and culture and help keep the economy growing; protect 17,000 acres of parks and natural areas, and run the Oregon Zoo, to keep nature close to home.