Assistant Engineer

County of Sonoma (CA); Santa Rosa (CA); Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid Telework

Salary advancement

Career advancement

Paid time off

Health benefits

Job summary

County of Sonoma is seeking an Assistant Engineer to join Sonoma Public Infrastructure (SPI). The role involves independent work, complex calculations, site evaluations, and inspections focused on road repair designs, drainage improvements, and retaining walls.

Possession of an Engineer-in-Training Certificate is required for the Assistant Engineer level. If you hold a California PE license, apply to the Engineer recruitment instead.

Qualifications

• Engineering knowledge for public infrastructure planning, design, construction, and maintenance.
• Experience managing civil projects through design, permitting, procurement, construction, and closeout.
• Knowledge of construction-management practices, cost estimating, scheduling, and contract administration.
• Ability to read and interpret plans, specs, and technical documents, and coordinate with stakeholders.
• Strong written and verbal communication for technical reports and presentations.

Responsibilities

• Manage and oversee diverse construction projects including transportation facilities and drainage improvements.
• Review plans, specs, cost estimates, schedules, and proposed field changes for constructability.
• Oversee construction contracts, coordination with contractors, submittals, and change orders.
• Monitor budgets and schedules, identify risks, coordinate corrective actions.
• Perform field inspections to ensure conformance with plans and safety standards.
• Coordinate with consultants, contractors, utility providers, and regulatory agencies.
• Support planning, design, permitting, procurement, and delivery of transportation improvements.
• Assist with stormwater infrastructure and flood-mitigation project efforts.

Skills

Public infrastructure engineering

Engineering calculations

Site evaluations

Inspections

Plan review

Construction oversight

Team collaboration

Communication skills

Education

Engineer-in-Training Certificate (EIT)

Job description

Advance your career and shape the future of public infrastructure as an Assistant Engineer with the County of Sonoma!

Starting salary up to $67.64/hour ($141,172/year) and a competitive total compensation package!

Sonoma Public Infrastructure (SPI) is currently recruiting to fill a full-time position at either the Assistant Engineer or Engineer level. If you are interested in being considered at the Engineer level of this opportunity, you must apply to the separate concurrent recruitment being conducted for each level.

Note

Possession of an Engineer-in-Training Certificate with the State of California is required for the Assistant Engineer level. If you have a valid license as a Professional Engineer issued by the State of California, you should apply to the Engineer recruitment.

At the County of Sonoma, Assistant Engineers work independently, perform complex calculations, site evaluations, and inspections. They perform a wide variety of field and office professional-level engineering work of average difficulty. They ensure plans and specifications are compliant with county codes, standards, and regulations. As a subject matter expert, they may train and assist staff. Within SPI, this Engineer will primarily focus on road repair designs, retaining walls, drainage improvements, and a variety of projects for the department. Additional responsibilities include:

• Managing and overseeing diverse construction projects, including transportation facilities, traffic improvements, slope-stabilization and other infrastructure repairs, and community infrastructure improvements
• Applying engineering judgment and construction-management expertise to review plans, specifications, cost estimates, schedules, constructability, and proposed field changes
• Administering and overseeing construction contracts, including contractor coordination, progress meetings, submittals, requests for information, change orders, payment applications, claims, and project documentation
• Monitoring project budgets and schedules, identifying risks or delays, and coordinating corrective actions to keep projects within approved scope, cost, and schedule
• Conduct construction-site inspections to verify that work conforms to engineering plans, specifications, permit requirements, safety expectations, and applicable standards
• Coordinating with design consultants, contractors, utility providers, regulatory agencies, resource agencies, and other County departments to resolve technical and construction-related issues
• Supporting the planning, design, permitting, procurement, and delivery of transportation improvements
• Supporting the planning and construction of stormwater infrastructure, drainage improvements, erosion-control measures, and flood-mitigation projects
• Coordinating environmental reviews and permitting requirements while maintaining alignment with project objectives and construction schedules

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess one of more years of experience in engineering, the ability to shift gears quickly, and thrive in a fast-paced environment. In addition, you will possess intellectual curiosity, an interest in research, have a logical mindset, and possess many of the following:

• Engineering knowledge relevant to the planning, design, construction, inspection, and maintenance of public infrastructure
• Experience managing public works or civil construction projects through design, permitting, procurement, construction, and closeout
• Knowledge of construction-management practices, including constructability review, cost estimating, scheduling, contract administration, change orders, payment applications, quality assurance, and risk management
• Experience interpreting engineering plans, technical specifications, construction contracts, reports, and applicable codes and standards
• Strong collaboration, negotiation, conflict-resolution, and problem-solving skills
• Experience coordinating consultants, contractors, inspectors, utility providers, regulatory agencies, and internal departments
• Knowledge of federal, state, and local requirements applicable to publicly funded infrastructure projects, including permitting, procurement, documentation, reimbursement, and regulatory compliance
• Experience with federally funded or reimbursable projects, particularly FEMA-related infrastructure repairs and hazard-mitigation projects, is highly desirable
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare technical documentation and explain engineering and construction matters to technical and nontechnical audiences
• The ability to lead project meetings and hold consultants and contractors accountable for project requirements, schedule, quality, and deliverables

Assistant Engineers occasionally work in the evening, on weekends, and rarely on holidays. Emergency work may be required based on construction activities, public meetings, inspections, and project needs. Work is performed in both office and active construction-site environments. Field assignments may involve exposure to traffic, heavy equipment, noise, dust, uneven terrain, and inclement weather.

What We Offer

Working at the County of Sonoma offers expansive opportunities for growth and development, the ability to be a part of a challenging and rewarding work environment, and the satisfaction of knowing you're working to better our communities. You can also look forward to flexible work arrangements and excellent benefits* including:

• Hybrid Telework - A schedule that meets the needs of our staff, department operations, and the communities we serve may be available depending on the assignment
• Salary Advancement - A salary increase after 1,040 hours (6 months when working full-time) for good work performance; eligibility for a salary increase for good performance every year thereafter, until reaching the top of the salary range
• Career Advancement - With time and good performance, the opportunity for advancement to Engineer (up to $77.78/hour)
• Paid Time Off - Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals, 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year
• County Paid Health Premium Contributions - 100% premium contribution for the majority of employee-only and employee + family health plan options
• Staff Development/Wellness Pay - Annual benefit allowances of up to $1,500 and ongoing education/training opportunities
• Post-Retirement Health Reimbursement Arrangement - County contributions to help fund post-retirement employee health insurance/benefits
• Retirement - A pension fully integrated with Social Security
• Paid Parental Leave - May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) after 12 months of County employment
• Additional Benefits - Excellent dental, vision, disability, life insurance, employee assistance program, professional development, and more
• Student Loan Debt Relief - County employees may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education

*Salary is negotiable within the established range. Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Additional information can be found in the Western Counsel of Engineers Memorandum Of Understanding (WCE MOU) and our Employee Benefits Directory.

This employment list may also be used to fill future full-time, part-time, or extra-help (temporary) positions as they occur during the active status of the list. Qualified County employees who wish to be considered for future positions should consider applying to this recruitment.

Experience and Education

Any combination of education and/or training which would provide an opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed. Normally, graduation from a four-year college or university with major coursework in engineering and one year of full-time, professional engineering experience at a level comparable to Junior Engineer.

License

Possession of a valid driver’s license at the appropriate level including special endorsements, as required by the State of California, may be required depending upon assignment to perform the essential job functions of the position. The position advertised on this announcement requires possession of a valid California Driver’s License.

Professional Certification

Possession of an Engineer-in-Training Certificate with the State of California.

Working Knowledge

The principles, practices and techniques of civil engineering, traffic engineering, electrical engineering, or mechanical engineering depending upon assignment; statistics and advance mathematics including algebra and analytic geometry; topographic and construction surveying, stress analysis, analytical mechanics and the strength, properties and uses of construction materials; common methods and equipment utilized in engineering construction and of inspection methods used in reviewing such work; real property descriptions; engineering design and drafting methods and equipment and computer-aided design (CAD) software.

Knowledge of

the principles, practices and techniques of training.

Ability to

prepare designs and make accurate drawings and maps; make accurate mathematical calculations and neat and accurate field notes; apply principles of logic and scientific reasoning to develop and evaluate alternative courses of action and determine appropriate solutions; read, understand and interpret complex technical and legal documents, maps, technical drawings and plans; listen attentively and participate in negotiations by providing required data and information; adjust workload changes and work under stress to meet deadlines; develop and maintain effective working relationships with all levels of representatives from governmental and private agencies, construction and consultant contractors, coworkers and the public; write clearly and concisely in order to prepare technical reports, correspondence, and maintain records.

Additional information can be found in the Western Counsel of Engineers Memorandum Of Understanding (WCE MOU) and our Employee Benefits Directory.

The selection procedure will consist of the following examination:

An Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (weight 100%) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant's application and supplemental questionnaire for satisfaction of minimum qualifications (pass/not pass); and for educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities which relate to this position.Personally identifiable information (PII) is removed from the standard application fields and applicable attachments. This PII blind screening practice redacts a candidate’s personal information that could potentially influence or bias the scoring process. Personal information includes the applicant’s name, former last name, address, phone number, email, driver’s license number, school name, education start and end dates, age, date of birth, gender, and race. This PII blind screening practice helps contribute to a fair and equitable examination process.

Each applicant will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Relevance of work history, related experience, and achieved level of education and/or training as described in the application and responses to the supplemental questions.

Candidates demonstrating possession of the minimum qualifications will be placed on an employment list in order of most qualified to least qualified based on the achieved score received in the Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination which evaluates the education, training, experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, and other qualifications that you demonstrate in your application and/or response to the supplemental questionnaire. Please be aware that resumes and cover letters are not typically evaluated in the Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination. Scores may be adjusted based on such factors as the number of candidates, anticipated vacancies, past practice, and natural breaks in the scores achieved by this group of candidates.

Additional Information

A background investigation is required prior to employment. Candidates referred to departments for a selection interview are typically required to sign authorization and release forms enabling such an investigation. Failure to sign prescribed forms will result in the candidate not being considered further for that vacancy. Reference information will not be made available to candidates.

Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position. If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer is contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter. You may also review the Job Classification Screening Schedule to determine the requirements for this position.

The County of Sonoma values diversity and is dedicated to creating a workplace environment that provides individuals with a sense of belonging. We are committed to having a diverse workforce that is representative of the communities we serve. The County is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer where all aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance, and business need.