Chief Engineer

Cape Fear Public Utility Authority; Wilmington (NC); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health care

Retirement plan

Paid time off

Life insurance

Job summary

Cape Fear Public Utility Authority seeks a Chief Engineer to lead the Engineering Department with strategic oversight of infrastructure planning, project delivery, asset management, GIS, and sustainability initiatives. This senior role reports to the Engineering Director and ensures compliance with regulations and CFPUA policies.

The incumbent will drive ten-year CIP, capital projects, and interdepartmental coordination, while guiding workforce development and fiscal stewardship across divisions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field; PE certification required.
• Master's degree preferred; seven years in a managerial engineering role.
• Professional Engineer certification is required for this leadership post.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and technical leadership for assigned Engineering divisions.
• Set division goals, programs, and performance metrics; monitor results.
• Oversee workforce planning, development, and succession within divisions.
• Develop operating and capital budgets, contracts, and expenditures.
• Coordinate planning, asset management, GIS, sustainability, and development services.
• Oversee master planning, CIP, studies, capacity evaluations, and growth planning.
• Manage capital projects from procurement to closeout and ensure compliance.
• Lead asset management programs and data systems oversight.
• Promote safe design and environmentally responsible practices.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Engineering management

Budgeting and fiscal stewardship

Regulatory compliance

Asset management

GIS and data systems

Sustainability and resiliency

Capital improvement planning

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Master's degree in engineering or project management (preferred)

Professional Engineer certification

Tools

GIS software

Capital budgeting tools

Job description

Job Summary

Incumbents in this position serve as senior leaders in the Engineering Department and provide strategic and technical leadership, direction, and oversight for assigned Engineering divisions. The Chief Engineer ensures effective infrastructure planning, project delivery, development coordination, asset management, geographic information systems, sustainability, regulatory compliance, and fiscal stewardship, as applicable to the assigned divisions. Specific areas of responsibility are determined by the Engineering Director based on organizational needs. This position is assigned to pay grade R38.

Essential Job Functions

The allocation of functions among Chief Engineers may vary based on assigned divisions and organizational needs.

• Provides strategic and technical leadership for assigned Engineering divisions, ensuring alignment with CFPUA's mission, priorities, policies, and values.
• Establishes division goals, work programs, procedures, and performance measures; monitors results and initiates corrective action as needed.
• Oversees workforce planning, work assignments, employee development, performance management, and succession planning within assigned divisions.
• Develops and administers operating and capital budgets, contracts, procurements, and expenditures for assigned divisions.
• Coordinates across Engineering divisions and other CFPUA departments to integrate planning, project delivery, asset management, GIS, sustainability, and development services.
• Oversees utility master planning, the ten-year Capital Improvement Plan, engineering studies, capacity evaluations, and planning for growth, service extensions, and infrastructure resiliency.
• Oversees the identification, prioritization, and delivery of capital improvement and rehabilitation and replacement projects, including procurement, design, permitting, construction, budget, schedule, quality, and closeout.
• Oversees asset management programs, including asset condition and risk assessments, rehabilitation and replacement needs, recurring repair programs, and related cross‑functional initiatives.
• Oversees GIS, utility-system records, hydraulic modeling, capacity-management tools, technical standards, and related data systems.
• Oversees sustainability programs, including energy efficiency, emissions reduction, resource conservation, resiliency, performance tracking, and integration of lifecycle and environmental considerations into organizational decisions.
• Oversees developer-built infrastructure, development and utility agreements, property matters, service-area consolidations, infrastructure extensions, and delegated regulatory permitting functions.
• Ensures regulatory compliance and promotes safe and environmentally responsible design and construction practices.
• Coordinates with customers, developers, consultants, contractors, government agencies, elected officials, community organizations, and other stakeholders; oversees or assists with grant applications, reports, recommendations, and presentations.
• May act as Engineering Director in the director’s absence and promotes accountability, collaboration, and employee development.
• This position is a member of the organization management team and is responsible for demonstrating and holding others accountable to the CFPUA values.
• This position is required to work in partnership with their own department and all other CFPUA departments toward achieving organizational goals.
• This position is responsible for creating a culture of belonging and inclusion.
• This position works in partnership with the Human Resources department to ensure staff completes all relevant employment training.
• This position is responsible for ensuring compliance with all CFPUA policies and procedures.
• This position works in partnership with the Human Resources department to ensure compliance with federal and state employment law.
• Exercises a purchasing authority up to $1,000 without approval from supervisor.
• Performs other related job duties as assigned.

In the event of an emergency, all employees are considered essential personnel and may be required to perform alternate duties.

Education, Experience, And Other Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, project management, or related course study.
• Master’s degree in engineering or project management, or related course study is preferred.
• Seven (7) years of professional engineering work experience in a managerial role such as an assistant engineering director, assistant project director, or related work field.
• Requires Professional Engineer certification.

Other Essential Job Specifications

• Use interpersonal skills such as seeing, hearing, and speaking to develop positive interactions with customers.
• Comprehends and uses technical or professional language, either written or spoken, to communicate complex ideas.
• Performs numerical operations using basic counting, adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Performs complex quantitative calculations or reasoning using algebra, geometry, statistics, or abstract symbols.
• Requires travel between CFPUA sites.
• Use or repair small/light equipment (power tools).
• Use or repair medium equipment and machinery (vehicles, commercial mowers).
• Use or repair heavy or complex machinery (HVAC systems, construction equipment, water plants).

Physical Requirements

None: 0 hours or 0% of scheduled shift

Some: Up to 2 hours or 20% of scheduled shift

Frequent: 2 to 5 hours or 20% to 60% of scheduled shift

Very Frequent: More than 5 hours or 60% to 100% of scheduled shift

• Minimal physical exertion. Very light physical work at desk or counter level with intermittent periods of sitting, standing, and walking. May involve data entry, telephone work, or use of various office equipment.
• Same as above with the addition of standing/sitting/walking for lengthy periods of time. May involve light physical exertion due to pushing, pulling, carrying, and lifting weights up to 20 pounds.
• Physical exertion involving pushing, pulling, and lifting up to 20 pounds. May require prolonged standing and/or walking during which time objects are transported. May require occasional bending, squatting, and reaching.
• Sustained physical activity throughout the work period. Performs work tasks involving pushing, pulling, carrying, and lifting up to 50 pounds. May require bending, squatting, stooping, reaching, climbing, or walking in addition to other physical demands.
• Physical exertion throughout the work period. Performs work tasks involving pushing, pulling, carrying, and lifting varying weights up to 50 pounds, and more than 50 pounds with assistance. May require bending, squatting, stooping, reaching, climbing, or walking in addition to other physical demands.

Cape Fear Public Utility Authority is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is our policy to foster, maintain, and promote equal employment on the basis of qualifications and without regard to age, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), race, color, creed, religion, national origin, disability, or genetic disorder.

Federal law requires all employers to verify the identity and employment status of all persons hired to work in the United States. Cape Fear Public Utility Authority participates in E-Verify.

We offer a complete benefits package to full‑time employees including health care, dental, vision, retirement, deferred compensation plans, flexible spending accounts, life insurance, long‑term disability, holidays, vacation, and sick leave. Part‑time employees who work an average of 30 hours per week over the course of a year, receive benefits on a pro‑rated basis. To learn more details, visit our Benefits Page.

• health care
• dental
• vision
• retirement
• deferred compensation plans
• flexible spending accounts
• life insurance
• long‑term disability
• holidays
• vacation
• sick leave
• Part‑time employees who work an average of 30 hours per week over the course of a year, receive benefits on a pro‑rated basis.