City Engineer (Continuous)

Nigel Wright Consultancy Ltd (UK); Alameda (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Work-Life Balance: Four-day, 36-hour

CalPERS Retirement plans

Medical coverage

Dental coverage

Vacation leave

Holidays

Sick Leave

Job summary

The City of Alameda is seeking a professional City Engineer to lead the Public Works Engineering Division, overseeing land development, transportation and the Capital Improvement Program for a historic East Bay community.

Ideal candidates will bring extensive public works management experience, a California Professional Engineer license, and a collaborative, innovative leadership style to deliver safe, sustainable infrastructure with a 4-day work week.

Qualifications

• A 4-year degree in civil engineering from an accredited program.
• Registered professional civil engineer in California (PE) with applicable experience.

Responsibilities

• Oversee land development, transportation, and the Capital Improvement Program.
• Provide leadership and supervision to the Engineering Division (staff, budgets, and projects).
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local laws, codes, and safety standards.

Skills

Public Works Management

Civil Engineering

Project Management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering

Job description

The City of Alameda is looking to fill one (1) full-time City Engineer position within the Public Works Department. This is a full-time position with a 4-day, 36 hour work week (Monday through Thursday).

This is a continuous recruitment with the first review including all applications received by October 30, 2026. This recruitment may close following October 30th without notice once a sufficient number of applications have been received.

The City of Alameda Public Works Department seeks an experienced, collaborative, and innovative Professional Engineer with exceptional management and leadership skills to serve as the department's City Engineer overseeing land development, transportation and the Capital Improvement Program for this historic East Bay community.

ALAMEDA COMMUNITY

The City of Alameda is a unique island community of approximately 76,000 residents in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is connected to the East Bay mainland by four bridges, two underwater tubes, and by ferry services to San Francisco. Alameda is within minutes of the numerous cultural activities in San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley. Alameda is a vibrant community with a rich history and small-town charm, Alameda has a diverse mix of housing, neighborhoods, and pedestrian friendly shopping areas. Charming Victorian homes grace shady tree-lined streets covering the island’s 23 square miles. It is an architecturally and historically rich community with over 10,000 buildings constructed prior to 1930. Alameda was incorporated in 1854 and became a charter city in 1916 with a Council-Manager form of government. The five-member Mayor/Council serves four-year terms, staggered at even numbered years. The Council directly hires the City Manager, City Attorney and City Clerk. The City is a full-service organization providing residents with a broad range of municipal services including police and fire protection; construction and maintenance of streets, sewers, storm drains, street lights, and other infrastructure; a state-of-the-art library system; and over 400 acres of parks and recreational facilities including multi-use athletic fields, picnic sites, a skate park, a swim center, and a full service senior center. The City owns and operates Alameda Municipal Power, an electric utility serving the needs of all Alameda residents and businesses. Visit the City of Alameda website at: www.alamedaca.gov Alameda’s City Council hold traffic safety, climate change and investments in infrastructure as top priorities. This is demonstrated in the recently adopted $100 million two-year capital improvement program. To view the 2023-2025 Alameda Capital Budget click here.

The City of Alameda Public Works Department is the steward of Alameda's public infrastructure, responsible for its design, construction, and maintenance. The Department's Five-Year Strategic Plan organizes the department's work into four key focus areas: Resilient Workforce, Sustainable Funding, Reliable Infrastructure, and Effective Service Delivery. Operationally, the Public Works Department is working to be the best organization in the San Francisco Bay Area with focus on making strides to be at the forefront of Public Works best practices, investing in robust GIS, asset management, permitting, finance systems and much more. There are tremendous opportunities for the right individual and a number of exciting initiatives to be a key part of in creating an exciting, livable, and safe community.

PUBLIC WORKS ENGINEERING DIVISION

The City Engineer oversees the Engineering Division including 19 engineers, project managers, and public works inspectors tasked with management over transportation, capital improvement projects, and land development. The division has an operating budget of approximately $3 million, and a 2025-2027 Capital Budget of over $80 million.

Alameda is one of many Vision Zero communities across the nation, aiming to reduce traffic deaths and life-changing injuries to zero. Alameda’s Active Transportation Plan, adopted in 2022 further establishes a vision and concrete actions to provide safe, comfortable, and accessible ways for people of all ages and all abilities to get around Alameda by walking, biking, or using wheelchairs and mobility scooters, pedal and electric scooters, electric bikes, skateboards, and the like. Together, these guiding plans have led to an investment of more than $80 million in complete streets and safety improvements on the island with an additional $40 of grant funded projects in design.

Alameda, as an island city, is directly exposed to sea level rise and has prepared a Climate Action and Resiliency Plan. The Engineering Division will take a prominent role in developing and managing projects to protect the island from flooding due to increase storm intensity, emergent groundwater, and sea level rise. Design is currently underway for the first reach of perimeter levee protection on Bay Farm Island.

As a full-service City, the Public Works Engineering Division also oversees Alameda’s pavement management program, traffic signals, streetlights, storm drain, and sanitary sewer collection system with 44 pump stations.

Alameda is also managing significant land development with the transformation of Alameda Point from a former Naval Base to a new thriving community and the redevelopment of much of the northern waterfront.

Under general direction, is responsible for supervision, coordination, administration and management of all City engineering and public works project management work, activities and functions; performs those duties specified by statute and ordinance as those of City Engineer; performs other related work as required.

Benefits of Employment

• Work-Life Balance: Four-day, 36-hour work week (Monday through Thursday).
• CalPERS Retirement: Classic Members: 2% at 55 formula, 8.868% contribution; New Members 2% @ 62 formula, 8.75% contribution.
• Medical: The City contracts with CalPERS to provide comprehensive health coverage to employees. Multiple HMO and PPO plans available
• Dental: Comprehensive dental coverage provided to employees and their eligible dependents.
• Vacation: Starting with 75 hours annually and increasing with years of service.
• Holidays: 11 City Holidays and 4 floating Holidays.
• Sick Leave: 90 hours annually; unused sick leave is converted to service credit at retirement.

Work in this class is characterized by overall management responsibility for all aspects of City engineering work and functions, all public works construction and maintenance projects,and by those responsibilities established by statute or ordinance.

Education / Experience

Any combination equivalent to education and experience likely to provide the required knowledge and abilities. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

Education

Graduation from an accredited four year college or university with major course work in civil engineering or a closely related field.

Experience

Seven years of progressively responsible public works experience involving at least five years as a practicing civil engineer in a managerial/supervisory capacity.

Knowledge

Knowledge of the principles and practices of modern public works administration, civil engineeringand public contracting as applied to the administration of diversified public works activities; federal, state and local laws, codes, regulations and safety orders applicable to municipal public works operations, including planning and development, design, construction, operations, and maintenance; State of California Subdivision Map Act and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA); principles and practices of civil, structural, and hydraulic engineering related to municipal surveys, plans, and public works design; design practices and designing, estimating, and drawing plans for improvements; the processing of rights-of-way acquisitions; transportation and traffic engineering; and methods of identifying and resolving problems in respect to staffing, budgeting, supervision, training and employee relations.

Ability

Ability to effectively manage all City engineering work, activities and functions; properly exercise signatory City Engineer authority as established by statue or ordinance; plan, organize, coordinate and direct assigned staff, activities, projects, and programs including capital improvement projects; demonstrate effective leadership and gain consensus and support; develop and implement goals, objectives, policies, procedures, work standards and internal controls; review and analyze complex and technical information; draw valid conclusions and project consequences of decisions and recommendations; set priorities and meet deadlines; interpret and apply federal, state, and local laws and regulations related to Public Works management; interpret, apply and explain complex technical and governmental rules, laws, regulations, policies and procedures; issue instructions, directions and orders; maintain level of knowledge required for satisfactory job performance; establish and maintain accurate records; plan, administer and evaluate work programs and schedules; prepare concise and comprehensive studies and reports; set priorities, meet deadlines, and make sound decisions; prepare concise, comprehensive reports; maintain training and certifications as required; communicate effectively; act with resourcefulness, courtesy and initiative; exercise independent judgement; establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees,other departments, divisions and agencies, consultants, public officials, community organizations and the general public; and supervise, train and evaluate assigned staff.

Other Requirements

Registration as a Professional Civil Engineer with the State of California and experience as a practicing civil engineer for a period of not less than five years. (City of Alameda Municipal Code, Article III, section 2-30-1 c)

May require possession of a valid California Driver's License and satisfactory driving record as a condition of initial and continued employment.

Selection Process

The examination process may include an application and supplemental questionnaire evaluation, a written exam, a practical exam, and an oral interview. The examination process may test for, but is not limited to, the essential knowledge and abilities listed in the job specification and announcement and will be designed to provide a comprehensive review of each candidate's technical knowledge and overall suitability for the position. Qualified applicants will be notified of the exact date, time, and location of examinations approximately two weeks in advance.

Candidates passing all components of the examination process will be placed on an Eligible List. A list of names is certified to the department(s) having vacancies based on the type of examination conducted pursuant to the provision of the City's Civil Service Rules. Final selection will be made from the Eligible List by the Department Head subject to approval by the City Manager. The Department Head may utilize additional selection procedures to make a final hiring decision. Placement on an Eligible List does not guarantee employment. Prior to appointment, a thorough reference check will be conducted which may include a credit check and background. The selection process may be evaluated and revised based on the number of qualified applicants. Federal law requires that prior to employment, you must furnish proof of your identity and eligibility for employment in the United States, as required by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Tentative Schedule

Applications submitted during the timeframe below

• September – October 31, 2026
• November 1 – November 30, 2026
• December 1 – December 31, 2026
• January 1 – January 31, 2027
• February 1 – February 29, 2027

Applications evaluated

• Week of November 2, 2026
• Week of December 7, 2026
• Week of January 4, 2027
• Week of February 1, 2027
• Week of March 1, 2027

Department interviews (tentative)

• Week of November 16, 2026
• Week of December 21, 2026
• Week of January 18, 2027
• Week of February 15, 2027
• Week of March 15, 2027

E-Verify

The City of Alameda utilizes the Federal government's E-Verify program and new employees must provide documentation to establish both identity and work authorization, which includes showing a valid United States Social Security card at the time of hire (photocopies not accepted).

Veteran's Preference Credit

A job applicant qualifies as a veteran if honorably discharged from active military, reservist, or National Guard duty of at least 18 consecutive months within the past five (5) years of the date of application. In case of discharge attributable to service-connected injuries or illnesses, the 18 months active-duty requirement need not be fulfilled. An applicant claiming veteran's preference credit must attach to their application, a legible copy of their DD-214 verifying the type of discharge and date(s) of active service. NO OTHER DOCUMENTATION WILL BE ACCEPTED.

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The City of Alameda is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and affirmative action employer. We celebrate diversity and do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability status, or any other applicable characteristics protected by law. In compliance with local, state and federal laws and regulations, the City of Alameda will employ and promote qualified individuals without regard to disability. The City is committed to making reasonable accommodations in the examination process and in the work environment. Individuals requesting reasonable accommodations in the examination process must do so no later than the final filing date for receipt of applications, otherwise it may not be possible to arrange accommodations for the selection process. Such requests should be addressed to the Human Resources Department | 1-510-747-4900 | [e-mail] | 2263 Santa Clara Avenue, Rm. 290, Alameda, 94501. Requests can be made via email, phone, or in writing via U.S. mail.

The information contained herein is subject to change and does not constitute either an expressed or implied contract.