Duwamish Valley Water Resilience Engineer

City of Seattle; Seattle (WA); Hybrid; USD 103,000 - 121,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work schedule

Generous benefits package

Free Orca Pass

City pension plan

Job summary

The City of Seattle is seeking a Senior Civil Engineer to lead water management infrastructure in the Duwamish Valley, overseeing drainage, wastewater conveyance, water treatment, flood mitigation, and sea level rise adaptation. This role sits in a new place-based resilience section within SPU and drives capital programs worth hundreds of millions.

Applicants will manage a multimillion-dollar portfolio, collaborate with City departments and external partners to deliver community co-benefits, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering or civil engineering technology, or equivalent background.
• Five years professional civil engineering experience.
• Registration as a Professional Engineer in the State of Washington and a valid WA driver's license.
• Desirable qualifications include experience in water management infrastructure, PMI project management practices, and cross-agency coordination.

Responsibilities

• Lead project initiation and options analysis for drainage, wastewater, flood management, and sea level rise adaptation.
• Represent the DWW LOB during project delivery phases.
• Review records, models, GIS data to define engineering solutions.
• Oversee cost, benefit, and risk evaluations as the technical resource for the DVWR.
• Support portfolio management and funding strategies for DVWR capital projects.
• Guide staff and consultants to meet regulatory and environmental requirements.

Skills

PMI project management practices

Multimillion-dollar portfolio

Stakeholder communication

Regulatory navigation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering or civil engineering technology

Job description

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is seeking a new Senior Civil Engineer to help lead water management infrastructure delivery in the Duwamish Valley, including drainage and wastewater conveyance, water treatment, flood mitigation, sea level rise adaptation, etc. This is an exciting opportunity to innovate, shape hundreds of millions of dollars in capital improvement projects and bring about transformational change to ensure residents and businesses thrive despite a changing climate. The Engineer will be part of a newly created place-based water resilience section in SPU.

Building on the Duwamish Valley Resilience District work, the Engineer will manage a multimillion-dollar portfolio, leading capital programs and individual projects in the Duwamish Valley. This position will play a critical role in advancing SPU’s infrastructure investments, climate change adaptation and resilience, environmental stewardship, and environmental justice efforts in one of Seattle’s most vital industrial and residential corridors. This engineer will work in close coordination and support other City of Seattle departments and external partners to deliver community co-benefits including open space, river access, community-supportive services, livability improvements. If this technical challenge fits your strengths and interests, this could be the opportunity you’ve been searching for. Let’s build the future of Seattle’s infrastructure together–let’s grow together!

About Seattle Public Utilities: Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is a community-centered utility that delivers vital services to Seattle residents and businesses including drinking water, drainage and wastewater, and garbage/recycling/compost. SPU also provides drinking water for 1.5 million customers in the region. SPU’s work includes system maintenance and improvements and keeping Seattle clean. Over 1,400 SPU employees work with our community to provide affordable and equitable stewardship of our water and waste resources for future generations.

For more information about Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), check out the:

• SPU Website
• SPU Workplace Expectations (Download PDF reader)
• Strategic Business Plan

SPU commits to Our City Values and Race and Social Justice as core principles that guide our work. We actively take steps to dismantle systemic racism and increase service equity. We value diverse life experiences and strive to create a workplace that is welcoming to all. We take steps to be inclusive and equitable in our recruiting, hiring, and promotional opportunities.

Why join us?

We know work isn’t only about what you do it’s also about who you work for and with! SPU provides a fun and family-friendly work environment that supports a work life balance, including:

• Hybrid work schedule opportunities
• Family-friendly and multicultural work environment
• Generous benefits package
• Free Orca Pass
• City pension plan with employer/employee contributions
• Growth potential and advancement opportunities

Line of Business (LOB) Representative

• Lead project initiation and options analysis, defining solutions to address drainage and wastewater system problems, urban and riverine flood management, sea level rise adaptation, and to meet water quality regulatory requirements.
• Represent the DWW LOB during subsequent project delivery phases (e.g., design, construction, etc.).
• Troubleshoot operational issues in water management infrastructure by reviewing and interpreting record drawings, hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, GIS data, staff and other agencies reports, etc. to define and develop appropriate engineering solutions.
• Lead or oversee civil engineering analyses, including cost, benefit, and risk evaluations, serving as technical resource within the DWW Planning & Program Management Division.

Capital Portfolio Management

• Manage a multimillion-dollar, place-based capital portfolio with multiple projects of moderate to high complexity.
• Support the DVWR Section Manager by performing portfolio-scale prioritizations and analyses based on engineering parameters and standards.
• Support efforts to fund capital projects in the Duwamish Valley (e.g., grants, loans, financing, etc.).

DVWR Section Support

• Serve as the civil engineering subject matter expert (SME) for the DVWR team guiding and supporting other Duwamish Valley LOB representatives.
• Provide technical interpretation and application of existing policies, codes, and engineering standards to ensure that the Duwamish Valley capital projects, planning, design, and engineering studies meet regulatory, environmental, and operational requirements.
• Direct and review staff’s and consultants’ work to analyze and resolve complex civil engineering issues.

Emergency Preparedness and Response

• Participate in South Park flooding preparedness and response activities, including playing an active role in the Incident Command System (ICS) during emergencies.

Environmental Justice

• Ensure equitable distribution of benefits from public investments.
• Align, coordinate, and sequence SPU’s and other partners’ projects and investments to minimize unintended impacts on and maximize benefits for Duwamish Valley residents and businesses.

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering or civil engineering technology; (or a combination of education and/or training and/or experience, which provides an equivalent background required to perform the work of the class).

Experience:

Requires five years professional civil engineering experience.

Certifications/License:

Registration as a Professional Engineer in the State of Washington. Current Washington State driver’s license or evidence of equivalent mobility.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience designing and delivering water management infrastructure projects (e.g., drainage and wastewater conveyance, water treatment, flood mitigation, sea level rise adaptation, and such).
• Demonstrated experience applying PMI project management practices (scope, schedule, budget, risk and stakeholder management) to deliver complex capital projects throughout the project lifecycle.
• Skilled at navigating regulatory processes (e.g., permitting, zoning, land use regulations, and/or interagency coordination) to support infrastructure projects design and delivery.
• Ability to leverage infrastructure projects investments to advance equitable outcomes and deliver co-benefits (e.g., salmon habitat, open space, river access, jobs, etc.).
• Experience designing and delivering infrastructure projects in highly regulated environments and across multiple regulatory contexts (e.g., Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act; National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System; consent decrees; etc.).
• Proven ability to manage multimillion-dollar capital portfolios, including developing and tracking budgets, funding strategies, and prioritizing and allocating resources within the portfolio.
• Experience and proficiency in understanding utility system modeling concepts.
• Effectively leading complex projects with diverse teams of internal staff and consultants with minimal oversight.
• Comfortable shifting between detailed technical work and big picture thinking.

The full salary range for this position is $74.99 - $87.31 per hour.

Workplace Environment:

This position allows for the flexibility of a hybrid work schedule. City employees will have the option to work remotely two days a week. Individual schedules will be agreed upon by the employee and their supervisor.

Who May Apply

All qualified candidates may apply.

The City of Seattle encourages people of all backgrounds to apply, including people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ, people with disabilities, veterans, and those with diverse life experience. This position is open to all qualified candidates that meet the minimum qualifications. The City of Seattle values diverse perspectives and life experiences. Applicants will be considered regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, disability, religious or political affiliation, age, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

The City of Seattle offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, holiday, and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability insurance for employees and their dependents. More information about employee benefits is available on the City’s website at: https://www.seattle.gov/human-resources/benefits