Engineering Student Assistant - Technician/Field Work - Hybrid

Theuniversityunion; Sacramento (CA); Hybrid; USD 25,000 - 39,000; Part time

Job summary

Caltrans seeks a student assistant to support the Construction Safety and Insurance Program under supervision of senior engineers. The role emphasizes learning, data tracking, and coordination with internal and external partners while ensuring safe and efficient statewide operations.

Eligible college students enrolled in Civil Engineering or related fields will assist on projects, with flexible hours, 8 AM–5 PM and a 24-hour cap per week during the academic year.

Qualifications

• Must be a college student enrolled in fall, spring, and winter terms.
• Must maintain minimum GPA per term requirements.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, Word).

Responsibilities

• Assist staff in evaluating and monitoring safety initiatives.
• Track safety initiatives using spreadsheets and tools; monitor deadlines.
• Prepare reports and dashboards on safety programs using Tableau/Excel.
• Coordinate with Caltrans and external partners on safety projects.

Skills

MS Office

Communication

Data management

Education

2 Year Degree

Tools

Tableau

Adobe Acrobat

Job description

• Base Pay $18.28 - $28.16 / Hour
• Job Category Part-time, Off-campus, Caltrans
• Employee Type Student Assistant
• Required Degree 2 Year Degree
• Manage Others No

Description

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is seeking to hire a student assistant, in a learning capacity, to work under the close supervision of the Office Chief who is a Supervising Transportation Engineer and with lead direction from Senior Transportation Engineers (Specialist) and Associate Government Program Analyst in the office. In a learning capacity, the Student Assistant (Engineering and Architectural Sciences) will assist in various projects and performs numerous assignments to ensure the Construction Safety and Insurance Program is conducting business safely and efficiently on a statewide basis and to enhance and strengthen the Construction Division’s safety program. This position will also support good customer service practices by providing courteous and timely responses, following through on commitments, and considering internal and external customer input when completing assignments.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

This is a part-time, temporary, non-benefited, student position. Employment in all positions with University Enterprises, Inc. is dependent upon the mutual consent of University Enterprises, Inc. and the employee. This means that either University Enterprises, Inc. or the employee can, at any time, terminate the employment relationship at will, with or without cause. Depending on the type of position you are applying for, a pre-employment background check consisting of one or more of the following may be conducted: employment history, professional references, criminal check: educational verification (degree, license, or official transcript) or DMV clearance. Applicants will be required to pass required pre-employment checks to the satisfaction of University Enterprises, Inc. (UEI) and the hiring Agency or Department. UEI does not allow students to hold more than one UEI Job at a time, or work in more than one account per pay period. UEI employees who are considering leaving their current UEI Student assistant position for a different UEI student assistant position should inform their supervisor in writing and provide at least a week’s notice.

UEI is not a multi-state employer. UEI only employs candidates who live and work in the state of California. If selected for the position you must reside in California and all work must be performed in the state of California throughout the course of employment.

Prerequisites

Must be a college student attending classes during the regular term (fall, spring, and winter, if applicable), at one of the accredited colleges or universities on our affiliation list.
To view our current affiliation list please paste the followingURLinto your browser: http://www.calinterns.org/wp-content/uploads/Affiliation_List.pdf
Students must be enrolled in at least six-semester units or nine quarter units for undergraduate students; four-semester units or six quarter units for graduate students.
Students declared major must match the major(s) listed in the job posting.

Majors/Fields of Study

Civil Engineering.

Work Schedule

F lexible workdays and work hours, Monday – Friday, between 8 AM – 5 PM. Final work schedule will be determined by the supervisor.

Additional Work Schedule

Student Assistant and Graduate Assistant employees generally work up to 24 hours per workweek (Sunday – Saturday) during the academic year and up to 40 hours per workweek during breaks; (winter, spring, and summer).

Compensation

$18.28 – $28.16 per hour.

Minimum Qualifications

• Must maintain a minimum cumulative 2.0GPA.
• Must complete each term with minimum unit requirements for Undergraduate and Graduate student classifications. Proof will be collected at the end of each Spring and Fall term.

Ability to work cooperatively with others and maintain consistent and regular attendance.

Ability to exercise good judgment and work independently.

Strong verbal and written communication skills.

Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, and Word.

Strong attention to detail and reliability.

Good organizational and communication skills.

Strong deductive reasoning and analytical abilities.

Familiarity with Adobe Acrobat Professional.

Ability to operate various office equipment, including PCs, copiers, document scanners, mailing machines, and printers.

Preferred Qualifications

• Under the amendment to Government Code Section 18220, state agencies shall give preference to a qualified applicant (up to 26 years of age) who is, or has been, a dependent child in foster care, a homeless youth, a formerly incarcerated youth, or a victim of human trafficking.

Experience with or familiarity with Tableau or similar data visualization platforms.

Experience with database software and accurate, reliable data entry.

Familiarity with Adobe eSign.

Ability to create clear, accurate, and easy-to-understand charts and graphs.

Ability to learn and understand new workflow processes.

Willingness and ability to learn and adapt to new software and applications.

Duties and Responsibilities

• In a learning capacity, the Student Assistant will assist staff in evaluating, monitoring, implementing proposed safety initiatives to carry out work zone safety measures to enhance safety in the work zone for both the travelling public and workers:
  • Help track these safety initiatives using spreadsheets and tracking tools. Monitor completion dates or deadlines.
  • Perform necessary follow-up actions to ensure timely completion of these safety initiatives.
  • Assist staff in proposing, evaluating, and developing specifications to implement safety initiatives and work zone safety measures.
  • Coordinate with internal and external partners including but not limited to other programs or divisions in the department, California Highway Patrol, Federal Highway Administration, industry partners or contractors.
• In a learning capacity, the Student Assistant will assist staff with data management, including researching, collecting, and reviewing data; maintaining databases or tracking spreadsheets; preparing reports and performing quality assurance checks on various information for the following but not limited to Construction Zone Enhanced Enforcement Program (COZEEP), Construction Freeway Service Patrol Program, Caltrans Construction Safety Award Program (CCSAP), Major Construction Incident Notification (MCIN), and insurance program.
• In a learning capacity, the Student Assistant will assist staff in preparing manual, guidance, directive, and report including but not limited to the following; Construction Manual and Code of Safe Practices, drafting Construction Policy Directive, and the annual Contract Administration Process Evaluation (CAPE) Report, and other technical reports.Help staff in preparing various PowerPoint presentations.
• In a learning capacity, the Student Assistant will assist staff in developing and providing safety-related training.
• In a learning capacity, the Student Assistant will assist staff in working with other stakeholders to develop and improve useful safety applications to be utilized by Construction field staff and to monitor safety performance dashboard by the districts staff via Tableau platform.
• In a learning capacity, the Student Assistant will assist staff in coordinating and facilitating various statewide, division, and officemeetings, and meetings with industry partners including Caltrans/Industry Annual
  Safety Summit and Safety Summit Task Group (SSTG) monthly meetings.
• Performs other duties as required.

Physical Requirements

Sit for extended periods; frequently stand and walk; manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination; corrected hearing and vision to normal range; verbal communication; use of office equipment including computer workstations, telephones, calculators, copiers, printers, and scanners with or without reasonable accommodation.

Working Conditions

Work is performed in a hybrid environment.

Students/Employees will be required to work according to the current UEI remote workplace policy and sign a UEI Work from Home Agreement. The decision to permit an employee to work from home is at the discretion of the supervisor or employer and may, at any time and with or without cause, unilaterally terminate the option to work from home.

Apply by: 10/7/26

Summary

Caltrans manages more than 50,000 miles of California’s highway and freeway lanes, provides inter-city rail services, permits more than 400 public-use airports and special-use hospital heliports, and works with local agencies. Caltrans carries out its mission of providing a safe, sustainable, integrated, and efficient transportation system to enhance California’s economy and livability, with six primary programs: Aeronautics, Highway Transportation, Mass Transportation, Transportation Planning, Administration, and the Equipment Service Center.

• Agency/Department Transportation, Dept of (Caltrans)