Engineering Technician 4/5, Road Department

Ingham County; Michigan; On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Ingham County in Michigan seeks a Grade 4/5 Engineering Technician to support road and bridge design, construction inspection, and traffic engineering under the Project Engineer. Responsibilities include drawing plans from field notes, conducting field studies, inspecting construction, preparing pay estimates, and maintaining project documentation.

Strong CAD, survey, and data management skills are required.

Qualifications

• Associate's degree in civil engineering or related field, with up to 3 years experience (co‑op/intern allowed) OR high school diploma with 5 years experience.
• Must possess a valid Michigan Driver's License.
• One year after hire, obtain MDOT certifications in specified areas (Grade 4 or 5).

Responsibilities

• Draw proposed plans for road/bridge improvements from field notes and standards.
• Lead field studies on PASER ratings, pavement thickness, soils, and traffic data.
• Inspect construction to ensure conformance to specs and coordinate with contractors.
• Compute pay estimates and prepare project documentation.
• Assist with surveying, staking, and gathering topographic information.
• Perform field testing of materials and document results.
• Maintain road inventories and asset management data.
• Represent the Road Department at meetings and manage records.

Skills

Communication

Field inspection

Project coordination

Education

Associate’s Degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Technology or related field

High school diploma + 5 years experience

Co‑op and/or internship experience

Tools

CAD (OpenRoads, MicroStation)

RoadSoft

Survey equipment & software

OpenRoads / RoadEng

MERL / ProjectWise / FieldBook

Job description

Under the supervision of the Project Engineer, or their designee, performs a variety of duties related to road and bridge design and construction, development evaluation and construction, permitting and traffic engineering. Grade 4 Engineering Technicians serve in entry level and intermediate assisting roles respectively while professionally developing. Grade 5 Engineering Technicians serve as a lead for Grade 4 Engineering Technicians and seasonal employees, coordinating and directing construction inspection work assignments and checking their work for conformance to standards, specifications, and guidelines. Collects survey information, drafts plan sheets, and assists engineers in preparing specifications for construction projects. Performs primary construction project oversight; monitors ongoing project activities to ensure conformance to standards, plans, and specifications, directs and/or performs appropriate testing, gathers proper contract documentation, and prepares contractor pay estimates. Operates land survey and traffic data collection equipment. Responds to the public, maintains records, and performs other technical and administrative tasks associated with Road Department operations.

1. Using field notes, topographic survey data, and standard specifications, draws proposed plans for contracted road or bridge improvements as directed. Computes existing and proposed grades and calculates quantities for cost analyses. Surveys, plans, prepares drawings and specifications from which various Road Department projects can be constructed.
2. Conducts/leads a variety of engineering field studies pertaining to PASER ratings, pavement thickness, soils investigation, traffic volume, pavement markings, vehicle turning movements, culvert and storm sewer inventories, etc. Maintains RoadSoft inventory databases for asset management analyses.
3. Conducts/leads inspection activities for construction contract work and annual Road Department system improvement programs to ensure that work meets standard specification, plan and proposal requirements. Plans, directs, and performs field sampling and testing of materials. Performs and verifies construction project staking and ensures proper placement of work zone signing and traffic control devices. Coordinates inspection functions with the contractor’s operations. Advises the contractor concerning the suitability of materials and methods used.
4. Measures, computes and keeps records of materials used and work performed in the field. Computes and compiles final quantities of construction work performed by contractors, and prepares various reports. Calculates pay estimates for road, bridge, and Road Department system improvement programs. Advises the contractor on material acceptance requirements and ensures compilation of proper project documentation.
5. Assists the surveying technician in gathering topographic information, planning and designing field modifications, and laying out projects. Uses conventional and electronic survey equipment and software as required, to accomplish layout, staking, and grading direction for contractors and Road Department crews.
6. Performs minor repairs on Road Department equipment and maintains equipment inventory.
7. Responds to information requests and complaint calls from the general public. Coordinates follow-up with appropriate personnel and enters data into computer database. Answers inquiries and complaints from the public and mitigates complaints regarding construction, construction traffic control, and access problems.
8. Performs office work such as filling out forms, keeping records, filing documents and reproducing documents or drawings. Tabulates measurements and field data, maintains related records, prepares support materials diagrams and prepares various written reports.
9. Represents the Road Department at pre-construction meetings and other project related and Committee meetings. Provides information related to particular projects and performs various administrative tasks.
10. Initiates and assists with claims against parties responsible for damaging Road Department property and may appear in Small Claims Court when necessary to enforce payment.
11. Maintains and updates road certificates, maps, road inventories, etc.
12. Attends a variety of workshops and seminars and reads periodicals and other related materials to stay current on new developments, techniques and methods.

Other Functions:

• Performs other duties as assigned.
• Must adhere to departmental standards in regard to HIPAA and other privacy issues.
• During a public health emergency, the employee may be required to perform duties similar to but not limited to those in his/her job description.

(An employee in this position may be called upon to do any or all of the above tasks. These examples do not include all of the tasks which the employee may be expected to perform.)

Grade 4:

A minimum of an Associate’s Degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Technology or a related field with up to 3 years of experience (applicable co‑op and/or summer internship allowed) in construction inspection/methods, computer‑aided drafting (CAD), land‑surveying methods, traffic engineering or related fields; OR a high school diploma or equivalent plus a minimum 5 years of experience as provided above.

Grade 5:

A minimum of an Associate’s Degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Technology or a related field plus a minimum of 3 years of experience (applicable co‑op and/or summer internship allowed) in construction inspection/methods, computer‑aided drafting (CAD), land‑surveying methods, traffic engineering or related fields.

Other Requirements:

• Must possess a valid Michigan Motor Vehicle Operator’s License.
• One year after date of hire, employees must obtain MDOT or other recognized Certification in at least the following number or more per given grade of the following listed areas:

Grade 4— minimum 4 certifications;

Grade 5— minimum 5 certifications;

• Bituminous Testing
• Bituminous Paving
• Aggregate Testing
• Density Control, including certification in an approved Nuclear Safety Program.
• Concrete Testing
• Work Zone Safety
• SESC (Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control) or Storm Water Operator
• Excavating Safety: Competent Person Training
• Concrete Construction Inspector (ACI)
• Concrete Paving and Structures (MDOT Inspection School)
• Bridge Painting/Cleaning and Coating Structural Steel (MDOT)
• Pavement, Signs and Markings (Levels I and II)
• Construction of ADA Compliant Facilities

• MDOT Standard Specifications for Construction
• MDOT Construction Manual
• MDOT HMA Production Manual
• Commonly used Michigan Test Methods
• MDOT Road and Bridge Standard Plans
• Density Control handbook
• Procedures for Aggregate Inspection
• MDOT Materials Quality Assurance Procedures Manual
• MDOT Hot Mix Asphalt QC/QA Procedures Manual

• Microsoft Office Programs [e.g. Word, Excel, Access]
• Computer‑aided drafting (CAD), [e.g. Bentley Microstation]
• Road design platform(s) and electronic survey and GPS data collection and processing, [e.g. OpenRoads, RoadEng]
• Project estimating [e.g. MERL]
• Construction project data collection and administration software, [e.g. Mobile Inspector, FieldBook, FieldManager, AASHTOWare]
• Project management software [e.g. ProjectWise]
• Asset management database software [e.g. RoadSoft]
• Specialty and proprietary Engineering Software for pavements, walls, hydraulics, etc [e.g. Hec‑Ras, HY8]
• PDF software [e.g. Bluebeam, Adobe]

Demonstrates effective communication skills by engaging, interacting and working with all individuals to ensure clarity and understanding in all interactions.

(The qualifications listed above are intended to represent the minimum skills and experience levels associated with performing the duties and responsibilities contained in this job description. The qualifications should not be viewed as expressing absolute employment or promotional standards, but as general guidelines that should be considered along with other job‑related selection or promotional criteria.)

Physical Requirements:

• Sitting, walking, standing, bending and lifting/holding/carrying objects found in an office environment.
• Walking, bending and twisting on pavement, dirt and other outdoor surfaces in various weather conditions.
• Occasional lifting of items up to 50 pounds.
• Ability to communicate and respond to co‑worker and customer inquiries both in person and over the phone.
• Ability to operate a PC/laptop and to enter & retrieve information from a computer.
• Ability to handle varying and often high levels of stress.

Working Conditions:

• The typical work environment occurs in an office setting where sensory experience includes uniform temperatures, conversational noise and everyday office activities.
• Frequently, the work environment occurs outside where exposure to temperature, weather conditions, allergens and loud noises are increased.

OPEIU(Road Dept)

April 2019

Pay grades 4/5