Maintenance Program Manager (Civil Engineer Transportation Advanced) - $3,000 Sign-On Bonus!

State of Wisconsin; Rhinelander (WI); Hybrid; USD 93,000 - 114,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work schedule

Excellent benefits

Pension plan

Job summary

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation in Rhinelander seeks a Civil Engineer Transportation Advanced to manage the regional highway maintenance program for 18 counties in the North Central Region. You will lead complex maintenance projects and coordinate with county and state offices.

You will work in a hybrid schedule headquartered in Rhinelander, with travel, fieldwork, and standby duties. A Wisconsin PE license is required or obtainable within 3 months.

Qualifications

• A valid Professional Engineering registration and able to obtain Wisconsin PE within 3 months if PE registered elsewhere.

Responsibilities

• Develop and administer the regional highway maintenance program for assigned counties.
• Provide engineering direction and guidance in highway maintenance and policy decisions.
• Serve as the engineer for maintenance in assigned counties, including media exposure.
• Collaborate with WisDOT maintenance staff and Bureau of Highway Maintenance, track costs and materials, and liaise with governmental units.
• Travel frequently, work outside normal hours, and be part of standby status.

Skills

Program management

Civil engineering

Public liaison

Education

Professional Engineering registration

Job description

Introduction

Are you a professional engineer looking for an opportunity to become a program manager? Are you interested in managing maintenance activities? Read more to find out about becoming the Maintenance Program Manager (Civil Engineer Transportation Advanced) in the North Central Region of Wisconsin!

This WI Department of Transportation (WisDOT), Division of Transportation System Development (DTSD) is seeking an interested and qualified individual to fill a Civil Engineer Transportation Advanced position in the North Central Region!

This full-time position will be headquartered in Rhinelander, Wisconsin.

This position offers a hybridized work schedule. The position will be headquartered at and required to work from the DTSD Regional State Office Building in Rhinelander, WI at least two days per week. All employees working a hybrid work schedule are generally expected to telework from within the State of Wisconsin. This topic will be discussed more at the time of the interview.

Benefits

• Substantial leave time including at least 3.5 weeks of paid leave time to start, 9 paid holidays, and 130 hours of sick time that roll over each year.


• Excellent and affordable health, vision, and dental benefits (health plan options start at just $49/month for single plans and $122/month for family plans after two months of employment)


• A casual office atmosphere, flexible work schedules, and telework options depending on the position’s requirements


• An exceptional pension plan with employer match and lifetime retirement payment, plus an optional tax advantaged 457 retirement savings plan


• Well Wisconsin Wellness Program


• A free and confidential employee assistance program that offers employees and their immediate family dependents a variety of tools, resources, and professional consultation services to support their health, goals, and overall well-being


• Use this Total Rewards Calculator to see the total value of our competitive benefits package!

In addition to our generous employee benefits, we strive for inclusivity and celebrate different religious holidays and cultural observances and provide flexibility for utilizing paid time off for such celebrations. For more information on WisDOT you can visit our website by clicking here.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is an organization dedicated to creating transportation solutions through innovation and exceptional service. We are committed to fostering an environment rooted in Integrity, Diversity, Excellence, and Accountability. Click here to learn more about how we apply these values in our work.

Every day, WisDOT’s Division of Transportation System Development plays the leading role in the upkeep and improvement of nearly 12,000 miles of state highways and bridges used by millions of people. You’ll find that behind every barrel is a dedicated team from a wide array of backgrounds including engineering, planning, environmental services, public outreach, real estate, finance and many more. It can be a challenging job, but we think you’ll find it’s an awfully rewarding one, too.

We’re looking for detail-oriented critical thinkers to help deliver a quality program to build, improve and maintain transportation infrastructure throughout the state. We encourage anyone at any point in any career to take a look at WisDOT opportunities and give some thought to how your skills and resume line up. Having a good attitude, a willingness to learn and a passion for creating lasting, impactful work will go a long way here. It’s a big system with lots of opportunity and responsibilities.

Are you up for it? At WisDOT, you can Build the Future – NOW.

Position Summary

This position is responsible for developing and administering the regional highway maintenance program for assigned counties, splitting the region’s 18 counties with the other regional maintenance engineer. Assignments are broad in scope and continually require the use of independent judgment in making engineering decisions. This position is responsible for independent decisions and performs work in response to program needs as interpreted by the employee, with little or no review of the work by the supervisor. Engineering responsibilities require continually high-level contacts with public and private officials. The work requires engineering judgments on the most complex technical concerns and sensitive issues. The engineering decisions made have large consequence of error. This position provides engineering direction and guidance and performs complex engineering functions in highway maintenance activities. This position serves as the engineer for all aspects pertaining to maintenance in assigned counties, including policy decisions and media exposure.

This position is one of two program managers for the regional highway maintenance program. Under the general direction of the Maintenance Supervisor, this position has the authority to exercise discretion and perform as designated representative. This position serves as a resource and advisor on project teams; collaborates with WisDOT maintenance staff and Bureau of Highway Maintenance (BHM) personnel; works with the counties on tracking costs and materials; serves as a liaison with various governmental units; and responds to problems and complaints.

Salary Information

This position is in schedule-range 14-13 with an annual salary of $92,768-$114,483, plus excellent benefits. Plus, an additional $2,080 per year for a Professional Engineer (PE) License. This position will receive standby pay at the rate of $3.00 per hour. See job details below for further information.

A twelve month probationary period is required. Pay for current state employees will be set in accordance with the Wisconsin State Compensation Plan.

A $3,000 sign-on bonus applies to those who do not have any prior permanent full-time state service in the last five years and agree to remain in the position for one year. The $3,000 will be paid on the first paycheck.

Job Details

This position requires the ability to frequently travel on an independent basis. This position also requires the ability to work outside of normal work hours and is required to serve in standby status as a member of the Region’s Statewide Incident Notification Team on an as needed basis.

This position requires fieldwork. This can include working in all seasons, including adverse weather conditions and working in high volume traffic conditions, bending on a limited basis, and lifting approximately 40 lbs. and carrying this load approximately 50 feet over varying terrain.

This state agency does not sponsor work visas. This state agency is not enrolled in USCIS E-Verify and is not eligible to employ international F-1 students seeking STEM-OPT extension. Any appointment made will be contingent on the applicant being able to prove valid status to work in the United States.

Prior to any appointments for position(s) filled from this announcement, candidates may be subject to a comprehensive criminal background check which may include FBI fingerprinting.

Qualifications

Qualified candidates must have the following at the time of application: A valid Professional Engineering registration and be able to obtain a Wisconsin PE registration within 3 months if PE registration is from another state.

Deadline to Apply

The deadline to apply is 11:59 PM CT on Sunday, September 20th, 2026.