PRINCIPAL TRANSPORTATION ENGINEER, CALTRANS

State of California; California; Hybrid; USD 170,000 - 193,000; Full time

Job summary

State of California, Department of Transportation (Caltrans), invites applications for the Deputy District Director - Traffic Operations in San Joaquin County. The role oversees the Division of Traffic Operations, including the Office of Safety and Office of Mobility, with responsibilities in planning, budgeting, and directing program work.

Salary ranges from $15,263 to $17,336 per month, with telework options and hybrid work model.

Qualifications

• Valid certificate of registration as a civil, electrical, or mechanical engineer issued by the California State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers.
• One year supervising-level transportation engineering experience or four years at Senior level.
• One year managerial experience at Supervising Transportation Planner level or four years supervisory or managerial experience at Senior Transportation Planner level.
• Two years of civil engineering work at the Associate engineer level or higher.
• Broad and extensive more-than-five-years transportation engineering experience equivalent to Senior level.

Responsibilities

• Plan, organize, budget, control, review and direct the work of Traffic Operations programs.
• Make presentations to the public and local agencies; represent the Department on policy matters.
• Prepare correspondence and reports; serve as Duty Officer; act on behalf of the District 10 Director as needed.

Education

PE license (Civil/Electrical/Mechanical)

Job description

Job Posting:Deputy District Director - Traffic Operations

Department of Transportation

JC-537207 -

JC-537207 - Deputy District Director - Traffic Operations
PRINCIPAL TRANSPORTATION ENGINEER, CALTRANS

$15,263.00 - $17,336.00 per Month
New to State candidates will be hired into the minimum salary of the classification or minimum of alternate range when applicable.

Final Filing Date: 11/12/2026

Under the direction of the District Director, the incumbent is responsible for managing the Division of Traffic Operations, which includes the Office of Safety and Office of Mobility. Specific responsibilities include planning, organizing, budgeting, controlling, reviewing and directing the work of Traffic Operations programs. The incumbent makes presentations to the public and local agencies, represents the Department on policy matters, prepares correspondence and reports, serves as Duty Officer, and acts on behalf of the District 10 Director as needed.

You will find additional information about the job in the Duty Statement.

Working Conditions

This position may be eligible for telework. The amount of telework is at the discretion of the Department and based on Caltrans’s evolving telework policy. Caltrans supports telework, recognizing that in-person attendance may be required based on operational needs. Employees are expected to be able to report to their worksites with minimum notification if an urgent need arises. The selected candidate will be required to commute to the headquartered location as needed to meet operational needs. Business travel may be required and reimbursement considers an employee’s designated headquartered location, primary residence, and may be subject to CalHR regulations or applicable bargaining unit contract provisions. All commute expenses to the headquartered location will be the responsibility of the selected candidate.

Minimum Requirements

You will find the Minimum Requirements in the Class Specification.

• PRINCIPAL TRANSPORTATION ENGINEER, CALTRANS

Deputy District Director - Traffic Operations

Classification:

PRINCIPAL TRANSPORTATION ENGINEER, CALTRANS $15,263.00 - $17,336.00 New to State candidates will be hired into the minimum salary of the classification or minimum of alternate range when applicable.

# of Positions:

1

Work Location:

San Joaquin County

Telework:

Hybrid

Job Type:

Permanent, Full Time

Department Information

Caltrans Mission: Improving lives and communities through transportation.

Caltrans Vision: A thriving and connected California.

The Caltrans workforce is made up of diverse and unique individuals who contribute to our organizational success.

Caltrans Director’s EEO Policy and EEO Policy Statement:

Email will be the primary form of communication for this position. Please ensure you have a valid email address on your application.

Special Requirements

Pursuant to California Code of Regulations § 549.90, this position will be filled via the California Department of Transportation Managerial Selection Program (MSP) process.

This process provides for examination and job-selection specific to each position and consistent with the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the classification.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Possession of a valid certificate of registration as a civil, electrical, or mechanical engineer issued by the California State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers. and
• Either I
  Experience: One year of transportation engineering experience as a Supervising level engineer in the California state service; or four years of transportation engineering experience as a Senior level engineer.
• Or II
  Experience: One year of managerial experience in the California state service equivalent in level to a Supervising Transportation Planner, or four years of supervisory or managerial experience equivalent in level to a Senior Transportation Planner. and
• Experience: Two years of civil engineering work at the Associate engineer level or higher in the California state service.
• Or III
  Experience: Broad and extensive (more than five years) transportation engineering experience equivalent in responsibility to a Senior or higher level engineer in the California state service.

Examination Information:

This examination will utilize an evaluation of each candidate’s experience and education (E&E) compared to a standard developed from the Class Specification. For this reason, it is especially important that each candidate take special care in accurately and completely filling out his or her State application (STD. 678). List all experience relevant to the “Minimum Qualifications”.

This examination will not establish a civil service list; therefore, candidates will not have the ability to transfer their eligibility to other departments. Candidates will be notified of their examination results.

Note: If using Out of Class (OOC) experience, you must submit a copy of your signed and approved OOC documentation. Failure to do so may result in your OOC experience not being considered during the evaluation process of this examination.

Applicants requiring reasonable accommodations for the hiring interview process must request the necessary accommodations if scheduled for a hiring interview. The request should be made at the time of contact to schedule the interview. Questions regarding reasonable accommodations may be directed to the EEO contact listed on this job posting.

Benefit information can be found on the CalHR website and the CalPERS website.

Statement of Qualifications

A Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) is required and must be submitted along with your State application. The SOQ is a discussion of how an applicant’s education and experience meet the evaluation criteria below and qualify them for the position.

Responses to the SOQ must be submitted on the Department of Transportation's MSP Statement of Qualifications Form (PM-0504). Any SOQ responses that are not submitted on the PM-0504 will not be scored. Each box provided for your response has been limited to 2000 characters.

Each question will be scored individually, therefore, candidates must provide detailed and specific examples from their professional experience, education, and training, that directly answer each of the SOQ questions. The SOQ will be utilized as screening criteria for the hiring interview only and will not be used for the purposes of examination. Additional documents to supplement the PM-0504 will not be reviewed during the SOQ scoring. To learn about the Statement of Qualifications form (PM-0504) and screening process, https://youtu.be/Wi1RbhBY0Ao

The PM-0504 SOQ Form can be found in the Required Application Package Documents section of this advertisement. If you have difficulty opening the form, please try using Mozilla Firefox. Please make sure the number of SOQs on the Form are the same as the number of SOQs below.

The Statement of Qualifications must address the applicant’s qualifications relative to the following:

1. Describe a time when you led a major organizational change. What strategies did you use to encourage buy-in from stakeholders and team members, and how did you measure the effectiveness of the change? 2. Explain how you developed, coached, and managed a multidisciplinary team to achieve organizational goals. What methods did you use to foster collaboration, ensure accountability, and align actions with a strategic plan? 3. Describe a significant initiative you led that required aligning multiple functional units, external agencies, or community stakeholders toward a shared transportation or mobility objective. How did you ensure alignment with the organization’s mission, strategic goals, and evolving policy direction?

Additional Information

Please include MSP#26MSP104 and the title of the position you are applying for on the STD. 678 application form.

Effective January 1, 2009, Government Code Section 18991 was enacted which permits persons retired from the United States military, honorably discharged from active military duty with a service-connected disability, or honorably discharged from active duty, shall be eligible to apply for promotional civil service examinations, for which he/she meets the minimum qualifications as prescribed by the class specification. Persons applying who qualify as a Veteran under Government Code Section 18991 must submit a copy of their DD214 with their Examination Application (STD. 678).

Equal Opportunity Employer

The State of California is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

It is an objective of the State of California to achieve a drug-free work place. Any applicant for state employment will be expected to behave in accordance with this objective because the use of illegal drugs is inconsistent with the law of the State, the rules governing Civil Service, and the special trust placed in public servants.