SENIOR CIVIL ENGINEER - Utilities

City of Huntington Beach; Huntington Beach (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible scheduling

Job summary

The City of Huntington Beach is seeking a Senior Civil Engineer in the Utilities Division of the Public Works Department to lead water, sewer, and storm water projects, manage complex designs, and ensure timely delivery.

Qualified applicants will have a bachelor’s degree in civil or environmental engineering, California PE or ability to obtain within 12 months, four years of experience, and strong leadership and communication skills. Flexible scheduling options are available.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in civil or environmental engineering required.
• PE license in CA or ability to obtain within 12 months required.
• Four (4) years of related experience.
• Strong leadership, communication and project management skills required.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, review plans, specifications and cost estimates for water, sewer and storm water projects.
• Oversee contract administration and monitor progress to ensure compliance with budgets and schedules.
• Manage and mentor engineering staff and coordinate with departments and external agencies.
• Represent the department in meetings and respond to inquiries from stakeholders.

Skills

Project management

Leadership

Communication

Team collaboration

Customer service

Education

Bachelor’s degree in civil or environmental engineering

Professional Engineer (PE) license in California or able to obtain within 12 months

Job description

Note: This recruitment will remain open until filled. The first review of applications is scheduled to occur for applications received before 5:00 PM on September 29, 2026 and will be reviewed on an ongoing basis until the positions are filled. This recruitment may close at any time after that date, once a sufficiently strong candidate pool has been established.

Here in Huntington Beach, we believe passionately that the key to becoming the best beach City in the world starts and ends with finding the right people to join our team. We're excited to announce an outstanding career opportunity for Senior Civil Engineer within our Utilities Division of the Public Works Department.

These roles offer flexible scheduling options, including a 9/80 or 4/10 workweek.

The salary range for this classification is scheduled to receive a 3% salary adjustment, that will be effective with the pay period that includes January 1, 2027.

The City of Huntington Beach Public Works Department provides outstanding programs, services and facilities to enhance and enrich the lives of our residents and visitors.

We are seeking candidates with:

• Superior communication, organizational, and project management skills who follow through on all facets of work.
• Ability to see the strengths, assets, and potential within a community, and an individual who operates with a profound respect for understanding the aspirations and needs of both residents of and visitors to Huntington Beach.
• A strong background demonstrating excellent leadership skills.
• Creative ideas and ability to facilitate innovative processes in a team environment.
• Outstanding customer service skills with the ability work effectively with the general public, business owners, community groups and vendors.

The Department

The Public Works Department provides outstanding customer service and is responsible for the design, construction, maintenance, and operations of public facilities and infrastructure. This requires us to respond to requests for service, coordinate efforts with local, regional, state, and federal agencies, and working with the community in all of our efforts. Public Works manages over 30% of the city’s total budget, including three enterprise funds and seven designated funds, as well as the citywide capital improvement program. The five divisions in public works are committed to providing the highest quality of service to the community. These five divisions include Engineering, Utilities, Administration, Operations and Transportation.

The Position

When assigned to Utilities, the Senior Civil Engineer performs professional engineering duties and project management in support of the City's utilities engineering projects in Water, Sewer, and Storm Water infrastructure; functional areas of responsibility include capital improvements and development review. The Senior Civil Engineer prepares and reviews plans and specifications, oversees contract administration, reviews engineering designs, calculations and estimates, ensures work quality and adherence to standards and requirements, and responds to questions and inquiries from various sources regarding capital and development projects.

• Plans, assigns, reviews and participates in the design, preparation and checking of construction plans, site investigations, cost estimates, specifications and reports for capital improvement projects including construction, public improvement and repair of public facilities; determines structural sections, line and grades for construction projects
• Investigates and evaluates proposed systems and construction sites; serves as project manager for assigned public works and water infrastructure projects; determines and defines scope of work; reviews design proposals; oversees and monitors the performance of contractors and consultants to ensure compliance with project specifications and budgets; reviews and approves progress payments
• Prepares engineering feasibility studies and cost estimates; recommends and requests tests to determine soil bearing and geological conditions at proposed construction sites; confers with other department employees and representatives of government agencies, public utilities and contractors to obtain information pertaining to the preparation of plans, specifications and cost estimates as well as the coordination of contract requirements
• Reviews manufacturers' specifications and confers with representatives of material suppliers and contractors and other department personnel concerning design criteria; prepares specifications for construction contracts; analyzes bids and recommends contract awards; interprets specifications, drawings and details of construction and installation for field personnel; reviews proposals and recommendations for design changes or modifications and coordinates the required changes; prepares reports pertaining to the progress of design, construction and other activities; functions as a departmental representative at various City meetings; may supervise the work of assigned technical staff

Education

A bachelor's degree in civil or environmental engineering from an accredited college or university.

Experience

Four (4) years of related experience.

License and Certification

Possession of a valid California Class C driver’s license and an acceptable driving record are required at the time of appointment and throughout employment. Registration as a Professional Engineer (PE) from the State of California; or registration as a PE in another state and the ability to obtain California registration within twelve (12) months of employment.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS

Employees regularly assigned/required to drive a city or personal vehicle in the course and scope of work shall be required to participate in the DMV Employer Pull Notice program.

Public Employee Disaster Service Worker: In accordance with Government Code Section 3100, all Huntington Beach city employees are required to perform assigned disaster service worker duties in the event of an emergency or a disaster.

APPLICATION AND SELECTION PROCESS

• An online application must be fully completed
• Candidates BEST meeting the City’s needs will be invited to participate in a virtual oral examination (weighted 100%), tentatively scheduled for October 15, 2026. Please note that this date is subject to change based on the number of qualified applicants.
• Background
• Appointment