SENIOR CONSTRUCTION INSPECTOR

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Family-friendly workplace

Job summary

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority seeks a Senior Construction Inspector – Prevailing Wage Specialist to oversee and enforce state and federal prevailing wage laws, certified payrolls, apprenticeship standards, and PLA provisions for public works contracts. This role partners with contractors, unions, and internal teams to ensure compliant, safe project delivery.

The ideal candidate will conduct on-site inspections, reviews of wage records, and lead compliance initiatives across civil

Qualifications

• Experience enforcing prevailing wage and labor standards on public works contracts.
• Ability to review certified payrolls, wage determinations, and apprenticeship requirements.
• Strong investigative, communication, and documentation skills.
• Experience coordinating with contractors, unions, and government agencies.

Responsibilities

• Lead compliance reviews and field inspections on complex projects.
• Monitor and enforce certified payroll and wage compliance.
• Administer Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) and related documentation.
• Provide supervision and guidance to junior inspectors on site.

Skills

Prevailing wage

Labor compliance

Certified payroll

PLA administration

Project coordination

Job description

Senior Construction Inspector – Prevailing Wage Specialist

VTA’s Procurement, Contract and Business Development Department is seeking a Senior Construction Inspector – Prevailing Wage Specialist to oversee and support the administration, monitoring, and enforcement of prevailing wage and labor compliance requirements for public works and construction contracts. This position plays a key role in ensuring contractors and subcontractors meet all applicable state and federal prevailing wage laws, certified payroll requirements, worker classifications, apprenticeship standards, contractual obligations, and Project Labor Agreement (PLA) provisions.

The Senior Construction Inspector – Prevailing Wage Specialist will collaborate with contractors, subcontractors, project management teams, and internal departments to conduct compliance reviews, identify and resolve discrepancies, perform certified payroll and field inspections, and ensure the effective implementation and ongoing compliance with state and federal prevailing wage, apprenticeship, and labor standards requirements.

The Division

VTA’s Procurement, Contracts & Business Development (PCBD) is committed to procurement processes, contract administration, and compliance that fosters fair and open competition, compliance with federal, state, and local laws and requirements, and adheres to the highest ethical standards.

Goods and General Services, Professional Services/Technology, Design and Construction Sections and the Offices of Business Development and Labor and Stormwater Compliance comprise the PCBD Department.

Office of Labor Compliance and Stormwater Program

The Labor and Stormwater Compliance Department is responsible for monitoring VTA’s public works contracts to ensure that contractors and subcontractors comply with all applicable labor laws, prevailing wage requirements, and workforce protection standards. The department’s core mission is to protect workers’ rights, promote fair and equitable contracting practices, and ensure full adherence to federal, state, and local labor regulations.

In addition to labor compliance, the department also oversees contractor adherence to stormwater regulations mandated by the State Water Resources Control Board, ensuring environmental protection and regulatory compliance across all construction activities.

For projects governed by a Project Labor Agreement (PLA), the department provides support in monitoring and enforcing compliance with all terms and conditions established under the agreement, helping to maintain labor harmony and contractual integrity throughout project delivery.

Definition

Under direction, a Senior Construction Inspector performs the most difficult and complex work in contract administration and technical inspection to ensure compliance with plans and specifications of construction and contracted maintenance work on VTA development projects including civil, landscape, bridges, buildings, facilities, park and ride lots, permits, utility relocation, and related transit construction; and may provide supervision to subordinates.

Distinguishing Characteristics

This class is the advanced journey level of the Construction Inspector series. An incumbent in this class will normally be assigned as a resident inspector on large and/or complex transit projects and other related or multiple projects, and may provide lead supervision on a project basis. An incumbent in this class performs the full range of construction contract administration and inspection tasks and is fully competent to independently administer and inspect the largest and most complex types of construction projects of VTA.

This class differs from the next higher classification of Principal Construction Inspector in that the Principal Construction Inspector is a full supervisory classification with responsibility over a major program area of construction operations.

Ideal Candidate

A candidate with a strong background in public works compliance, prevailing wage administration, and labor requirements, along with proven experience coordinating with contractors, unions, government agencies, and community partners, is preferred. The ideal candidate will also demonstrate strong investigative, communication, documentation, and project management skills.

Preferred Skills

• Strong knowledge of public works compliance, including prevailing wage requirements, certified payroll, and state and federal labor regulations.
• Experience reviewing project specifications, daily inspection reports, certified payroll records, compliance reports, and pay applications/invoices.
• Skilled in administering Project Labor Agreements (PLAs), including pre-job meetings, required documentation, workforce goals, fringe benefit contributions, and union coordination.
• Experience representing an agency at pre-bid, pre-construction, weekly construction, and contractor meetings, and communicating compliance requirements and obligations.
• Ability to conduct on-site prevailing wage and Commercially Useful Function (CUF) interviews, identify instances of non-compliance, and recommend appropriate corrective actions.
• Experience working collaboratively with contractors, unions, Building Trades Councils, government agencies, labor and training programs, and community organizations.
• Knowledge of local and disadvantaged business enterprise (L/DBE) programs, workforce development initiatives, and contractor assistance.
• Strong ability to investigate complaints, resolve disputes, support grievance and arbitration processes, and issue non-compliance notices when necessary.
• Ability to monitor changes in state and federal regulations and recommend updates to policies, procedures, and prevailing wage practices.
• Strong documentation, reporting, coordination, communication, and project management skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with internal departments and external stakeholders.
• Ability to professionally represent the organization at conferences, seminars, public meetings, and community outreach events.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise discretion when handling sensitive, proprietary, personnel, payroll, and contract-related information in the performance of assigned duties.

About VTA

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority employs more than 2,000 people dedicated to providing solutions that move Silicon Valley. Unique among transportation organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area, VTA is Santa Clara County’s authority for transit development and operations (light rail and bus), congestion management, transportation-related funding, highway design and construction, real estate and transit-oriented development, and bicycle and pedestrian planning. With local, state, and federal partners, VTA works to innovate the way Silicon Valley moves and provide mobility solutions for all.

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is an independent special district that provides sustainable, accessible, community-focused transportation options that are innovative, environmentally responsible, and promote the vitality of our region.

VTA provides bus, light rail, and paratransit services, as well as participates as a funding partner in regional rail service including Caltrain, Capitol Corridor, and the Altamont Corridor Express.

As the county’s congestion management agency, VTA is responsible for countywide transportation planning, including congestion management, design and construction of specific highway, pedestrian, and bicycle improvement projects, as well as promotion of transit-oriented development.

VTA provides these services throughout the county, including Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Palo Alto, San Jose, Santa Clara, Saratoga and Sunnyvale. VTA continually builds partnerships to deliver transportation solutions that meet the evolving mobility needs of Santa Clara County.

As we continue to implement our VTA Forward Plan, we aim to strengthen and increase our workforce to take on future opportunities and challenges by elevating our people and our services.

For more information about our VTA Forward Plan, visit: https://www.vta.org/VTAForward

Family-Friendly Workplace Certification Program (FFWCP)

The County of Santa Clara FFWCP recognizes VTA as a business that creates supportive workplaces for employees and their families.

Family-friendly workplaces improve health outcomes and job satisfaction for employees and increase work productivity and retention for employers. Employers can create a family-friendly workplace by meeting and exceeding state and federal employment laws relating to parental leave, lactation accommodation, and work/family balance.

Typical Tasks

• May lead and train subordinates; assign and review work, and counsel personnel;
• Administers construction contracts and supervises or inspects the quality and workmanship of the materials and contractor’s methods on complex and difficult VTA construction projects to ensure compliance with plans, specifications, and applicable safety regulations;
• Monitors and coordinates the collection of samples of sand, aggregates, soils, concrete and other materials for testing to ensure the quality of the materials as well as mechanical and electrical equipment used in VTA construction projects;
• Estimates quantities of work completed and prepares the progress payment forms;
• Supervises or performs the preparation of records, reports, red-lined drawings, and other field office engineering work;
• Checks quality of materials and construction methods by personal inspection or use of supporting staff and ensures maintenance of records regarding quality and acceptance of materials used and delivered;
• Coordinates materials testing, construction surveying and electrical inspections;
• Maintains a complete