Senior Roadway Engineer

Oregon Department of Human Services; Portland (OR); Hybrid; USD 91,000 - 141,000; Full time

Job summary

Oregon Department of Transportation in Portland is seeking a Senior Roadway Engineer to lead complex roadway design efforts and serve as the final design expert for major regional projects. You will mentor multidisciplinary teams, coordinate reviews, and provide technical direction to ensure safe, constructible highway designs.

The role requires a PE license in Oregon (or ability to obtain within six months) and at least three years of licensed experience; a valid US driver's license is

Qualifications

• Professional Engineer license in Oregon (CE) or ability to obtain within six months of hire.
• Three years of licensed experience in civil/roadway engineering.

Responsibilities

• Plan, direct, and scope complex roadway designs for major regional facilities.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary reviews and deliver final PS&E packages as Engineer of Record.
• Review layouts and roadside features to meet safety criteria and minimize state liability.
• Provide technical direction and mentoring to junior engineers and specialists.

Skills

Leadership

Mentoring

Technical direction

Education

Professional Engineer license (Oregon CE) or eligible

Job description

Job Details

• Initial Posting Date: 08/18/2026
• Application Deadline: 09/01/2026
• Agency: Department of Transportation
• Salary Range: $8,159 - $12,658
• Position Type: Employee Position
• Position Title: Senior Roadway Engineer
• Job Description: Professional Engineer 2 – Senior Roadway Engineer Oregon Department of Transportation Delivery and Operations Division – Region 1 Roadway Portland / Hybrid

Role Summary

Bring your engineering expertise to our team in Portland as a senior roadway engineer! In this collaborative role, you will serve as our final design expert and technical lead our Roadway Unit. You will work with project teams and provide technical direction, mentoring and training for multimodal, rural and highly complex urban highway projects. We encourage interested applicants not to delay in applying.

Responsibilities

• Preliminary Design & Major Projects: Plan, direct, and scope the most complex designs for major regional transportation facilities and freight routes to solve unusual engineering problems.
• Serve as the primary authority within the Technical Center responsible for coordinating, distributing, analyzing, and reconciling multidisciplinary engineering reviews for complex highway design plans.
• Review preliminary layouts and roadside features against safety criteria to reduce future state liability.
• Create clear records of data used, explain why certain design decisions were made and write formal justifications when designs don’t meet standard requirements so the state is protected under the Oregon Tort Claims Act (OTCA).
• Coordinate data-sharing and technical design compromises across regional environmental, traffic, right-of-way and utility units during early major project milestones.
• Final Design: Plans, Specifications, and Estimates: Direct and approve the production of complete, construction-ready Plans, Specifications and Estimates (PS&E) packages for advertisement.
• Independent judgment to sign and seal final construction plan sets, special provisions, structural estimates and design narratives as the Registered Professional Engineer of Record.
• Enforce strict adherence to the ODOT Highway Design Manual (HDM), Standard Drawings, and statewide drafting metrics before final project turn-in.
• Evaluate specialized roadway materials, traffic control staging plans, and utility conflicts to resolve engineering flaws prior to active construction bidding.
• Provide specialized technical direction and mentoring to lower-level engineers and engineering specialists.
• This position requires a combination of office work and field work: outdoor worksites require working in inclement weather, close to highway traffic, construction equipment. Requires some moving around uneven terrain, overnight travel, overtime, weekend and evening work as needed for projects/tasks.

Benefits

• Work/life balance
• 11 paid holidays a year
• flexible work schedules
• paid leave
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness opportunity!
• Comprehensive and equitable base salary offer within the listed range.
• Salary range listed is the non-PERS monthly salary range. If you are already a participating PERS member or once you become PERS eligible, the salary range will increase by 6%.

Minimum Qualifications

Possession of a Professional Engineering (PE) license in the State of Oregon in the branch of Civil Engineering (CE) OR the ability to obtain license within six months of hire*, AND three years of licensed experience that would provide the required knowledge and skills to perform the responsibilities of the position. *If registered in another state, successful applicants will be required to obtain a temporary permit to practice engineering, pursuant to ORS 672.109, within six months from date of hire.

Special Qualifications

Driving is an essential function of this position. You must have a valid US driver license and an acceptable driving record. We will conduct pre-employment driving records checks on our final candidate(s). Your license does not have to be issued in Oregon to be considered.

What We’d Like to See

Experience directing complex, intricate analysis/design/operations of major facilities to solve unusual engineering problems. Experience serving as staff mentor and engineering expert in highway design, safety and operations. Experience advising management in determining policies and the future direction of highway design and safety. Experience as a subject matter expert in highway design and safety. Experience leading a group of professionals from multiple disciplines and project team members to deliver complex projects.

EEO & Diversity

ODOT is an Equal Employment Opportunity and affirmative action employer.

We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation or any other class protected by state or federal laws in admission or access to our programs, services, activities, hiring, and employment practices.

Applicants with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation during the application process.

For questions, concerns, or complaints regarding EEO/AA/ADA, contact 1-877-336-6368 (1-877-EEO-ODOT).

Eligibility & Compliance

We do not offer visa sponsorship.

If you are hired, you will be required to fill out the US Department of Homeland Security’s I-9 form confirming you are able to work in the US.

We are not an E-Verify participating employer, and we are unable to proceed if E-Verify participation is required (e.g., STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT) Extension).

The State of Oregon does not request or require your age, date of birth, attendance or graduation dates from an education institution during the application process.

We may use this recruitment to fill multiple or future vacancies.

We will conduct name-based criminal background checks on final candidates, not including current ODOT employees.

All applicants may be subject to additional pre-employment check(s) such as driver license, LEDS (Law Enforcement Data System), and/or education verification as required for the position.

You will be represented by the Association of Engineering Employees of Oregon (AEE).

Recruitment Status

This recruitment will remain open until filled. Our first application screening is scheduled for 8 a.m. on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, but we may close the announcement at any time after this date when we have received an adequate number of applications. We cannot guarantee that we will consider applications received after this screening date.

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