Supervising Engineer IV

King County Water and Land Resources Division -WA; Seattle (WA); Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

King County’s Water and Land Resources Division (WLRD) seeks a Supervising Engineer IV to lead a Strike Team focused on river and floodplain capital projects, including ongoing repairs and habitat restoration. The role supervises six engineers and directs design, construction, and field activities across major rivers in King County.

The position emphasizes equity, collaboration with multiple agencies, and resilience planning, with a hybrid work arrangement and a 40-hour week.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in civil engineering, environmental engineering, water resources, or closely related field.
• Demonstrated experience with open channel hydraulic engineering, river mechanics, large river engineering project design and/or floodplain management project design.
• At least ten (10) years of increasingly responsible experience in large-scale public works contracts and team leadership.
• Strong written, verbal, and graphic communication skills for diverse audiences.
• Experience leading design plans, specifications, or estimates (PSE) for river and floodplain projects.
• Licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Washington or ability to obtain within six months.

Responsibilities

• Provide engineering supervision and technical oversight for a multidisciplinary team delivering river and floodplain capital improvement projects.
• Be responsible for hiring, performance management, and career development of engineers on the Strike Team.
• Collaborate to plan delivery of work, set priorities, and maintain safety culture.
• Lead design, construction management, and field inspections across river/floodplain projects.
• Develop and improve workflow processes for consistent project delivery.
• Engage with diverse stakeholders to support equitable and environmental justice principles.
• Develop annual capital improvement project budgets and prioritization with cross-team collaboration.

Skills

Leadership

Team supervision

Project management

Effective communication

Hydraulic modeling

Open channel hydraulics

Education

Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering

Tools

Hydraulic modeling software

Job description

Supervising Engineer IV

Salary

$129,968.18 - $164,742.03 Annually

Location

Seattle - Regional area, WA

Job Type

Career Service (Exec)

Job Number

2026IG28050

Department

DNRP-Natural Resources & Parks

Division

WLRD -Water & Land Resources

FLSA

Non-Exempt

Bargaining Unit

C1 : PROTEC17-DES, DLS, DNRP

Full- or Part-Time

Full Time

Hours/Week

40 hours/week

Description

This recruitment is open only to current King County employees. External applicants are not being considered. In addition to the current opening, this recruitment may be used to establish a pool of qualified candidates to fill future Engineer IV career services vacancies within the Department of Natural Resources and Parks over the next 12-months. An image without description Are you ready to become part of dynamic, diverse, and driven team of engineers and project managers who step together toward challenges and who strive to continually improve processes and outcomes. The Strike Team in the River and Floodplain Management Section is well-funded, mission-driven team who work at the interface of risk-reduction/infrastructure-protection and habitat restoration along major rivers throughout King County and we are looking for a Supervising Engineer to help lead this amazing team. You will have a chance to lead work on challenging river management and design projects in locations spanning from steep rivers of the Cascade Mountains to tidally influenced lowlands.

About the Role:

This Supervising Engineer (Engineer IV) position is a full-time Career Service role in the River and Floodplain Management Section within the Water and Land Resources Division (WLRD). The role is to lead a team of engineers dedicated to the delivery of flood risk reduction projects that foster healthy rivers and resilient floodplain communities. This engineering team is part of the Strike Team known for its collaborative approach and ability to deliver innovate solutions for projects along the major rivers of King County. The team priorities include completing design of active capital projects and the challenging work to develop and implement an approach to repair dozens of flood risk reduction facilities damaged during the catastrophic flooding of December 2025. The Supervising Engineer will have responsibility for engineering oversight of designs being completed in the Unit and will be the direct supervisor for 6 engineers on the team.

The successful candidate will collaborate with the Strike Team Unit Supervisor and Supervising Capital Project Manager to manage all phases of project delivery in the team portfolio including multiple complex and politically visible capital projects. In addition to working closely with staff throughout the River and Floodplain Management Section, this position will also require close coordination with the River and Floodplain Capital Unit and WLRD staff to implement a fast-moving work program. This work may include interface with Flood Control District staff and elected officials from King County and other jurisdictions.

This position follows a hybrid work model, blending remote and in-person work.

About the Team:

The Strike Team is the design engineering team in the River & Floodplain Management Section and coordinates closely with the capital program of the River and Floodplain Management Program. Our projects reduce flood and channel migration risk and restore habitat along major rivers in King County. We lead all aspects of capital projects, are a resource for the River and Floodplain Management Section, and participate in flood emergency response program. Our work makes a difference to the people and environment of King County! The successful candidates will lead engineering on the team and will collaborate closely with leadership within the River and Floodplain Management Section, River and Floodplain Capital Unit, leadership in WLRD. The position will oversee multidisciplinary project teams advancing the projects in the Strike Team portfolio. To be successful in this role, the engineer must collaborate and build relationships with other county divisions and departments, regulatory agencies, tribes, community organizations as well as individual landowners and members of the public. The Strike Team is highly collaborative, hardworking, and welcomes diverse perspectives and we are looking for teammates who are ready to learn and contribute as part of a dynamic, innovative, and dedicated group.

Who Are We?

The Water and Land Resources Division (WLRD) is at the forefront of King County’s efforts to protect and restore clean water and healthy habitat and strengthen the resilience of communities, environment, and infrastructure in the face of climate change. We are a dedicated workforce of more than 450 supported by an annual budget of ~$280 million. WLRD has a strong track record of developing innovative strategies to protect working farms and forests, restore habitat, improve water quality, and provide county residents with equitable access to green space. We house the Land Conservation Initiative, which aims to preserve our last, most important lands. Our forestry and agricultural programs help individuals protect their lands and support local food production. We house four salmon recovery forums where we collaborate with scores of partners to plan, design, and build habitat projects. We partner with regional jurisdictions to help residents and businesses reduce the threats posed by production, use, storage, and disposal of hazardous materials. We are the primary service provider to the King County Flood Control District, contributing to flood preparedness and constructing and maintaining facilities that restore rivers and reduce risk. Finally, we provide regional science and laboratory services to an array of customers, maintaining high-quality data sets used to assess water quality and habitat trends, and provide Best Available Science to inform decision making. In two words, we are a watershed utility.

Commitment To Equity and Social Justice:

King County, named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is a diverse and vibrant community that represents cultures from around the world. Our True North is to create a welcoming community where everyone can thrive. We prioritize equity, racial and social justice, making it a foundational and daily expectation for all employees. As a Supervising Engineer, you will actively apply these principles in all aspects of your work. Learn more about our commitment at http://www.kingcounty.gov/equity.

Job Duties

• Provide engineering supervision, technical oversight, and quality control to an interdisciplinary team for the design and implementation of river and floodplain management capital improvement projects, often involving complex, sensitive, and politically visible issues.
• Be a team supervisor / people leader for the engineers on the Strike Team including being responsible for hiring, performance management, career development, coaching and mentoring, and fostering a work culture where staff feel valued, utilized, and engaged.
• Collaborate with the Strike Team Unit Supervisor and Supervising Capital Project Manager to set and maintain collaborative team culture, plan delivery of work, identify and communicate priorities to the team, foster opportunities for team development, maintain safety culture, and deliver assigned work program.
• Lead teams in the planning, design, and construction of river and floodplain management projects, including revetment, levee, floodwall or floodplain repairs, removals, and reconnection projects. Provide and/or direct technical, and quality engineering review of capital projects to apply accepted design and engineering standards, and oversee and supervise the preparation, review and approval of engineering design and construction contract documents.
• Assist in the development, implementation, and continual improvement of workflow processes to ensure consistency in implementation and effective delivery of capital projects.
• Proactively apply principles of Equity and Social Justice to build and maintain relationships internally within the team and Division as well as with other jurisdictions, governmental agencies, tribes, community members, and other interested parties by using effective engagement, communication and outreach efforts.
• Collaborate with colleagues across the River and Floodplain Management Program to participate in the development of annual capital improvement projects and budgets, including estimating costs, assigning work, and setting priorities.

Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills

Qualifications You Bring:

• Bachelor of Science from an accredited college or university in civil engineering, environmental engineering, water resources, or closely related field.
• Demonstrated experience with open channel hydraulic engineering, river mechanics, large river engineering project design and/or floodplain management project design including production of river engineering and technical analysis/reports and hydraulic modeling.
• Demonstrated experience leading all aspects of design plans, specifications, or estimates (PSE) creation for multiple river and floodplain management capital projects.
• At least ten (10) years of increasingly responsible experience is required. This experience should include expertise in field inspection, construction management, or project management of large-scale public works contracts (>$1M) and navigating challenges such as contractor relations, change order management, permit conditions, environmental condition enforcement. Experience should also include managing and implementing work of others (teams or junior staff), including assigning and scheduling work, reviewing products, and providing training and oversight.
• Demonstrated experience working collaboratively with a diverse, multidisciplinary technical team from different professional backgrounds and participating with perseverance, patience, and levity on high-paced projects with overlapping deadlines. Candidate will be required to lead and teach job requirements to team including design, construction management, and field inspections skills.
• Strong written, verbal, and graphic communication skills to communicate clearly and effectively with people of varying technical and cultural backgrounds.
• Demonstrated understanding of and experience working in situations requiring cross-cultural sensitivity and centering racial equity and social justice principles, and environmental justice.
• Demonstrated ability to lead effectively using tact and judgement while working in adverse or high-pressure situations such as flood emergency response. Experience should include high-pressure situations in-office, in field conditions, and during execution of construction contracts.

Physical Requirements:

• Regular requirement to walk and navigate uneven ground outside along rivers, in forests, and rural areas during inclement weather and at all hours. These work areas can be dark, pose difficult terrain features, and often require specialized safety gear such as personal floatation devices (PFD) or construction safety devices.
• Job requires ability to lift 20lbs regularly and 50lbs infrequently.
• Job will be required to participate in flood emergency response requiring Swiftwater awareness training.

Workplace Exposures:

• Job requires being on or adjacent to Rivers and waterways of King County. Swiftwater training will be required for this position and provided by King County. This training requires swimming to practice self-rescue skills.
• Regular presence on outdoor construction sites in hot, cold, wet, and dark environments and work occurs adjacent to streams/rivers, highways, forests, and sometimes remote locations of King County.

Competencies You Bring:

• Collaborates: Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
• Ensures Accountability: Holding self and others accountable to meet commitments.
• Action Oriented: Taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
• Communicates Effectively: Developing and delivering multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences.
• Manages Conflict: Handling conflict situations effectively, with a minimum of noise.
• Builds Effective Teams: Building strong-identity teams that apply their diverse skills and perspectives to achieve common goals.

Required Licenses/Certifications:

Licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Washington in good standing the ability to obtain the license within six-months of hire.

It Would Be Great if You Also Bring:

• Master’s of Science in civil engineering, environmental engineering, water resources, environmental science, natural resource management, urban/regional planning, communications, public administration or closely related field.
• Advanced knowledge and understanding of hydrologic and open channel hydraulic principles and geomorphic processes with an understanding of and experience in preparing plans, specifications, and cost estimates.
• Construction management or contracting training or certification.
• A growth mindset and sense of humor.

Supplemental Information

Working Conditions:

Remote and Onsite Work Details: The Strike Team works in a hybrid model, with days in the office as well as telecommuting. The ratio of remote to onsite work will be dependent on business needs and is subject to change. The primary onsite location is King Street Center, 201 S. Jackson St, Seattle, WA 98104.

Remote Work Location Requirement: Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements. King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely. The individual selected for this opportunity will join an innovative and progressive team that is redefining how we work as we transition to the department's hybrid environment. Employees will be provided with a County-issued laptop and must maintain a home workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours.

Work Schedule: This full-time position will work a 40-hour work week. This position is covered under the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and is overtime eligible. The typical work schedule is 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday– Friday.

Union Representation: This position is represented by PROTEC Local 17A bargaining unit.