Purpose
Under general direction of the senior public works engineering staff, this position leads and performs advanced professional engineering work in support of engineering design, development, construction, and capital programs; performs a variety of the most difficult and complex professional office and field engineering work; prepares and/or reviews plans, designs, and specifications for a variety of City and private development projects; reviews work prepared by outside consultants; prepares engineering and planning reports; serves as project manager and provides project direction, work coordination, and training for professional, paraprofessional, and technical engineering staff.
Distinguishing Characteristics
This is the advanced level in the professional engineering class series. Positions perform the most difficult engineering duties in support of engineering design, development, field, and capital programs. The Senior Civil Engineer provides functional and technical supervision of lower level professional and technical staff. Positions in this class require the use of a high degree of independent judgment in making decisions. This class is distinguished from Associate Civil Engineer by the breadth and scope of project management duties as well as responsibility for performing the most complex professional engineering work.
Examples of Duties
- The Senior Civil Engineer provides functional and technical supervision of lower level professional and technical staff with a high degree of independent judgment in making decisions.
- Lead and participate in professional engineering activities for a variety of public works projects, including review and preparation of design plans, estimates, reports, and specifications for City construction projects such as street widening, street paving, curbs, gutter, culverts, street light systems, drainage facilities, and storm drains; act as project engineer to coordinate capital improvement projects.
- Establish schedules and methods for providing engineering services; identify resource needs; review needs with appropriate management staff; allocate resources accordingly.
- Participate in the development of policies and procedures; monitor work activities to ensure compliance with established policies and procedures; make recommendations for changes and improvements to existing standards and procedures.
- Recommend and assist in the implementation of goals and objectives; implement approved policies and procedures.
- Perform the more technical and complex tasks of the work unit including administration of construction and professional services contracts.
- Prepare and/or review professional civil engineering designs for assigned projects utilizing a variety of computer software programs; perform detailed calculations and computations; prepare and/or review the adequacy and accuracy of computations, preliminary layouts and design work from field and survey data.
- Provide technical civil engineering information to developers, contractors, engineers, and the general public.
- Review and check tentative and final land divisions and subdivision improvement plans and agreements for accuracy and conformance with City codes, ordinances, and policies; and make recommendations to the City Engineer and Assistant City Engineer for revisions and improvements.
- Review legal descriptions for public easements for street right-of-ways and across private property.
- Supervise, train and evaluate professional, technical, and clerical subordinates.
- Assist construction inspectors in the interpretation of plans, specifications and other contract documents.
- Review and approve changes to approved plans and specifications; process a variety of permits.
- Exercise professional engineering judgment in accordance with current accepted practice of civil engineering and appropriate laws and codes.
- Participate in the preparation and administration of assigned engineering program budget; submit budget recommendations; monitor expenditures.
- In support of assigned projects, assist in consultant evaluation and selection in the processing of request for proposal responses.
- Coordinate, conduct meetings, and interact with consultants, developers, contractors, the general public and City divisions and departments.
- As assigned, serve as staff on a variety of commissions and committees; prepare and present staff reports and other necessary correspondence.
- Attend and participate in professional group meetings; stay abreast of new trends and innovations in the field of municipal civil engineering.
- Ensure that contractors meet proper standards, specification requirements, cost controls, and time requirements.
- Perform related duties as required.
FLSA Status: Non Exempt
Employment Standards
Education/Experience Guidelines - Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:
Education/Training:
A Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in civil engineering or a related field.
Experience:
Five years of increasingly responsible professional engineering experience at a level comparable to Associate Civil Engineer with the City of South Pasadena.
Knowledge of:
- Operations, services, and activities of a municipal engineering design and construction program.
- Modern and complex principles, practices, and theory of civil engineering and their application to the design, preparation of engineering specifications, and construction of public works facilities.
- Pertinent federal, state, and local codes, laws, rule, regulations, and policies including those affecting public works engineering and installation, subdivisions and site plans.
- Methods, materials, techniques, and equipment used in civil engineering projects including those used in the design and construction of development projects.
- Proper inspection methods and procedures.
- Contract development and administration.
- Structural, street, and highway design principles.
- Scientific and mathematical principles as applied to civil engineering work.
- Advanced principles and practices of project management and administration.
- Advanced methods and techniques of contract negotiations and administration.
- Mechanics and properties of materials.
- Advanced methods and techniques of engineering plan review and analysis.
- Advanced methods and techniques of conducting site and field investigations.
- Principles and practices of field surveying including topographic and construction.
- Advanced drafting methods, techniques, and equipment including those used in computer aided drafting.
- Engineering maps and records.
- Recent developments, current literature, and sources of information related to innovations and trends in engineering design and development.
- Principles and practices of business correspondence and technical report preparation.
- Principles and practices of geographic information systems programs.
- Occupation health and safety standards.
- Principles and practices of project supervision, work coordination, and training.
- Office procedures, methods, and equipment including computers and applicable software applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, and databases.
Ability to:
- Perform a wide scope of the most professional engineering work in the preparation of plans, designs, and specifications for public works and city facility development, construction, and maintenance.
- Prepare, review, interpret, analyze, and modify engineering plans, drawings, specifications, contract documents, and engineering reports for conformance to professional standards and budgets.
- Conduct engineering reviews of designs, plans, and specifications prepared by others.
- Gather, organize, analyze, and present a variety of technical engineering and statistical data.
- Perform construction project administration, ensuring compliance with plans, specifications, and contracts.
- Manage large and complex engineering projects.
- Ensure project compliance with appropriate federal, state and local rules, laws and regulations.
- Coordinate phases of construction projects and prepare progress reports.
- Analyze problems, identify alternative solutions, project consequences of proposed actions, and implement recommendations in support of goals.
- Conduct comprehensive engineering studies and develop appropriate recommendations.
- Perform technical research and solve difficult engineering problems.
- Prepare and maintain technical civil engineering records and prepare comprehensive reports.
- Compile rough technical data and prepare statistical and narrative reports from field studies.
- Develop, review and modify civil engineering plans, designs, and specifications.
- Exercise professional engineering judgment to achieve results consistent with objectives.
- Present projects to City Council.
- Interpret and explain City policies and procedures.
