Associate Engineer

Salary : $109,548.00 - $146,784.00 Annually
Location : Costa Mesa, CA
Job Type: FULL-TIME
Job Number: 0104:08/24
Department: Public Works
Opening Date: 08/15/2024
Closing Date: Continuous
Description
WHY WORK FOR COSTA MESA:
The City of Costa Mesa, with the motto "City of the Arts", is one of California's most eclectic and vibrant cities. Located just one mile from the Pacific Ocean and in the heart of Orange County, Costa Mesa is a great place to live, work and play. The City offers exceptional employee benefits, opportunities for training and development, and prides itself on its Core Values of Integrity, Sustainability, Compassion, Innovation, Inclusion and Collaboration.
THE POSITION:
The Associate Engineer performs a variety of responsible and complex professional level civil engineering work in the field and office associated with the design, development, investigation, construction, and maintenance of public works projects. Assignments are usually broad in scope and require the use of considerable judgment in making complex technical decisions involving the application of engineering principles, practices, and techniques. This position differs from the Assistant Engineer classification by its responsibility for independent analysis and project management responsibilities. The Associate Engineer supervises subordinate engineering, field and clerical staff members and may be assigned to work in any of the following assignments: Construction Management, Design, Park Development, Environmental Compliance, or Transportation Services. To view the complete job description, please click here: Associate Engineer.
There is currently one (1) full-time vacancy assigned to the General Services Division.
APPLICATION AND SELECTION PROCESS:
Applications must be completed and submitted online. This recruitment will remain open until filled and may close without prior notice, therefore prompt application is encouraged.
First application review date: Thursday, September 5, 2024.
Candidates are requested to provide specific information regarding their education and experience as it relates to the position by completing all fields of the application. Do not include "see attached resume" in your responses, as they will not be accepted or reviewed in the application process. Applications may be rejected if incomplete. Additional documents will not be reviewed during the application evaluation process. If selected to proceed further in the recruitment process, an opportunity to provide work samples, letters of recommendation, etc. will be appropriate during the interview process.
Based upon the information presented on the application, a limited number of candidates who possess qualifications most pertinent to the position will be invited to participate in the selection process. The selection process may include but is not limited to the following components: application review and evaluation, written examination or exercise, physical examination, practical exercise and interview evaluation. Please notify the Human Resources Division 72 hours in advance of the test date if you have a disability which requires accommodation for the testing process. The eligibility list will be in effect for one (1) year, unless exhausted sooner. The eligibility list from this recruitment may be utilized to fill lower-level vacancies which occur during the life of the list.
All employment offers made by the City are contingent upon establishing proof of a prospective candidate's legal authorization to work in the United States and successfully passing all components of the pre-employment process which may include, but is not limited to: Reference check, criminal history check (Live Scan fingerprinting), and post-offer medical evaluation (may include drug screening).
Note: The provisions of this job bulletin do not constitute an expressed or implied contract. Any provisions contained within may be modified or revoked without notice.
Essential Functions
These functions may not be present in all positions in this class. When a position is to be filled, the essential functions will be noted in the announcement of position availability. Management reserves the right to add, modify, change or rescind work assignments as needed.
Supervises the preparation of plans, specifications, estimates and final contracts for public works and maintenance projects.
Supervises and assists with the preparation of long-range programs, estimates, and recommendations for major street alignments and construction and storm drain projects; reviews improvement plans prior to approval; plans, develops and recommends street and highway financing programs.
Designs and reviews construction plans for Capital Improvement Projects.
Reviews and comments on development plans, traffic studies, and Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs) and develops necessary mitigation measures.
Prepares a variety of written materials, including staff and engineering reports.
Prepares, applies for, and manages grant funding from Federal, State, and local sources for projects.
Prepares and drafts Requests for Proposals and administers consultant selection process for the design of assigned capital projects; and administers constructions contracts during the constructions phase.
Negotiates contracts, change orders, and amendments.
Prepares and monitors project schedules.
Coordinates project activities with businesses, utilities, special districts and other City departments.
Serves as the City representative at meetings and promotes department and/or City objectives.
Responds to complaints and assists in solving problems related to public works projects, programs and services; interprets plans and policies; confers with and provides information to property owners, contractors, engineers, consultants and the general public on conformance to standards, plans, specifications and codes.
Maintains accurate records and files.
Studies, recommends, and implements changes in policies and procedures of the Public Services Department.
Assign and supervises the activities of subordinate engineering, field and clerical staff members.
Assess and manage workload and schedules of employee, contractors and vendors.
Perform other duties as assigned.
When assigned to the General Services Division:
Performs engineering work related to the management, planning, design, construction and maintenance for Capital Improvement Program projects related to City facilities.
Advertises projects for construction, evaluates bids, oversees contract administration and inspections for Capital Improvement Program projects related to City facilities.
Serves as project manager for design and/or construction of Capital Improvement Program projects related to City facilities.
Performs construction site inspections.
To view the complete list of Associate Engineer's essential functions, please click here
Qualification Guidelines
A typical way to obtain the requisite knowledge and abilities to perform the duties and responsibilities of this classification is as follows:
EDUCATION, TRAINING AND/OR EXPERIENCE:
Considerable and progressively responsible professional experience in the field of civil engineering, which includes a minimum of two (2) years of full-time experience in public works engineering, construction or project management, and supervision of technical/professional personnel.
Graduation from a four-year college or university with major coursework in Civil Engineering or a related field.
An equivalent combination of education and relevant experience that provides the desired knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform essential functions may also be considered.
LICENSE AND/OR CERTIFICATE:
Possession of, or the ability to obtain a valid Class C California Driver's License, or higher, before date of appointment is required. Revocation of license during employment may result in disciplinary action or reassignment.
Certification as a Registered Civil Engineer in the State of California is highly desirable.
When assigned to the Environmental Compliance Section, P.C. 832 Training in arrest, search and seizure (required within six months of employment).
REQUISITE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL LEVELS:
Knowledge of modern office methods, procedures, practices, and equipment including computers and standard business software (i.e. Microsoft Office applications).
Knowledge of the principles and practices of civil engineering as related to the field of municipal public works including: Planning and development, design, surveying, construction, operation and maintenance and methods and practices of acquisition of real property.
Knowledge of procedures in preparation of specifications, estimates, plans, designs, and contract agreements.
Knowledge of applicable laws, ordinances, and codes, as they relate to the design and construction of Public Works projects.
Knowledge of and skill in applying the principles and practices of public works administration, budgeting, management, and supervision.
Knowledge of Capital Improvement Program budgeting, cost estimation, funding, project management, and contract administration.
When assigned to the General Services Division:
Knowledge of general building trades (ie. Plumbing electrical, civil, mechanical) as they pertain to building construction.
Knowledge of Tenant Improvements (TI) Process.
REQUISITE ABILITIES:
Ability to establish design procedures.
Ability to collect, research, compile, and analyze information and data.
Ability to accurately analyze and evaluate design calculations, and specifications for capital improvement projects.
Ability to read and review architectural plans and construction documents.
Ability to work effectively with representatives of other City departments, contractors, property owners, developers, consulting engineers, representatives of other governmental agencies, and the general public.
Ability to prepare clear and definitive reports on a wide scale of engineering activities.
Ability to interpret, explain, and apply departmental policies and procedures, and pertinent federal, state, and local laws, codes, and regulations.
Ability to understand and follow oral and written instructions.
Ability to maintain professionalism at all times, in person and over the phone, including stressful situations and when handling disputes or complaints.
Ability to understand and implement principals, practices, methods, and techniques of inspection, code violation investigation, enforcement, water sampling and testing; and ability to identify common storm water pollutants and possible sources when assigned to Environmental Compliance.
Ability to organize and prioritize a variety of projects and multiple tasks in an effective and timely manner, organize work and set priorities, track schedules and meet critical time deadlines.
To view the complete list of Associate Engineer's qualifications, please click here
Supplemental Information
PUBLIC EMPLOYEE DISASTER SERVICE WORKER:
In accordance with Government Code Section 3100 - all City of Costa Mesa employees are required to perform assigned disaster service worker duties in the event of an emergency or a disaster.
PHYSICAL TASKS AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS :
Please contact Human Resources for a summary of the essential tasks and environmental factors for this classification.
Employee accommodations for physical or mental disabilities will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER:
The City of Costa Mesa is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
To view benefit information for all groups,
New employees contribute 9% of their salary on a pre-tax basis towards the 2%@60 or 2%@62 CalPERS retirement formula depending on eligibility.
Employees receive the following health insurance flexible benefits contribution:

• Current: $1,600 monthly
• Effective January 2025: $1,650 monthly

The City does not participate in the Social Security system; however, federal mandate requires new employees to contribute 1.45% of wages to Medicare. As a condition of employment, all new employees are required to enroll and participate in the direct deposit program.
01
I understand that an incomplete application may lead to disqualification from the recruitment process and I have supplied all the applicable information in my application. Examples of incomplete/inaccurate information leading to disqualification include, but are not limited to: noting incorrect department, leaving dates of employment blank, leaving reason for leaving employment blank, leaving duties blank or noting "see resume", etc.

• Agree
• Disagree

02
Please describe your experience performing engineering work in a public agency. Include in your response, the name(s) of the public agency you worked for and your position title. If none, indicate "none".
03
Please describe your experience performing engineering work specifically related to the management, planning, design, construction and maintenance for Capital Improvement Program projects related to City or other public agency facilities. If none, indicate "none".
04
Please describe your supervisory experience over technical/professional personnel. If none, please indicate "none".
05
Do you possess any construction or engineering certifications? If so, please indicate which certification(s) you possess. If none, please indicate "none".
06
I certify that all information I provided in my application is accurate to the best of my knowledge and belief and that purposely providing false information may be grounds for disqualification from the process.

• Agree
• Disagree

Required Question