Engineering Technician, Senior

Description

Snohomish County Surface Water Management (SWM), a Division of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, is seeking a highly capable Engineering Technician Senior to join our team.

Functions of this position include advanced engineering technician duties to support our design team in delivery of the SWM Capital program. The position will:

• Implementation, and oversight of CAD and Civil 3D within SWM.
• Oversee the SWM Capital Team’s project closeout process.
• Support the SWM Capital Team field mapping efforts using field mapping/survey equipment (including Total Station, GPS mapping equipment, laser / optical level)

Duties may also include projects tracking, design, utility coordination, data collection, construction monitoring, engineering calculations, GIS, research, etc.

Our ideal candidate will have qualities in alignment with SWM’s core values: providing and demonstrating high quality service, leadership, stewardship, accountability, respect, and integrity. The successful candidate will have excellent communication and organization skills, will demonstrate the ability to work well with staff and stakeholders with a variety of backgrounds, and will be able to positively contribute to the SWM Capital section and the entire SWM Division.

SWM works in partnership with other local and regional agencies to improve Snohomish County now and for future generations. SWM provides a variety of programs and services for reducing road and property flooding and preserving and improving the health of Snohomish County's water resources and natural systems. We focus on four areas of service:

• Stormwater drainage systems;

• Habitat for fish and aquatic wildlife;

• Clean water in rivers, streams and lakes;

• River flooding and erosion.

• Retirement: County employees participate in the Washington State Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) administered by the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems (DRS).
• Medical benefits: The County offers a choice of three comprehensive medical insurance plan with low deductibles. The county’s contribution to this benefit is significant.
• Sick leave: You will accrue 8 hours of sick leave per month.
• Vacation Leave: You will start out accruing 8 hours of vacation leave per month totaling 2.4 weeks of vacation in your first year. Your leave accruals increase based on your years of employment with the County.
• Holiday Pay: The County observes eleven (11) paid legal holidays per year and provides employees with two floating holidays annually.
• Other benefits include wellness, dental, vision, life insurance, flexible spending accounts, long term disability, and more.
• Deferred Compensation: If you choose to participate in the Deferred Compensation Plan (DCP), the County will match your contributions up to 1 percent of your base monthly salary.
• Pay Increases: Each year you will be eligible for a step increase until you reach the top step.
• Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA): County employees typically receive yearly cost of living adjustments.
• Flexible work schedules.
• Career development training.

Job Duties

• Schedules and directs the work of survey crews providing staking and design information for location and design of construction projects and boundary surveys for right-of-way and construction locations; locates structures, roadways, boundaries, right-of-ways and topographic features to facilitate roadway and bridge design.
• Performs the design for small to medium sized road, bridge, surface water, solid waste and other public works projects or assist with specific design elements of large projects under the guidance of a lead engineer; this includes preparation of design plans, right-of-way plans, specifications, design reports, and estimates following current design standards to prepare projects for bidding and construction.
• Plans and directs office and field activities and responds to public inquiries related to a specific division function or program such as permit processing, right-of-way, or traffic safety investigations.
• Supervises activities of asphalt, concrete and soils lab; processes materials submittals, makes recommendations and approves sources of materials; supervises the operation of investigation drill rig; responsible for approval and/or rejection of construction materials; acts as liaison with material supplies for Snohomish County.
• Performs engineering analysis of drainage problems; recommends and designs solutions to drainage problems.
• Monitors and coordinates project construction activities, assures adherence to contract specification, obtains quality construction and resolves problems during construction; maintains field records, prepares change orders and quantity estimates for progress payments, develops and monitors construction engineering budgets, and manages construction contract scopes, quantities, dollar amounts, and projections.
• Performs complex calculations in the various fields of geology, survey, design, traffic analysis, hydraulic analysis, construction inspection and administration and related fields of Public Works projects. Performs load rating calculations of simple span structures.
• Coordinates the plan review and field inspection of all land development and right-of-way use construction within the county to ensure compliance with sub-division, right-of-way use and drainage regulations and established construction practices.
• Researches maps, engineering data, records, legal descriptions and other documents to plan engineering related assignments.
• Researches and prepares claim data, formulating responses to contractor claims and gathering background information for attorneys.
• Assists in preliminary review of construction plans to determine if contract specifications are complete.
• Performs materials testing and plant inspections to assure that materials meet construction specification.
• Leads the work of subordinate employees as required; trains subordinates, participates in selection of new employees and may make recommendations in matters of discipline of employees.
• Meets with developers, property owners, engineers, contractors, utility companies and the general public to identify and resolve construction problems.
• Develops, researches and troubleshoots new software, equipment and technologies; trains and provides technical support to department staff in effective use of new technologies and engineering operations in the fields of Photogrammetry, Geodesy, GIS, Internet, and CAD/CAE software; assists and advises in the decision making process for departmental acquisition of new technology.
• Provides procedure development and programming support for Public Works CADD and GIS users; assists in the development, acquisition and adaptation of software and standards and in the training of other staff in their use.
• Retrieves, compiles and analyzes GIS and other source data for specific projects; assembles data from county, other agencies and external sources with the use of GIS and other engineering or imaging software, and analyze or present analysis to the project managers. Schedules and directs the work of detention facility maintenance inspectors. Inspects stormwater facilities for function; writes punchlist or work orders; inspects maintenance works. Track costs, facilities, and annual budgets and prepares reports as requested.
• Analyzes new construction technology to recommend improved construction methods and practices where necessary.
• Plans, schedules and performs all activities related to the periodic inspection of existing bridge structures; reports the current condition of all County road bridges in accordance with National Bridge Inspection Standards; determines maintenance needs of existing bridges; reviews and approves requests to support utilities from existing bridges.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Additional Information

• principles, practices and techniques of technical engineering related to area of assignment
• federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations related to area of assignment
• the principles and practices of planning, organizing and supervising
• the literature, trends and developments in the area of specialty
• the principles and practices of contract negotiation and administration
• the principles, practices and techniques of computer hardware and software programming and applications

• plan and coordinate drafting, inspection, surveying or other technical engineering programs
• lead or supervise the work of subordinate employees
• develop work plans and schedules
• allocate and make effective use of available resources
• assess the relative advantages and disadvantages of alternative courses of action
• gather, analyze, synthesize and evaluate a variety of data including statistical data
• read, interpret and apply federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations governing area of assignment
• analyze and evaluate operations and take effective action to correct deficiencies and resolve problems
• establish and maintain effective working relationships with elected officials, department heads, associates, subordinates, representatives of other agencies and with the general public
• communicate effectively, both orally and in writing
• prepare a variety of correspondence, reports, and other written materials and documents
• create and develop computer software programs, routines, procedures and operation instructions
• inspect and appraise the condition of existing bridge structures