Engineer IV

Summary

Why This Opportunity May Be Perfect for You: Are you ready to take your engineering prowess to the next level while making a real impact on the community? Join us at the forefront of innovation and collaboration as a Engineer IV in the Technical Services Team of the River and Floodplain Management Section (RFMS) in scenic King County, Washington.

The Engineer IV in the Technical Services Team of the River and Floodplain Management Section (RFMS) will be a key technical leader and subject matter expert responsible for advanced hydrologic and hydraulic work, compliance with code requirements, project and program management, training and mentoring staff, and collaboration with other teams and external clients. The Engineer IV will play a pivotal role in developing flood risk reduction strategies, addressing climate change impacts, and ensuring the effective management of floodplains and river systems.

Who Are We:  The Water and Land Resources Division 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 climate change. WLRD has a strong track record of developing innovative strategies for protecting working farms and forests, restoring habitat, and ensuring the county residents have equitable access to green space. We plan, design, and build flood and stormwater facilities that help to protect people and infrastructure while also enhancing habitat for salmon.  Our Environmental Lab and Science programs maintain high-quality data sets used for long term water quality trend analysis and use Best Available Science to inform decision making.  We house the Land Conservation Initiative, which will preserve our last, most important natural lands and urban green spaces over the next 30 years. Our forestry and agricultural programs help individuals protect their lands and support local food production.  These, and many more programs, make WLRD an exciting and fulfilling place to work.

Who is Eligible:  This position is open to the public, but first consideration will be given to all current King County PROTEC Local 17A bargaining unit employees eligible for a lateral transfer (transferring within the Engineer IV classification and having passed probation).  This posting may be used to create an eligibility list for future vacancies in similar positions over the next six months.
 
Commitment To Equity and Social Justice: As the only jurisdiction in the world named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the most influential civil rights leaders in our nation's history, King County is a vibrant international community with residents that represent countries from around the world. It is a region with increasing diversity that cherishes the traditions of many cultures.

We have a deep commitment to equity and social justice and advancing practices, strategies, and policies that promote fairness, justice, and opportunity for all – in our workplaces and our communities. With this commitment, King County has adopted a pro-equity agenda to advance regional change and ensure that residents from vulnerable communities are incorporated into our emergency planning and public outreach efforts.

To learn more, please visit https://kingcounty.gov/elected/executive/equity-social-justice.aspx.
 
Work Location: This is a remote position, with onsite work requirements (i.e. business site visits, field work, and meetings with stakeholders) as informed by business needs. This position will report onsite on the first day of employment for orientation and approximately four (4) to eight (8) times per month, subject to change based on business needs.  

Employees must reside in Washington State and be within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to meet workplace reporting requirements.  

The primary onsite location is King Street Center (201 S. Jackson St, Seattle, WA 98104). This location offers excellent accessibility through multiple mass transit options ensuring convenient and sustainable commuting. This work arrangement promotes work-life-balance and reduces carbon footprint under the department’s vision of Green Where We Work.  

Work Schedule: This position is covered under the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and is overtime eligible. This full-time position works a 40-hour work week.  The typical work schedule is 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday– Friday. Attendance at evening meetings and weekend events may be required from time to time including for staffing of the Flood Warning Center or Flood Patrol during flood emergencies. 

Job Duties

• Advanced Subject Matter Expert and Technical Leadership: Serve as an advanced subject matter expert, with a primary focus collaborating within the Technical Services Team and with senior engineers to lead advanced hydrologic and hydraulic work for RFMS projects. Lead by providing vital technical oversight, ensuring rigorous quality control and certification for hydrology and hydraulics plans across multiple sections and departments. Address complex technical and engineering challenges for senior staff and supervisors, all while overseeing data collection and interpretation, and the development of an advanced asset management system for flood protection facilities. 

• Project Code Compliance and Design Review: Provide technical guidance to project design teams, overseeing staff and consulting team work to ensure compliance with standards. Evaluate land-use proposals for adherence to County flood code requirements, collaborate with internal and external clients to implement flood code requirements, and maintain expertise in relevant regulations while serving as a technical liaison for policy and code modifications. 

• Consultant Contracts and Project & Program Management: Take the lead in crafting on-call consultant contracts, defining project scopes, and estimating costs. Supervise consultant projects to ensure high-quality results and present project and study outcomes to elected officials, community groups, and the public. 

• Climate Change Initiative: Lead RFMS's participation in the County's Climate Change initiative and Strategic Climate Action Plan. Contribute to the development of program-level goals and objectives concerning river and coastal flooding within the context of climate change. 

• Flood Warning Center: Support the coordination and interpretation of monitoring information for the Flood Warning Center, assisting in flood warning operations development implementation. Additionally, identify technology requirements to enhance flood risk reduction strategies. 

Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills

Minimum Qualifications: 

• Bachelor of Science in civil engineering, environmental engineering, hydrology, water resources, or closely related field or an equivalent combination of education and experience providing the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the described duties.  

• Licensed Washington State professional civil engineering (P.E.), or licensed in another state with the ability to obtain a Washington State license through reciprocity within six (6) months of hire. 

• Advanced knowledge and understanding of hydrology, open channel hydraulic principles and basic understanding of fluvial geomorphic processes. 

• Ability to assess and develop recommendations addressing river and floodplain hazards through the application of appropriate government policies and regulations, capital improvement projects, and one-and two-dimensional analytical and numerical hydraulic models.

• Demonstrate a strong understanding of floodplain regulations, including relevant federal, state, and local requirements, and have a proven track record of successfully applying this knowledge.

• Demonstrated experience in the following areas:   

• Working successfully as a technical lead, program manager, and team member on multi-disciplinary teams in a high-performance, collaborative environment on highly visible projects. 

• Dealing tactfully and courteously with diverse groups including governmental officials, the public, community groups, and colleagues. Communicating technical information clearly and concisely, both in writing and orally, to a wide variety of audiences, including engineers, scientists, planners, elected officials, and community members.  

• Reviewing technical studies and engineering reports for completeness, accuracy, and conformance with codes and procedures.  

• Reviewing floodplain development permit applications, no rise certifications, and Letters of Map Change (LOMC) for compliance with the federal National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), and state and local regulations.

• Working independently with strong organizational skills to effectively execute multiple, complex technical work tasks with sometimes conflicting priorities.  

• Applying hydrologic and hydraulic modeling software such as HSPF, SWMM, HEC-RAS, HEC-RAS 1D and 2D, RiverFLow2D, and SRH-2D to help solve complex technical problems. 

• Commitment to furthering personal and team development in cultural competency, equity, and social justice. 

Desired Qualifications (These will aid in carrying out the job duties and responsibilities but are not required. They can be attained through training or on-the-job experience after hire): 

• Certified Floodplain Manager through Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM). 

• Demonstrated experience in the following areas: 

• Using standard survey methods and field equipment such as total station, GPS receivers (e.g., Trimble), range finder, pressure transducers and stream gages.  

• Utilizing asset management database systems such as CityWorks, SalesForce, or similar. 

• Responding to flood emergency situations and post-flood disaster response actions.
• Conducting field investigations and evaluating physical river conditions and hazards.
• Authoring scopes for, managing, and providing quality assurance of consultant contracts, project tasks and deliverables.  
•  Managing large data sets such as LiDAR for analysis and interpretation.

Our Ideal Candidate Will Have the Following Competencies: 

• Collaborating: Building and fostering relationships with others to meet shared objectives.  

• Motivating: Creating and maintaining a climate in which people want to do their best in a collaborative environment.  

• Demonstrates Self-Awareness: Uses a combination of feedback and reflection to gain productive insight into personal strengths and weaknesses.

• Communicates Effectively: Develops and delivers communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences. 

• Technically Savvy:  Anticipates and adopts innovations in mission-critical digital and technology applications. 

Supplemental Information

 

Application and Selection Process: Application materials will be screened for clarity, completeness including online application, cover letter and resume, and responsiveness to the list of qualifications, skills, and abilities. The most competitive candidates may be invited to participate in one or more panel interviews. Applications without the following required materials may not be considered for this position.

• King County application.
• Resume, not to exceed two (2) pages.
• Cover Letter, not to exceed one (1) page, highlighting your background and what you can bring to this position.
• Uploaded copy of Professional Civil Engineering (P.E.) License.
• Responses to supplemental questions.

Union Membership: This position is represented by PROTEC Local 17A.  

For more information regarding this recruitment, please contact:
Isaac Good
Human Resource Analyst
(206) 848-0576
igood@kingcounty.gov
 
Forbes recently named King County as one of Washington State's best employers. 
Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.
 
Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles--we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.
 
King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer: No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

To Apply: If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions related to this recruitment process, please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.