Director of Engineering and Transportation

Position Summary

About us We are seeking an experienced public works and capital-project leader to direct its Engineering and Transportation Divisions. The position is part of the Department of Public Works and offers substantial professional independence under the general supervision of the Superintendent of Public Works. Our company values diverse perspectives and encourages qualified candidates from varied professional and personal backgrounds to apply. It also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants and employees in accordance with applicable disability and human-rights requirements.

Position Summary The Director of Engineering and Transportation is a senior managerial position responsible for planning, supervising, and directing public works, engineering, transportation, and capital-improvement activities for the company. The Director leads the Engineering and Transportation Divisions through the complete project lifecycle, including planning, design, consultant selection, budget development, grant coordination, construction administration, financial recovery, closeout, and long-term infrastructure planning. The position also supervises engineering staff, establishes departmental priorities, manages consultant relationships, represents the company before boards and public agencies, and ensures compliance with applicable laws, codes, funding requirements, and professional standards. A principal responsibility will be stabilizing and developing a relatively new engineering department. The selected leader must guide less-experienced employees, establish clear priorities, and ensure that staff focus on the company's operational and capital needs rather than individual project preferences. The Director will also work closely with the Grant Administrator and departments such as Planning and Finance to support grant applications, permitting, eligibility compliance, reimbursement submissions, and recovery of eligible project costs.

Appointment and Civil Service Requirements This role is in the competitive jurisdictional class and will initially be filled through a provisional appointment if no applicable eligible list is currently available. To obtain a permanent appointment, the selected candidate must: Complete the applicable New York State civil service examination when scheduled. Achieve a sufficiently high score to become reachable for permanent appointment. Generally rank among the three highest-scoring eligible candidates available for appointment. There is no residency requirement for this position.

Key Responsibilities Engineering and Transportation Leadership Plan, assign, supervise, review, and direct engineering and transportation activities. Lead the Engineering and Transportation Divisions within the Department of Public Works. Establish departmental work programs, priorities, timelines, and performance expectations. Supervise, coach, develop, and evaluate subordinate engineering staff. Provide consistent leadership to a developing team with varying levels of experience. Align departmental activity with citywide priorities and public-service objectives. Promote accountability, collaboration, sound judgment, and professional development. Coordinate engineering and transportation work with other departments and external stakeholders. Capital Improvement Program Management Develop and manage significant portions of the company's capital-improvement program. Direct small- and large-scale public works projects from planning through final closeout. Establish project scope, objectives, schedules, budgets, milestones, and deliverables. Guide project development through design, bidding, construction, administration, inspection, and completion. Monitor project progress, expenditures, risks, and contractual obligations. Resolve technical, financial, regulatory, and operational issues. Ensure capital projects meet the company standards, public needs, and funding requirements. Provide leadership across multiple concurrent projects. Capital Budgets and Financial Oversight Oversee capital-project budgets, expenditures, financial controls, and fund recovery. Monitor available funding and project costs throughout the capital lifecycle. Coordinate financial reporting and reimbursement documentation. Work with the Controller's and Chamberlain's Offices to gather, reconcile, and process financial information. Identify eligible project costs and support timely reimbursement submissions. Maintain compliance with the company policies, grant conditions, accounting procedures, and funding-agency requirements. Support sound use of public funds and transparent capital-project administration. Grant Administration and Reimbursement Recovery Support applications for state, federal, and other infrastructure grants. Coordinate permitting, project eligibility, and grant-related documentation. Work closely with the company's Grant Administrator. Maintain compliance with grant conditions and eligible-cost requirements. Oversee reimbursement requests and supporting financial documentation. Coordinate with state and federal funding agencies. Maximize recovery of eligible capital-project costs. Resolve reimbursement questions, documentation gaps, and compliance concerns. Collaborate with Planning, Finance, the sidewalk program, and other relevant departments. Design and Construction Management Prepare or supervise the preparation of engineering plans, specifications, cost estimates, schedules, and construction documents. Review designs and specifications prepared by engineering staff and consultants. Ensure compliance with applicable laws, codes, regulations, technical standards, and departmental requirements. Direct engineering construction-management activities. Monitor construction quality, schedule, budget, safety, and contract performance. Review technical changes, field conditions, claims, and project risks. Ensure complete project closeout and proper retention of technical documentation. Public Infrastructure Projects Provide leadership for the planning, design, construction, rehabilitation, and maintenance of infrastructure that may include: Water and sewer lines Sanitary sewers Stormwater and drainage systems Traffic-control devices Streets and sidewalks Bridges Retaining walls Municipal buildings Flood-control structures Other company-owned facilities and public infrastructure Transportation Planning and Programs Direct transportation-related planning and engineering activities. Develop long-term strategies for traffic systems and transportation infrastructure. Support traffic database development and traffic simulation. Guide infrastructure upgrades and implementation of emerging technologies. Coordinate transportation planning with engineering, streets, sidewalks, utilities, and other public works functions. Evaluate present and future transportation needs. Develop practical strategies that improve mobility, safety, reliability, and infrastructure performance. Bridge Inspection and Asset Management Develop long-term bridge inspection, maintenance, and repair strategies. Review and respond to state bridge-inspection findings. Prioritize safety and structural repairs. Coordinate engineering evaluations, funding, design, and construction activities. Maintain accurate records associated with bridge condition and required corrective action. Integrate bridge needs into capital-planning and funding strategies. Consultant and Contract Administration Prepare or supervise consultant contracts for engineering studies and professional services. Develop scopes of work and solicitation documents. Solicit and evaluate professional-service proposals. Recommend consultant selection based on qualifications, cost, scope, and project needs. Serve as the company's representative during contract execution. Manage consultant performance, schedules, deliverables, budgets, and compliance. Coordinate contract modifications and resolve performance concerns. Ensure consultant work meets company and regulatory standards. Regulatory and Permit Administration Direct or oversee regulatory functions assigned to the Engineering and Transportation Divisions. Oversee permits for street, sidewalk, and utility work. Support subdivision and site-plan review. Review project documents for compliance with company requirements. Coordinate with developers, utilities, consultants, and reviewing agencies. Ensure that permitted activity protects public infrastructure and meets applicable standards. Mapping and Engineering Records Supervise the maintenance and permanent storage of company maps and technical records. Maintain cemetery maps, assessment maps, surveys, construction drawings, and records of company-owned facilities. Ensure engineering documents are complete, organized, secure, and accessible. Support long-term institutional knowledge and infrastructure asset management. Public and Government Relations Meet with members of the public, elected officials, appointed officials, developers, consultants, and agency representatives. Explain public works projects, strategies, schedules, budgets, and impacts. Represent the company at boards, committees, project reviews, grant discussions, and intergovernmental meetings. Participate in discussions regarding intermunicipal agreements. Present technical and strategic information in an understandable manner. Address public concerns professionally and transparently. Build productive relationships with diverse community stakeholders. Acting Leadership May act for the Superintendent of Public Works when assigned. This would generally occur only if the Superintendent's two designated Assistant Superintendents were unavailable. Exercise appropriate professional judgment and maintain continuity of departmental operations when serving in that capacity. Emergency Response Remain willing to respond to emergency situations affecting public infrastructure or departmental operations. Coordinate engineering and transportation support during urgent events. Evaluate infrastructure risks and recommend immediate action. Communicate effectively with leadership, emergency personnel, contractors, and the public when required.

Minimum Qualifications Applicants must satisfy one of the following qualification pathways. Option 1: Bachelor's Degree Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Engineering Science, Architecture, Construction Management, Planning, or a related field with a similar curriculum. Six years of full-time paid experience, or the part-time paid equivalent, in engineering, construction management, architectural design, or public works capital-project management. At least two years of the required experience must have been in a supervisory capacity. Option 2: Associate Degree Associate degree in Engineering, Engineering Science, Construction Technology, Architecture, or a related field with a similar curriculum. Eight years of full-time paid experience, or the part-time paid equivalent, in engineering, construction management, architectural design, or public works capital-project management. At least two years of the required experience must have been in a supervisory capacity. These minimum qualifications are established through the company's civil service process and must be applied as written.

Education Verification Degrees must have been awarded by a qualifying accredited college or university. Applicants whose degrees were awarded by an educational institution outside the United States or its territories must provide an independent degree-equivalency evaluation. The applicant is responsible for the associated evaluation fee.

Preferred Qualifications Active Professional Engineer license, preferably in New York State. Municipal, county, state, transportation-agency, utility, or other public-sector engineering experience. Experience leading a developing or relatively inexperienced engineering team. Experience managing public works capital projects from planning through closeout. Transportation engineering, traffic planning, or multimodal infrastructure experience. Experience with water, wastewater, stormwater, streets, sidewalks, bridges, public buildings, or flood-control infrastructure. State and federal grant-administration experience. Capital reimbursement and eligible-cost recovery experience. Knowledge of public-sector accounting and budget procedures. Experience working with elected officials, public boards, community members, and regulatory agencies. Consultant selection and professional-services contract-management experience. Construction administration and inspection experience. Experience aligning multiple departments and stakeholders around shared capital priorities. Strong public presentation, conflict-resolution, and community-engagement skills. The PE license and previous municipal experience were identified as preferred rather than mandatory requirements.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities The successful candidate must demonstrate: Knowledge of engineering principles and practices. Knowledge of construction-management methods. Knowledge of modern public works construction and maintenance practices. Knowledge of design, specification writing, inspections, and surveying. Knowledge of laws, codes, rules, and regulations governing engineering design and construction. Knowledge of public works administration. Knowledge of governmental accounting and budgeting. Knowledge of state and federal funding programs. Knowledge of grant compliance and reimbursement procedures. Ability to manage major engineering and construction projects. Ability to prepare and evaluate engineering plans and specifications. Strong project-management skills. Ability to supervise, coach, and direct employees. Ability to interpret complex technical and administrative information. Strong written and verbal communication. Ability to collaborate effectively with internal and external stakeholders. Ability to work successfully with and serve a diverse local community. Willingness to respond to emergency situations.

Core Competencies Municipal Engineering Public Works Administration Engineering Leadership Transportation Planning Capital Improvement Programs Capital Project Management Construction Management Infrastructure Planning Grant Administration Reimbursement Recovery Governmental Budgeting Consultant Management Contract Administration Water Infrastructure Wastewater Infrastructure Stormwater Management Bridge Inspection Traffic Engineering Street and Sidewalk Programs Public-Sector Procurement Permitting Site Plan Review Staff Development Community Engagement Intergovernmental Relations Emergency Response Public Presentations Engineering Records Management

Ideal Candidate Profile The ideal candidate: Is an experienced engineering, construction, or public works leader. Can stabilize a department and provide consistent direction. Enjoys coaching less-experienced engineers and developing their professional judgment. Can translate citywide priorities into structured work programs. Understands that public-sector engineering requires technical, financial, regulatory, and community accountability. Can manage multiple major capital projects simultaneously. Is comfortable working with grants, reimbursement requests, permitting, and government financial procedures. Communicates confidently with elected officials, employees, consultants, developers, funding agencies, and community members. Balances long-term planning with urgent project and infrastructure needs. Can make independent professional decisions while maintaining transparency and collaboration. Understands the importance of public trust, equitable service, and responsible stewardship of public funds. Is interested in providing stable, long-term leadership to the Engineering and Transportation Divisions.

Immediate Priorities The selected Director will be expected to focus initially on: Department stabilization: Establish consistent leadership for a relatively new and currently unstable engineering department. Staff development: Coach a young team with limited years of experience and clarify performance expectations. Priority alignment: Ensure staff focus on the company's highest-priority infrastructure and capital needs. Capital-project direction: Guide major capital projects and establish disciplined project-management practices. Grant coordination: Work effectively with the Grant Administrator, Planning, Finance, and related programs. Reimbursement recovery: Strengthen grant compliance, financial reconciliation, and recovery of eligible costs. Cross-functional collaboration: Build productive relationships across company departments, public bodies, funding agencies, and community stakeholders.

What Success Looks Like A successful Director of Engineering and Transportation will: Establish stable and consistent departmental leadership. Create clear priorities for engineering and transportation work. Strengthen the capabilities of subordinate engineering staff. Advance capital projects on schedule and within approved budgets. Improve coordination among Engineering, Transportation, Planning, Finance, Grant Administration, and other company programs. Maintain accurate grant and reimbursement documentation. Maximize recovery of eligible state and federal project costs. Improve consultant accountability and contract performance. Maintain compliance with applicable laws, regulations, codes, and funding requirements. Communicate effectively with elected officials and the public. Develop sustainable long-term strategies for bridges, traffic, utilities, streets, sidewalks, and other public infrastructure. Build confidence in the Engineering and Transportation Divisions.

Non-Desirable Candidate Characteristics Likely Disqualifiers Does not meet either established civil service education-and-experience pathway. Lacks at least two years of qualifying supervisory experience. Cannot provide acceptable degree documentation. Has a foreign degree but is unwilling to obtain the required equivalency evaluation. Is unwilling to complete the applicable civil service examination. Cannot manage complex engineering or public works projects. Is unwilling to respond to emergency situations. Cannot communicate effectively with elected officials, employees, consultants, agencies, or community members. Leadership Red Flags Has strong technical experience but no meaningful staff-supervision experience. Cannot provide examples of developing junior engineering staff. Avoids difficult performance or priority-setting conversations. Allows individual employee preferences to override organizational priorities. Requires continuous direction from senior leadership. Cannot establish a structured departmental work program. Demonstrates weak accountability or follow-through. Is uncomfortable leading through change or instability. Capital-Project Red Flags Has never managed a capital project through design, procurement, construction, administration, and closeout. Cannot explain project-budget or schedule controls. Has no experience managing consultants. Cannot identify technical, financial, regulatory, and delivery risks. Focuses only on design and lacks construction-administration experience. Does not maintain organized project documentation. Cannot explain how change orders, claims, or scope changes should be managed. Public-Sector and Financial Concerns Has no understanding of public accountability or governmental budgeting. Is unfamiliar with grant compliance or reimbursement requests and demonstrates no willingness to learn. Cannot work effectively with multiple departments and public agencies. Is uncomfortable presenting to public boards or elected officials. Has difficulty communicating technical information to nontechnical audiences. Demonstrates poor judgment about public records, public funds, or community transparency. Does not demonstrate a public-service mindset.

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