Senior Engineer, Traffic

Are you passionate about improving traffic safety and developing innovative transportation solutions? Join the City of Sammamish as our Senior Traffic Engineer and play a vital role in advancing a safe, efficient, accessible, and multimodal transportation network for our growing community.

Why join us? 

• Impactful Work: Make a visible impact on your community through meaningful public infrastructure projects.
• Professional Growth: Access to continuous learning opportunities and career advancement.
• Comprehensive Benefits: Health, dental, and vision insurance, FSA, retirement plans, and generous paid time off (vacation and sick).
• Collaborative Environment: Work with a dedicated and supportive team passionate about public service.
• Work-Life Balance: Hybrid work schedules and a commitment to your well-being; 14 paid holidays plus a floating holiday.

The Senior Traffic Engineer plays a key role in advancing traffic safety and shaping an efficient, accessible, and multimodal transportation network for the Sammamish community. Serving as the City's in-house traffic engineering and safety subject matter expert, this role leads the full lifecycle of traffic safety initiatives and transportation projects—from strategy development and technical studies to data analysis, design, construction oversight, implementation, and performance monitoring. This position provides technical leadership and expertise across a broad range of traffic engineering disciplines, including multimodal transportation planning, traffic operations analysis and modeling, traffic control and management, intelligent transportation systems (ITS), and traffic design. The Senior Traffic Engineer communicates complex technical information to community members, decision-makers, and stakeholders to support engagement, transparency, and informed decision-making. The Senior Traffic Engineer manages complex traffic engineering projects, oversees traffic operations and modeling efforts, supports the City's Traffic Management Center, reviews development permit submittals and capital project deliverables, and pursues and administers grant funding that advances the City's multimodal transportation, mobility, and safety goals.

The essential functions listed are typical examples of work performed by positions in this job classification and are not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, tasks, and responsibilities. Specific duties and responsibilities may vary depending on department or program needs without changing the general nature and scope of the job or level of responsibility.

Employees may also perform other duties as assigned.

• Lead the department’s efforts related to systemic traffic safety, focusing on proactively identifying risks, protecting vulnerable road users, and managing speed.
• Collaborate with the community and other stakeholders to identify safety concerns, conduct analyses, develop designs and recommendations, and implement proven safety countermeasures.
• Monitor transportation system performance, identify infrastructure deficiencies, investigate safety and operational concerns, and develop and implement solutions.
• Provide road design and traffic engineering expertise to support City initiatives and projects, including by reviewing and contributing to interdepartmental planning studies, private development permit applications, capital projects, and construction projects.
• Lead and oversee the planning, design, and construction of complex traffic engineering and transportation projects, ensuring projects are delivered within approved scope, schedule, and budget.
• Support the oversight and management of the City’s traffic signal operations and control system, including operational performance, signal timing, maintenance needs, and system improvements.
• Manage consultants and contracts for transportation and traffic engineering projects throughout the project delivery cycle.
• Coordinate with and represent the City before residents, developers, contractors, consultants, regional agencies, City departments, committees, and other public forums to advance project and program objectives.
• Prepare grant applications and administer grant agreements for a variety of traffic engineering projects.
• Participate in emergency response, as assigned.
• May present to the City Council, boards, commissions, and other public bodies; represent the City at public meetings and events; and attend evening and/or weekend meetings and events as required.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with all people encountered in the course of work regardless of race, color, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, genetic information, disability, political affiliation, military service, or diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

SUPERVISION EXERCISEDMINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and five (5) years of progressive experience in transportation engineering, traffic engineering, traffic operations, traffic modeling, transportation planning, project management, or related civil engineering work in a municipal, public agency, or consulting environment.

Employees must be residents of Washington State.

CERTIFICATIONS AND LICENSES
Licensed in Washington State as a Professional Engineer (PE).

• May be required to possess and maintain a valid Washington State Driver License and the ability to drive a City-owned vehicle per established policies, procedures, and safety guidelines.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
Master’s degree in civil, transportation, or a related engineering field; municipal or public agency experience in traffic engineering, transportation operations, multimodal transportation, or transportation capital project delivery; and experience communicating complex technical information to elected officials and the public.

KNOWLEDGE OF

• Advanced principles and practices of traffic engineering, transportation planning, multimodal safety, traffic operations, transportation modeling, and road design.
• Safe System approach principles and implementation, including selection and delivery of proven countermeasures for safer roads and safer speeds.
• Traffic safety analysis, operational analysis, traffic impact studies, corridor studies, intersection control evaluations, speed management, and crash reduction strategies.
• Traffic modeling and analysis tools such as Synchro, SIDRA, and Visum.
• Road design standards, traffic signal and traffic management systems, signing, channelization, pedestrian and bicycle facility design, work zone traffic control, and construction practices.
• Transportation planning, concurrency, transportation impact fees, level of service standards, and road classification.
• Project management practices, including scope development, consultant management, contract documents, bidding, construction administration, budget tracking, and schedule management.
• Federal, state, and local transportation regulations, standards, policies, procedures, and applicable City codes.
• Multimodal transportation planning and implementation, including Complete Streets principles, pedestrian and bicycle safety, transit access, and accessibility.
• Grant funding programs, grant application development, grant agreement administration, and transportation funding requirements.
• Environmental review and permitting requirements related to road and transportation projects.
• Public agency operations, budgeting, interdepartmental coordination, customer service, conflict resolution, and public communication.

SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Lead complex traffic engineering, transportation safety, traffic design, and operational analysis assignments with a high degree of independence.
• Apply sound engineering judgment to identify transportation system deficiencies and recommend practical, data-supported solutions.
• Build effective working relationships and collaborate across departments, agencies, and stakeholder groups.
• Manage projects and programs to meet scope, schedule, budget, safety, and community expectations.
• Develop and review engineering plans, specifications, cost estimates, technical reports, traffic studies, and transportation planning documents.
• Interpret and explain City, state, federal, WSDOT, and APWA standards, ordinances, policies, specifications, and procedures.
• Communicate effectively with elected officials, executive leadership, community members, consultants, contractors, developers, and partner agencies.
• Respond to public concerns in a professional, transparent, and customer-focused manner.
• Analyze complex transportation issues and develop feasible solutions that balance safety, mobility, cost, constructability, and community needs.
• Maintain accurate records, prepare reports and presentations, and support transparent project documentation.
• Work with minimal supervision, prioritize competing demands, and exercise professional judgment and discretion.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
Depending on functional area of assignment, tasks involve the ability to exert light physical effort in sedentary to light work, which may involve some lifting, carrying, pushing and/or pulling of objects and materials of light weight (up to 20 pounds). Tasks may involve extended periods of time at a keyboard or workstation and extended periods of time standing and/or walking.

ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS
Tasks are regularly performed inside and/or outside with exposure to adverse environmental conditions (e.g., dirt, fumes, temperature and weather extremes, and noise).

SENSORY REQUIREMENTS
Some tasks require manual dexterity, in addition to visual and hearing acuity. Some tasks may involve identifying and distinguishing colors. Some tasks require the ability to perceive and discriminate visual cues or signals. Some tasks require the ability to communicate orally and in writing.