Crew Chief

King County Road Services Division has two (2) vacancies for an opportunity as a Crew Chief. The successful candidates will be highly motivated people leaders who have experience with oversight of the day-to-day activities of a construction or maintenance crew. This is a fantastic opportunity to contribute to the Road Services team and make a meaningful impact in our community.

The King County Road Services Division designs, builds, operates, and maintains roads and bridges in unincorporated areas of King County. The Division is committed to ensuring the county's transportation system is safe and efficient for all uses and modes of travel. To learn more about the Road Services Division, visit us at:

About the Road Services Division - King County, Washington

• Plan, organize, schedule, and lead crew work activities; coordinate personnel, equipment, materials, traffic control, and project schedules to complete assigned work.
• Monitor onsite work, provide direction and guidance to work crews, evaluate field conditions, and adjust work methods, sequencing, staffing, and resources as conditions change.
• Ensure work crews comply with all safety standards and regulations (e.g., OSHA/WISHA) and environmental standards, permits, codes, regulations, specifications, and best management practices.
• Monitor job site safety by identifying safety hazards and unsafe practices and initiate or recommend corrective actions.
• Coordinate maintenance and construction activities with King County Water and Land Resources Division (WLRD) and other partner agencies and work groups, including project scope, scheduling, environmental requirements, resources, and field operations.
• Plan and oversee specialized road maintenance, drainage, stormwater, and construction activities involving infrastructure such as catch basins, manholes, conveyance systems, culverts, pipes, ditches, control structures, slopes, and other roadway assets.
• Respond to and investigate citizen or service requests related to drainage, road surfaces, shoulders, signage, rights-of-way, and other maintenance concerns and ensure timely appropriate remedial action.
• Prepare and track job cost estimates for labor, equipment, and materials; monitor project expenditures and resource usage and adjust work plans as needed.
• Read and interpret construction and drainage plans, maps, GIS information, specifications, elevations, grades, slopes, blueprints, and schematic drawings and apply that information to field operations.
• Use City works and other applicable computerized maintenance-management, asset-management, GIS, estimating, dispatch, and reporting tools to plan, assign, document, track, and close out work.
• Monitor and document employee performance and time reporting; provide coaching and corrective direction as appropriate and escalate personnel issues to supervisors when necessary.
• Respond to emergency and unplanned maintenance conditions including flooding, drainage failures, slides, erosion, snow, ice, windstorms, roadway hazards, and infrastructure failures.
• Other duties as assigned.
  
  

• Minimum of two (2) years of experience in the maintenance, construction, repair, or operation of roadway or public works infrastructure, including experience in road maintenance, heavy equipment operation, truck driving in support of field operations, drainage, stormwater, or closely related work.

• Knowledge of and ability to adhere to safety procedures, regulations, and policies applicable to environmental, construction, road maintenance, drainage, stormwater, or other heavy manual labor activities, including OSHA/WISHA, fall protection, confined space, and hazardous materials requirements.

• Ability to lead, motivate, and manage a diverse crew while fostering a work environment that values diversity, fairness, respect, and inclusiveness.

• Knowledge of workload planning, resource allocation, project scheduling, procurement, and cost estimation for road maintenance, drainage, stormwater, and construction projects.

• Experience planning, organizing, and overseeing specialized field work requiring coordination of personnel, equipment, materials, project schedules, and changing field conditions.

• Knowledge of drainage and stormwater infrastructure and associated maintenance and construction practices, including catch basins, manholes, conveyance systems, culverts, pipes, ditches, and control structures.

• Knowledge of environmental requirements, permits, best management practices, and regulatory requirements applicable to road, drainage, stormwater, river, and environmentally sensitive work.

• Ability to evaluate field conditions and determine appropriate means, methods, equipment, materials, staffing, and sequencing necessary to safely and efficiently complete maintenance and construction projects.

• Skills in reading and interpreting construction and drainage plans, maps, GIS information, specifications, elevations, grades, slopes, blueprints, and schematic drawings.

• Experience utilizing City works or other applicable computerized maintenance-management, asset-management, GIS, work-order, estimating, dispatch, or reporting systems to plan, assign, document, and monitor work.

• Strong judgment, critical-thinking, communication, and conflict-resolution skills; ability to recognize and resolve complex technical, operational, personnel, or field issues and escalate them appropriately.

• Ability to prioritize multiple projects and service needs, anticipate resource requirements, and develop short- and long-term work plans.

• Experience developing and tracking labor, equipment, and material estimates and monitoring project expenditures and resource usage.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, SharePoint, Teams) and web-based tools used for job estimates, dispatch, documentation, and reporting.

• Ability to work outdoors and in inclement weather and maintain predictable and reliable attendance.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience working within a road maintenance planning unit or similar specialized public works operation responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing roadway, drainage, stormwater, environmental, or infrastructure maintenance activities.

• Demonstrated experience using City works for work planning, work-order management, cost tracking, asset history, documentation, and reporting.

• Experience coordinating maintenance and construction activities with King County Water and Land Resources Division (WLRD) and other partner agencies and work groups.

• Experience coordinating work across multiple crews, disciplines, work groups, funding sources, or partner agencies.

• Experience independently coordinating projects from initial field investigation and scope development through estimating, resource planning, scheduling, construction, documentation, and project closeout.

• Knowledge of Human Resource policies and procedures, King County Personnel Guidelines, and Union Contracts covering maintenance employees in the trades and crafts.

NECESSARY REQUIREMENTS:

• Possess a valid Washington State Driver's license, or the ability to obtain one prior to start date.

• An offer of employment will be contingent upon the successful completion of professional references and a pre-employment physical examination.

WORK LOCATION:

• Various locations

WHO MAY APPLY:

This recruitment is open to all King County Employees and the general public. This recruitment may be used to fill future career service, term limited or *special duty positions over the next six months.

***Special duty opportunities are open only to current King County career service employees who have completed their initial probation. Special duty applicants must have approval from their current supervisor to accept an assignment. Current employees selected for special duty will be compensated based upon the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement, King County Personnel Guidelines, or Coalition Labor Agreement for their base assignment.

WORK SCHEDULE:

The work schedule will consist of five, eight-hour days in the Fall/Winter: Monday–Friday, 7:00am–3:30pm. The Spring/Summer schedule will consist of four, ten-hour days Monday–Thursday, 6:00am–4:30pm. This position is Non-Exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and is eligible for overtime pay. Working extended shifts, after-hours, mandatory overtime, weekends, callouts and holidays may be required in emergency circumstances, such as inclement weather and/or special projects, which can vary based upon business need, season and weather.

EMERGENCY DESIGNATION STATUS:

First Responder - Employees who, in the early stages of an incident, are responsible for protecting and preserving life, property, evidence, the environment, and restoring order.

UNION MEMBERSHIP:

This position is represented by Local 117 JUA

APPLICATION PROCESS

Those candidates who pass the initial screening will be invited to participate in a phone interview. Those moving forward from the phone interviews will be invited to participate in an in-person written exam and interview. Only those who pass the written exam will move forward to the final interview. The written exam and interview will take place on the same day.

If you are interested in pursuing this position and supporting King County’s vision for unified, equitable, and high-performing government, please follow the application instructions carefully. Provide us with your work history as applicable, ensuring that you provide details that highlight your ability to fulfill the requirements for this position.

If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, or you would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process, please contact Ira Becton at [email protected]. 

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.

King County's Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values unite us.

King County serves residents with a relentless sense of urgency, delivering on commitments with transparency and accountability. We are action-oriented, creative problem solvers who collaborate across roles, engage directly with communities, and challenge the status quo to achieve meaningful impact. As a unified team, we uphold high ethical and stewardship standards, embrace change, stay curious, and continuously improve. Across all interactions, we listen first, act quickly, and stay aligned as a team to earn and sustain public trust. Learn more about our Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values here and visit our Why work at King County page here.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer

No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on sex, race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religious affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age except by minimum age and retirement provisions, pregnancy, status as a family caregiver, parental status, marital status, military status or status as a veteran who was honorably discharged or who was discharged solely as a result of the person's sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, citizenship or immigration status, genetic information, or other protected class. However, to the extent that distinction or differential treatment on the basis of citizenship or immigration status is authorized by either federal or state law, regulation, or government contract, it is not an unfair practice.

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.