Director of Engineering and Transportation

Required

• 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.
• 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.