Posting number: 27-59
Department: PUBLIC WORKS
Division: Streets
Job classification: Senior Civil Engineer
Posting type: Open
Categories: Administration, Engineering, Public Works
This position is responsible for assisting the City Engineer in planning, directing, and managing the services of the Department’s Engineering Division, including prioritizing projects and managing personnel in an efficient and productive manner.
The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.
Under administrative direction, working from municipal policies and objectives; individual establishes short-range plans and objectives, own performance standards. Consults with supervisor only where clarification, interpretation, or exception to municipal policy may be required. The employee is also expected to attempt to resolve conflicts which arise and coordinate with others as necessary.
Employee, as a regular and continuing part of the job, is accountable for the quality and quantity of work done by subordinates and assures the accomplishment of the assigned work in the prescribed manner. Employee plans, schedules and coordinates work operations to meet schedules, deadlines and priorities; revises work schedules to meet changes in workload or availability of manpower; assigns work based on varying capabilities of employees; assures that completed work meets the required standard of quality, timeliness and cost, taking corrective actions as necessary, including rejecting the work; oversees attendance and leave.
The work requires examining, analyzing and evaluating facts and circumstances surrounding individual problems, situations or transactions, and determining actions to be taken within the limits of standard or accepted practices. Guidelines include a large body of policies, practices and precedents which may be complex or conflicting, at times. Judgment is used in analyzing specific situations to determine appropriate actions. Employee is expected to weigh efficiency and relative priorities in conjunction with procedural concerns in decision making. Requires understanding, interpreting and applying federal, state and local regulations.
The work consists of employing many different concepts, theories, principles, techniques and practices relating to an administrative field. Assignments typically concern such matters as studying trends in the field for application to the work; assessing services and recommending improvements.
Relationships are with co-workers, the public, groups and/or individuals such as peers from other organizations, regulatory authorities, vendors, contractors and representatives of professional organizations. May be required to discuss controversial matters where tact is required to avoid friction and obtain cooperation.
Employee has some access to sensitive or confidential information, such as personnel records, court documents.
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, with an emphasis on civil, sanitary, environmental and/or mechanical engineering, master’s desirable; three to five years of engineering experience of which two are in a supervisory or project management capacity; equivalent combination of education and experience. Registered Professional Engineer license from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts required. Valid Driver’s License required.
Knowledge: Knowledge of AutoCAD, GIS and Microsoft Office Suite; knowledge of using computers in the design of civil engineering projects; knowledge of the theory and application of the principles and practices of civil engineering and surveying; knowledge of local, state and federal laws and regulations governing municipal infrastructure.
Abilities: Ability to apply sound engineering judgement and design methods to project work; ability to understand, explain and apply rules, regulations, policies, procedures, standards and guidelines governing public infrastructure; ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing with employees, consultants, regulatory authorities, City officials and the general public; ability to operate survey equipment; ability to keep detailed notes and records.
Skills: Interpersonal skills; skilled in using AutoCAD and/or other computer design programs; skilled in using surveying tools and other types of relevant tools and equipment.
The work is performed in an office environment or in the field. When in the field, working conditions involve exposure to machine or related noise or a combination of unpleasant elements such as odors, chemical fumes, dust, smoke, heat, cold, oil, dirt, grease or adverse weather conditions. Work may require emergency response outside of normal business hours. Travel during adverse weather conditions may be required.
Physical Skills: Administrative work is performed in an office setting requiring sitting, standing, walking and stooping. May be required to lift objects such as files, boxes of papers, office supplies, and office equipment weighing up to 30 pounds. When in the field, work requires physical strength and effort, such as the ability to traverse moderate distances over and through uneven terrain or construction sites.
Motor Skills: The work may involve assignments requiring application of hand and eye coordination with finger dexterity and motor coordination, including the ability to operate survey equipment.
Visual Skills: Essential position functions require the ability to routinely read materials for general understanding and analytical purposes and the ability to view documents and spreadsheets on a computer monitor. In addition, essential position functions require the ability to operate a motor vehicle and require good close, distant, color and peripheral vision and depth perception at correctable ranges.
The City of Northampton, known as "Paradise City" is situated between the Connecticut River and the foothills of the Berkshires 20 miles north of Springfield. Offering a sophisticated rural lifestyle rich in cultural, artistic, academic, and business resources, with one of the most vibrant downtown centers in New England, the Town of Northampton (originally the town of Nonotuck) was granted its Charter in 1654, and incorporated as a city in 1884.
The city has been recognized in recent years by numerous publications as top rated for the arts, for families, for historic preservation and for outdoor activities. Northampton is home to Smith College and is strongly influenced by Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College and the University of Massachusetts as part of the five-college system in the region. The superb quality of life in Northampton contributes to its strong economic base with growing manufacturing, technology and service sectors. The local labor force is diverse, well educated and highly skilled.
Northampton's blend of traditional neighborhoods, forged by the great care of generations of good neighbors, and a lively and sophisticated cultural community would make any great city proud. We have worked hard to blend the needs of a growing economy with our many buildings of historic significance. We honor our traditions, retaining the historic character of downtown and the mill villages of Florence, Leeds, and Bay State. We are proud to have been home to many generous and thoughtful individuals, whose legacies continue to inspire us: Jonathan Edwards, Sojourner Truth, Leonard Baskin, Lydia Maria Child, Amelia Earhart, Calvin Coolidge, Sylvia Plath and Richard Yarde, among others who have called this city home.
Here, you will find what many of us have found - a lively, caring community where people from all walks of life feel welcome and empowered to participate in the work of maintaining this remarkable, diverse city. Welcome to Paradise!
