Chief Civil Engineer

Chief Civil Engineer – Jefferson County (Environmental Services)

LOCATIONS: Jefferson County

TARGET CLOSE DATE: 06/01/2026

PAY GRADE: Grade 33

TYPE: Full time

Jefferson County Environmental Services department is seeking well-qualified motivated Chief Civil Engineers to serve as the senior engineering authority responsible for the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of public infrastructure projects. Workers in this position lead multidisciplinary engineering teams and oversee a variety of capital improvement initiatives, including water and wastewater facilities, stormwater management, and other public infrastructure. The Chief Civil Engineer provides strategic direction on these projects and is responsible for ensuring compliance with local, state, and federal regulations, and engineering standards and best practices.

Responsibilities include reviewing and approving technical designs, managing project budgets and schedules, coordinating with contractors and consultants, and advising executive leadership and elected officials on infrastructure planning and policy. Employees in this job require strong technical expertise, leadership, and public‑sector experience to ensure that infrastructure projects are delivered safely, efficiently, sustainably, and in alignment with community needs and long‑term development goals.

Jefferson County provides competitive pay and comprehensive benefits packages to include medical and dental insurance, employer‑sponsored retirement plan (pension), generous paid holidays, sick and vacation leave, and more. The pay range for this job is $94,515 - $146,640.

• Driver’s license
• Licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Alabama, OR, have the ability to obtain your PE License within Alabama through reciprocity within 6 months of being hired.
• Bachelor’s degree, or higher, in Civil Engineering or other closely related Engineering field (e.g., Environmental, Mechanical, Structural) from an ABET accredited program.
• Professional Engineering experience, including experience as a lead project manager directly responsible for successful design or construction of complex public works infrastructure projects (e.g., roadways, bridges, sidewalks, drainage systems, water treatment, sewer).

• Experience as a project lead over wastewater projects (e.g., rehabilitation, flow monitoring analysis, linear replacement, building improvements, water reclamation facilities, permitting).
• Experience in a supervisory or leadership role in which you were accountable for the performance and work product of engineers or engineering support staff (e.g., drafters, GIS, construction inspectors, surveyors).
• Experience managing conflicts (e.g., identification, relocation design, permitting, construction execution) between roadway improvements and buried utilities.

• Prepares, monitors, and administers departmental or organizational budget by reviewing spending trends, expenditure reports, analyzing financial data and ensuring expenditures are within annual budgetary limits.
• Enforces permits issued to contractors or developers by monitoring their construction project and ensuring they are following the conditions of the permit.
• Interacts with members of the public, public officials and other governmental agencies to investigate complaints or provide information related to public infrastructure projects.
• Interacts with parties (e.g., developers, contractors, engineers, surveyors, governmental agencies) taking part in the county’s permitting process by providing information about permit requirements and conducting reviews of permit applications and plans in order to ensure that permit applications and plans meet the county's requirements.
• Reviews and recommends or approves changes to proposed construction plans submitted by external contractors to ensure they safeguard the health, safety, and welfare of the public, use accepted civil engineering practices, and comply with applicable codes, regulations, and standards.
• Oversees and manages public infrastructure construction projects that were designed by…