Supervising Civil Engineer

Supervising Civil Engineer

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is a community-centered utility that delivers vital services to Seattle residents and businesses including drinking water, drainage and wastewater, and garbage/recycling/compost. SPU also provides drinking water for 1.5 million customers in the region. SPU's work includes system maintenance and improvements and keeping Seattle clean. Over 1,500 SPU employees work with our community to provide affordable and equitable stewardship of our water and waste resources for future generations.

SPU commits to Our City Values and Race and Social Justice as core principles that guide our work. We actively take steps to dismantle systemic racism and increase service equity. We value diverse life experiences and strive to create a workplace that is welcoming to all.

Are you a professional civil engineer with a strong background in supervising multidisciplinary programs, managing infrastructure assets, and leading emergency response engineering? If so, Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is looking for a Supervising Civil Engineer to lead an engineering team, and we hope you consider applying!

SPU's Project Delivery and Engineering Branch (PDEB) is seeking a collaborative leader to manage multiple critical utility programs, including corrosion protection, landslides, spot drainage, condition assessment, damage assessment, claims investigation, and emergency response engineering.

This position supervises a dedicated team of 6 to 7 direct reports (including 5 engineers and 1 to 2 technical staff) and 1 indirect intern. You will oversee four separate O&M programmatic budgets, balance workloads across both O&M and CIP programs, and interface with multiple external agencies and jurisdictions to ensure our infrastructure remains safe, resilient, and reliable.

• Provide direct supervision to a team of engineers and technical staff. Direct matrixed staff providing specialized expertise (such as electrical engineers) or supporting large-scale inspections.
• Manage four separate O&M programmatic budgets and balance workloads across both O&M and CIP programs in alignment with SPU objectives. Manage program-allocated vehicles, field testing equipment, specific software, and GIS layers.
• Supervise the testing, operation, maintenance, and capital planning of SPU's corrosion protection infrastructure, consisting of sacrificial systems, shock hazard mitigation systems, and approximately 100 impressed current systems across King County. Ensure annual inter-agency testing and reporting are completed per franchise agreements with partners like Sound Transit, Seattle City Light, and the City of Renton.
• Coordinate infrastructure inspections for facilities requiring planned outages (e.g., steel water tanks, buried concrete reservoirs, and water transmission pipelines). Oversee the use of CCTV robotic inspection equipment, 3rd-party drone scanning, and satellite technologies for leak detection and settlement monitoring.
• Serve as the lead for City-wide landslide preparedness coordination. Ensure the success of annual City-wide workshops, manage landslide season on-call staffing, and oversee weekly risk reports. Supervise the execution of the related Spot Drainage CIP program to ensure equitable delivery of drainage and landslide prevention capital projects.
• Supervise and provide emergency response engineering, pipeline failure assessments, and engineering assistance to SPU field crews. Supervise sewer backup claim investigations, and act as a lead damage assessor or supervisor following seismic events.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in civil engineering or civil engineering technology (or a combination of education, training, and/or experience providing an equivalent background).
• Requires six (6) years of professional civil engineering experience, including at least two (2) years of supervisory experience.

License, Certification, and Other Requirements:

• Registration as a Professional Engineer (PE) in the State of Washington.
• Current Washington State driver's license or evidence of equivalent mobility.

The Ideal Candidate Will Have:

• Demonstrated experience managing programmatic budgets across O&M and CIP structures.
• Strong collaborative skills to work effectively with interagency partners and alternative jurisdictions.
• Experience guiding prioritization and technical approaches to risk mitigation, landslide preparedness, or asset lifecycle management.
• Ability to develop effective working relationships within a multi-cultural workforce serving a diverse customer base.
• Exposure to all types of weather, Ability to lift 25 lbs, walk on uneven terrain, etc.

Workplace Environment (Telework Expectation):
This position allows for the flexibility of a hybrid work schedule. Employees are required to come into the office three times a week. Individual schedules will be agreed upon by the employee and their supervisor.

Application Requirement(s):

• An online application…