Deputy Director of Engineering Projects

Statement of Duties

The City of Somerville is addressing a vital and urgent need to improve the quality of its aging infrastructure. Whether horizontal - sewer/water services, and streets - or vertical - buildings, and walls - the city is poised to make significant investments to improve service to constituents, provide quality space for users of our streets, and meet our climate goals (to name a few).

The Deputy Director of Engineering Projects leads a dynamic team including three Project Managers and three Senior Project Managers to meet these goals.

The Deputy Director of Engineering Projects is responsible for assisting the Director of Engineering in managing, maintaining, planning and improving the City’s basic infrastructure including: roads, sidewalks, sewers, drainage and water systems. Employee is required to perform all similar or related duties.

The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various type 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.

• Manage the Engineering Division’s Engineering Projects Group of project managers, ensuring adherence to standards-of-practice for project management in infrastructure project execution. This group manages projects associated with municipal construction, development of new infrastructure policy, and strategic planning of new infrastructure works.
• Analyze all outstanding obligations of the Capital Investment Plan (CIP) for risk and liability, advising Director of opportunities and potential failure points. Perform project portfolio analysis, including planning of near-term improvement projects, forecasting costs, making scope change recommendations, and helping translate the greater CIP into individual projects.
• Ensure that projects are designed, constructed, and completed in accordance with:
  • Project goals established by the Infrastructure Department in coordination with other City departments and stakeholders with respect to quality of work, schedule, and budget, and
  • Applicable Federal, State, and local regulations and design standards.
• Act as liaison to Engineering Services staff on behalf of project managers to ensure timely execution of outstanding project work.
• Responsible for routine decision making in all engineering projects, keeping Director informed. Obtaining Director feedback in the most complicated decision making that impacts overall CIP portfolio.
• Manage, organize, coordinate, and monitor consulting teams of assigned projects including relationships with design professionals and contractors.
• Work with Administration & Finance to:
  • Manage the Massachusetts General Law requirements for public procurement of services, including design professionals and construction contractors,
  • Make suggestion of opportunities to limit risk and ensure compliance in procurement phase,
  • Plan and apply funding source(s), inform a project budgets, and create a feedback loop to Project Managers for their execution of individual projects, and
  • Track contract statuses, project budgets, invoice approvals, and spending schedules.
• Thinks critically about the complete project portfolio, including identifying risks, problem solving, researching, and implementing best practices, etc.
• Works to identify areas of synergy or impacts with other city projects and initiatives by engaging with staff in other Departments via formal structures, coordination meetings Communications Department staff, Infrastructure Department Construction Liaisons, etc.
• Exhibit judgment and ingenuity to develop new or adapt existing methods and approaches for accomplishing objectives or to deal with new or unusual requirements within the limits of the guidelines or policies.
• Interact with utility companies and other governmental agencies to coordinate work and obtain necessary permits, clearances, and applicable regulatory compliance requirements.
• Meet and work with elected officials, community representatives, business owners, residents, and other stakeholders to review proposed projects and…