Position Description

Position Overview

The Office of the County Engineer is one of the premier engineering departments in the country, providing Engineering and Architecture compliance and project delivery to over 4.7 million residents.

The position will manage multiple capital improvement projects, ensuring that projects are constructed per the engineer-of-record sealed plans and Harris County specifications. The position is supervised by a Senior Project Manager or Capital Infrastructure Projects (CIP) Manager and will work with Harris County, contractors, consulting firms, labs, coordinating agencies, and outside organizations to identify and resolve issues on the job site. Project Managers are successfully delivering Harris County's capital portfolio, composed of numerous projects valued at about $100M per team member across a wide spectrum of public infrastructure.

This position ensures that project goals and objectives are achieved through allocating resources, facilitating project solutions, identifying and mitigating risk, and promoting team cohesion. This includes maintaining solid working knowledge of the Project Manager's portfolio to rapidly respond to inquiries from the client or management, identify systemic challenges, and initiate solutions. The position may supervise Assistant Project Manager and/or Graduate Engineers. The CIP Division focuses on projects ranging from the design and construction of roads, drainage, bridges, parks, facilities, trails, and bicycle paths. The division oversees multiple teams of engineers, landscape architects, engineers-in-training, computer-aided designers, project managers, construction managers and inspectors, constructability technicians, and consultants working on projects across all fields.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Deliver projects from pre-planning through close-out.
Develop and Negotiate scopes of work, resources, schedules, and cost estimates for projects with Clients, Consultants and Project Team.
Facilitate and negotiate the consultant procurement along with manage internal and external resources to develop the project delivery team.
Coordinate efforts with project delivery team to prepare the final deliverables in the form of engineer reports and/or constructible plan set.
Ensures deliverables meet the client's preference, Engineering Department's standards, regulatory compliance, and permitting requirements.
Evaluate and perform risk management to achieve project scope, schedule, and budget expectations.
Coordinates and communicates effectively with management, Harris County elected officials and representatives, external agencies, and with the public as necessary.
Assist with emergencies, and recovery efforts following local disasters to ensure Harris County has safe infrastructure following the event.
Assists in leading a team in achieving program goals and objectives through mentoring, resource management, facilitating project solutions, and promoting team cohesion by encouraging a positive, working team atmosphere.
Oversee consultant procurement and manages internal and external resources to adequately staff the project delivery team, including contract negotiation and managing the project budget.
Promote project controls, tracking, and enhanced reporting using Project Management Software (i.e. eBuilder), which includes advancing projects from planning to design, to construction, to occupancy. Utilize the software to manage project scopes, costs, schedules and documents.
Assist and coordinate with clients and the Capital Infrastructure Projects - Inspections & Quality Assurance staff with all phases of project delivery, as needed, from negotiation and initiation through warranty phase and close out.
Maintain responsibility, oversight and knowledge of the entire portfolio of projects assigned to the Project Management Team; meet regularly with department management and senior client representatives to discuss the Program.
Identify and address risk to schedule, budget or performance with subordinate project managers and engage management as necessary to resolve issues and mitigate risks before impacting project delivery.
Assist in managing and supervising Assistant Project Managers, Graduate Engineers, consultants, and other related subject matter experts in the preparation of planning and construction documents and complete ancillary support tasks to successfully bid and award capital roadway projects.
Ensure that quality assurance, risk management, regulation compliance and permitting is properly executed utilizing the Project Management Institute (PMI) business model and works closely with the Division leadership to track and report project status.
Coordinate with inspectors, design engineers, consultants and contractors to resolve issues found during construction. Maintains a project presence in e-Builder.
Coordinate with Office of the County Engineer department personnel to conduct pre-construction field walks, review plans, resolve design issues, utility conflicts, and other issues as required.
Review and recommend approval of change orders for condition changes, quality changes, reasonable costs and appropriate solutions to issues found. during project construction.
Perform other duties as assigned, demonstrating flexibility and a commitment to the smooth operation of the department.

Requirements

Education:

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Engineering Technology, Construction Science, or Construction Management from an ABET-accredited university.

Experience:

Minimum four (4) years of experience in roadway civil engineering design and construction.

Knowledge, Skill & Abilities (KSAs):

Strong written and oral communication skills.
Effectively communicate with team members with an emphasis on stakeholder engagement.
Excellent interpersonal and conflict resolution skills, and the ability to deal tactfully with a diverse group of people in a professional manner in a complex organization.
Ability to read and comprehend construction plans, estimates, and specifications.
Ability to exercise flexibility in accommodating shifting priorities, demands, and schedules.
Valid driver's license (Texas upon hire), a good driving record, and the ability to drive a County vehicle to various job sites as needed to accomplish tasks.

Emergency Deployment & Continuity of Operations Requirement:

In accordance with Harris County’s Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) Policy, this position is subject to emergency response and deployment protocols. The employee may be designated as supporting a Mission Essential Function (MEF).
Participate in the classification process of departmental staff based on MEF responsibilities.
Be available for temporary deployment to an alternative work location, role, or telework assignment during emergency events.
Confirm work assignments with their supervisor prior to reporting to any worksite during such events.
Remain flexible in assuming alternative duties as directed to support County operations continuity.

Preferences

Education:

Hold an advanced degree in architecture from an accredited university.

Experience:

Prior government experience.
Experience coordinating with regional agencies (e.g., COH, TxDOT, etc.)
Experience with working with Local, State, and Federal Agencies and Funding

Knowledge, Skill & Abilities (KSAs):

Licensed Professional Engineer (or ability to obtain in the State of Texas within 6 months of hire).

General Information

Position Type and Typical Hours of Work:

Full-Time | Regular | 40 hours per week.

Subject to early mornings, late evenings, weekends, and holidays at times, depending upon the project or workload.

Physical Demands and Environmental Exposure:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions:

Occasional driving of a vehicle with automatic and four-wheel drive controls
Frequent standing and walking; prolonged sitting for extended periods of time
Frequent stooping, bending, reaching, lifting, and carrying of items up to 10 pounds with occasional lifting of up to 20 pounds
Extensive use of a video display terminal (computer monitor)
Occasional sorting, filing, shelving, and handling of documents, books, files, materials, and equipment
Frequent standing and walking on rough, uneven, or rocky surfaces and ground during field visits.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is exposed to weather conditions prevalent at the time:

Approximately 90% of duties will be performed indoors in a normal office environment with acceptable lighting, temperature, air conditions, and noise levels.
Approximately 10% of duties will be performed outdoors, where there will be exposure to heat, cold, moisture, air pollution, wind, and dust.
Must be willing to work in various weather and working conditions when visiting a field location.

FEATURED BENEFITS:

Medical, vision, and dental insurance.
Wellness.
Professional development opportunity.
Flexible spending account.
457 deferred compensation plans.
Retirement pension (TCDRS).
Transportation assistance (Metro Ride Sponsor Program).
Disability and life insurance.
Harris County is a Qualified Employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF).

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