JOB TITLE: SENIOR CIVIL ENGINEER (GENERAL)

JOB CODE: 1113G

B - Bridges 1113B

G - General 1113G

H - Hydraulic 1113H

S - Structural 1113S

T – Transportation 1113T

DEFINITION: This is advanced professional civil engineering work.

An employee in this job performs advanced and complex professional civil engineering work requiring judgment in the independent evaluation, selection, and substantial adaptation and modification of standard techniques, procedures, and criteria. Work involves a variety of advanced engineering duties associated with the design, construction, or maintenance of roads, bridges, buildings, dams, or related hydrologic structures, water or sewage treatment facilities, structural life support systems, commonwealth facilities, or other civil engineering projects, transportation planning, traffic control of highways, or construction materials testing or sampling. Work includes independently performing or monitoring preliminary engineering studies and foundation investigations, and preparing plans and specifications. Work may include functioning as a coordinator or administrator for a specialized district or statewide engineering function. In a civil structural engineering environment, work involves design, or review of design of complete civil and structural engineering projects. Work is assigned in broad outline by an administrative or technical supervisor who reviews completed work for engineering soundness and satisfactory completion of assigned projects.

   DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS:

• Work at this level is characterized by the preparation or review of completed engineering plans, investigations, studies, and designs that have complex features and require the independent selection of courses of action for which well established guidelines are not available. Employees may be required to take professional responsibility for their own work products and may be directed to assume responsible charge for unlicensed employees within the work unit.

EXAMPLES OF WORK: (NOTE: The examples of work are representative of the work, but every position classified to this job may not perform all examples of work listed. Conversely, this is not an all-inclusive list of work examples.)

• In a civil engineering environment, monitors the preparation of construction plans by consultant engineers, reviews location studies, makes field trips in conjunction with location studies or the development of design details, reviews construction plans in progress and upon completion, and provides guidance with regard to agency policies and engineering standards and requirements.

• Prepares plan details and specifications for foundations, slopes, drainage, and other geotechnical related features; investigates the cause of geotechnical related failures; develops options; and makes recommendations for their remediation.

• In a civil engineering environment, serves as a lead engineer for a design team by reviewing all completed calculations, plans, specifications, cost estimates, and technical correspondence for overall technical completeness and accuracy.

• In a civil engineering environment, reviews complete engineering designs, including drawings, specifications, cost estimates, design computations, and other supporting data submitted by consultant engineering firms for conformance with project scope and program requirements.

• In the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, conducts project job meetings, reviews proposed construction change orders for technical accuracy, prepares and approves contractor progress payment estimates, and prepares contract change order paperwork for approval and processing for complex engineering projects.

• In any civil engineering environment, reviews geotechnical erosion and sedimentation control plans for the construction of various projects such as bridges, dams, culverts, stream channel relocations, and similar projects.

• In any civil engineering environment, analyzes and solves engineering problems using analytical and numerical computer modeling techniques, evaluates the suitability and reliability of various models for site-specific situations, and modifies existing computer models to meet the unique needs of the assigned program.

• In any civil engineering environment, conducts field inspections to determine the compliance status of a permitted facility from a civil engineering standpoint and recommends appropriate enforcement action as needed.

• In any civil engineering environment, participates in natural disaster response activities, including conducting site investigations, providing technical advice to municipal officials and property owners, developing site specific restoration plans and serving as an inspector on disaster response efforts.

• In any civil engineering environment, develops the civil engineering components of a statewide environmental regulatory program, including regulations, policies, standards, procedures, methods and technical guidance, and participates in program evaluations.

• In a transportation engineering environment, responsible for the administration and coordination of a specialized DOT engineering district function such as planning and programming, transportation traffic systems management, pavement evaluation, grade crossing, maintenance project coordination and safety design liaison.

• In a transportation engineering environment, coordinates statewide traffic paint and equipment testing, electronic signal testing, corridor evaluations, a safety management or crash record system, and traffic device regulation controls from the DOT central office.

• In a transportation engineering environment, responsible for DOT central office liaison duties in the geotechnical sampling, analysis, design, and placement of soils used in construction or maintenance projects as part of a statewide function.

• In a transportation engineering environment, administers construction materials testing and inherent research; assists in the establishment and revision of testing standards; acts as the departmental specialist in the assigned phase of work from the DOT central office.

• In a transportation engineering environment, performs engineering duties associated with the planning and construction of aviation development projects, including reviews of engineering design drawings, specifications, cost estimates, and other supporting data submitted by consultant engineering firms.

• In a transportation engineering environment, controls and monitors highway design project manpower resources, budgets, and schedules; evaluates department design member performance; and manages consultant activities as a design project manager for moderately complex design projects.

• In a transportation engineering environment, functions as a construction project manager of complex road or bridge projects and oversees outside consultants involved in the inspection of materials and workmanship.

• In a transportation engineering environment, supervises the review, issuance, and inspection of all highway occupancy permits from the central office.

• In a roadway engineering environment, completes project proposal and estimate preparation to include special provisions and specifications, quantities, and descriptive material as indicated in related specifications.

• In a roadway engineering environment, designs complete roadway construction plans for large and complex projects; performs mathematical calculations for design geometrics, grade lines, or alignments; conducts market analysis and computes cost of work in preparing project cost estimates and schedules.

• In a roadway engineering environment, reviews complex roadway plans to ensure that design features include proper and effective traffic controls; conducts comprehensive traffic control studies to assist municipalities in the development and implementation of improved traffic control systems; and reviews complex signal system requests submitted by engineering districts.

• In a roadway engineering environment, reviews programs, estimates, and plans of regional maintenance operations pertaining to road surface treatment, surface patching, aggregate stockpiling, snow removal, and other projects.

• In a roadway engineering environment, oversees outside consultants involved in moderately complex highway or structural design projects from inception through completion while managing resources, costs, quality, and on-time delivery in a matrix management design environment to include scopes of work, project schedules, environmental clearance plans specifications and estimates packages, permits, project designs, and status reports.

• In a roadway engineering environment, controls and monitors project manpower resources, budgets, and schedules for moderately complex highway or structural design projects.

• In a roadway engineering environment, evaluates department design project member performance and manages consultant activities for moderately complex highway or structural projects.

• In a roadway engineering environment, ensures the quality and timeliness of completed moderately complex highway or structural design projects.

• In a transportation engineering environment, applies engineering principles to the review of in-house or consultant plans to verify engineering calculations, analyzes and resolves design flaws, and resolves constructability issues for project improvement.

• In a civil structural engineering environment, designs or reviews designs of complete civil and structural engineering projects, including life support systems, water and sewage treatment plants, aircraft hangers, health care facilities and dormitories, athletic stadiums, college classroom buildings, office buildings, and similar structures.

• In a civil structural engineering environment, prepares plans and specifications for the complex structural portions of buildings and bridges; performs field investigations and depicts terrain and its effect on structural support; designs piles, footings, foundations, structural frameworks, and other steel and concrete members necessary to support the architectural designs; performs engineering computations to determine weight loads and stresses; prepares cost estimates, job and material specifications, and detailed working drawings.

• In a hydraulic engineering environment, reviews drought contingency plans prepared by public water suppliers and large water users, and prepares technical recommendations to ensure effective plan implementation during drought periods; and performs hydrologic and hydraulic engineering supply-demand analysis and benefit-cost estimates in the areas of water supply, flood damage reduction, hydropower, instream flows, and water-related outdoor recreation.

• In a hydraulic engineering environment, conducts engineering reviews of complex erosion and sedimentation control plans submitted with applications for department permits that involve large and complicated construction projects.

• In a hydraulic engineering environment, conducts hydraulic and hydrologic analyses for encroachment permits involving complex highway bridge and culvert projects.

• In a hydraulic engineering environment, conducts detailed hydrologic and hydraulic studies in conjunction with the planning or design of dams, levees, and other hydraulic structures; and prepares feasibility studies for flood protection projects that consider the technical and economic aspects of the proposed projects.

• In a hydraulic engineering environment, designs or leads design team members in the development of complete flood protection projects; performs complex engineering calculations, such as the hydraulic and structural design of control works and pumping stations, the hydraulics of spillways, culverts and conduits, and the structural design of structures with unusual loading or foundation problems; directs design calculations of design team members; and prepares technical specifications for methods, materials, or products that are not included in the dDepartment’s standard specifications.

• In a hydraulic engineering environment, reviews and processes dam permit applications for authorization to construct, modify, operate, maintain, or breach a dam, which includes the technical review of detailed engineering plans and specifications to ascertain their conformance with engineering standards and regulatory requirements; performs hydrologic, hydraulic, and structural computations to assess the adequacy of the proposed design; and conducts jurisdictional determinations of proposed dam projects.

• In a hydraulic engineering environment, conducts inspections of dams under construction to ensure conformance with approved plans and specifications.

• In a hydraulic engineering environment, conducts inspections of dams, including high hazard dams, in order to determine the current condition and its ability to be operated and maintained in a safe condition; and prepares reports and sketches to describe current conditions.

• Travels to field sites in remote locations.

• Performs related work as required.

ENTRY LEVEL KNOWLEDGES, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

ALL PARENTHETICALS (GENERAL AND TRANSPORTATION)

• Knowledge of civil engineering principles and practices.

• Knowledge of the engineering principles used in the development of drawings and specifications for components of civil engineering projects.

• Knowledge of the basic principles of chemistry and physics.

• Knowledge of linear algebra, analytical geometry, and plane trigonometry.

• Knowledge of differential calculus.

• Knowledge of fluid mechanics and hydraulic principles.

• Knowledge of statics and dynamics principles.

• Knowledge of foundations and soil mechanics, design, and testing.

• Knowledge of the engineering principles of construction cost estimating and construction inspection.

• Knowledge of the characteristics and properties of natural and manufactured materials used in construction.

• Knowledge of plane and engineering survey methods.

• Knowledge of engineering economics principles.

• Knowledge of materials science principles.

• Knowledge of geographic information systems.

• Ability to operate all standard surveying instruments.

• Ability to use computer software applications to perform engineering modeling and analyses.

• Ability to interpret soil profiles, maps, and construction plans.

• Ability to read and interpret inspection and testing reports, engineering drawings and specifications, and topographic and other maps.

• Ability to conduct technical investigations applying engineering principles and procedures.

• Ability to analyze and present technical data in clear, concise engineering reports.

• Ability to read and interpret federal, state, and local codes, regulations and standards applicable to the design, construction, or evaluation of engineering projects.

• Ability to travel to field sites in remote locations.

• Ability to communicate effectively orally.

• Ability to communicate effectively in writing.

• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships.

BRIDGES PARENTHETICAL

• Knowledge of the principles and practices applicable to the design and construction of bridges, concrete structures, steel structures, pre-stressed and reinforced concrete structures, and foundations.

• Knowledge of the principles and practices applicable to the testing of materials and assemblies used in the construction of bridges and other structures.

• Knowledge of the primary engineering reference works and other sources of engineering data used in the design and construction of bridges and other structures.

HYDRAULICS PARENTHETICAL

• Knowledge of hydrologic systems and watershed processes.

• Knowledge of the principles of civil engineering pertaining to the development of drawings and specifications for components of hydraulic structures such as dams, weirs, concrete walls and channels, compacted earth levees, natural channel design, pumping stations and similar structures.

• Knowledge of the principles of hydraulics and hydrology used in the determination of runoff, backwater curves, anticipated stream flow, and ground water characteristics.

• Knowledge of the standard reference sources used to determine the nature and characteristics of watershed areas, flood plains, river basins, and similar elements affecting engineering decisions of a hydraulic nature.

• Knowledge of the standard reference sources regarding the costs, principle applications, and characteristics of materials and equipment used in the construction of hydraulic structures.

• Skill in reading and interpreting civil engineering drawings and specifications, topographic, geologic, and other maps used in the design or construction of hydraulic structures such as dams, weirs, and similar structures.

CIVIL STRUCTURAL PARENTHETICAL

• Knowledge of the principles of civil engineering pertaining to the development of structural drawings and specifications including the use of various types of materials, such as steel, reinforced concrete, and timber.

• Knowledge of the standard reference sources regarding the costs, principle applications, and characteristics of materials and equipment used in structural construction.

MINIMUM EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING: (NOTE: Based on the Entry Level Knowledges, Skills, and Abilities)

• Two years of professional civil engineering experience in the appropriate specialty, and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering or a closely related engineering discipline;

or

• Five years of civil engineering experience in the appropriate specialty; and an Engineer-in-Training certificate issued by or acceptable to the Pennsylvania State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists; and an associate’s degree in civil engineering technology or a closely related engineering discipline;

or

• Six years of civil engineering experience in the appropriate specialty and an Engineer-in-Training certificate issued by or acceptable to the Pennsylvania State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Certain positions require possession of a valid Professional Engineer license issued by the Pennsylvania State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists.

• Certain positions require possession of a valid driver’s license.