Job Code Pay Scale Group Pay Scale Type Bargaining Unit Civil Service or Non-Civil Service Last Executive Board Change Executive Board Change History
1112T 07 ST B4 C 810-03 04/30/2023

JOB TITLE: CIVIL ENGINEER (TRANSPORTATION)

JOB CODE: 1112T

CIVIL ENGINEER

B – BRIDGES 1112B

G – GENERAL 1112G

H – HYDRAULIC 1112H

S – STRUCTURAL 1112S

T – TRANSPORTATION 1112T

DEFINITION: This is journey-level professional civil engineering work.

An employee in this job performs a variety of journey-level civil engineering work assignments that require the interpretation and application of standard engineering techniques, procedures, and guidelines, using judgment in making minor adaptations and modifications as needed. Work involves a variety of engineering duties associated with the design, construction, or maintenance of roads, bridges, buildings, flood control projects, water or sewage treatment facilities, structural life support systems and designs, and other structural designs for commonwealth facilities, mine reclamation projects, recreational structures and facilities, or other civil engineering projects, transportation planning, traffic control of highways, construction materials testing or geotechnical sampling, analysis, and design. Work involves independently performing preliminary engineering studies, conducting foundation investigations, preparing plans or specifications, planning soils surveys, and recommending designs for foundations, embankments, cuts and fills. Work at this level is characterized by the preparation or engineering review of conventional types of engineering plans, investigations, studies, designs, and permits, with relatively few complex features for which there are precedents; or the preparation or engineering review of specific portions or limited aspects of broader or more complex assignments; or responsibility for entire design or construction projects of limited complexity. Emphasis is placed on the application of a broad knowledge of engineering principles and practices to varied and comprehensive engineering projects. Work is reviewed in progress and upon completion for technical adequacy, completeness, overall quality, and attainment of objectives.

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 any civil engineering environment, applies journey-level engineering principles and practices to the design, construction, or maintenance of roadways, bridges, buildings, flood control projects, mine reclamation projects, recreational structures and facilities, or other civil engineering projects.

• In any civil engineering environment, applies engineering principles and practices to the investigation of subsurface conditions, geotechnical testing or sampling, and identification of soil and rock materials.

• In any civil engineering environment, prepares plan details and specifications for foundations, slopes, drainage, and other technical related features.

• In any civil engineering environment, prepares or reviews geotechnical plan details for noise walls or retaining walls for which there are existing standards or prepared designs that can be verified with computer software.

• In any civil engineering environment, performs professional civil engineering work in the review of applications for permits, plans, or variances to determine if the proposed action conforms to engineering standards and federal and state laws and regulations.

• In any civil engineering environment, investigates complaints directed toward a facility, operation, or landowner by conducting site visits, interviewing individuals, performing engineering analyses, and preparing technical reports outlining findings and recommendations.

• In any civil engineering environment, conducts field inspections to determine the compliance status or operational efficiency of a permitted facility from a civil engineering standpoint; prepares inspection reports to summarize observations, and recommends appropriate action or adjustments as needed.

• In any civil engineering environment, conducts facility and project inspections during construction and after completion to determine adherence to civil engineering design plans and specifications; to detect deficiencies in materials, work methods or procedures; and to resolve problems resulting from unusual site conditions.

• 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, participates in the development of 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 any civil engineering environment, serves on statewide work groups to study civil engineering issues for a specific program area or for issues that cross program lines.

• In any civil engineering environment, provides programmatic information and requirements to coworkers, facility owners or operators, special interest groups, and individual citizens.

• In the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, conducts project 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 engineering projects of limited complexity.

• In any civil engineering environment, provides material testimony at legal proceedings.

• In a transportation engineering environment, reviews limited aspects of broader or more complex assignments such as those associated with contract proposals to include responsibility for reviewing plans, specifications and estimate packages for legal sufficiency, for compliance with applicable design or construction manuals, and for limited technical compliance.

• In a roadway engineering environment, prepares complete roadway construction plans; performs or reviews mathematical calculations for design geometries, grade lines, or alignments; conducts market analysis and computes cost of work in the preparation of project cost estimates and schedules.

• In a roadway engineering environment, prepares moderately complex plans and specifications for bridge and roadway repairs that are done by contract and works with construction inspection personnel to assure that the contracted work accomplishes the intent.

• In a roadway engineering environment, coordinates with right-of-way, survey, utility, environmental and traffic units to complete a design and ensure that their design concerns are appropriately incorporated.

• In a roadway engineering environment, reviews highway design plans for proper and effective traffic controls; reviews requests to modernize or install traffic signals or signal systems; conducts field studies to recommend the establishment of speed limit and passing zones, signs, pavement markings, and related traffic controls; and performs analysis to provide for adequate traffic capacity.

• In a roadway engineering environment, prepares and submits applications for regulatory permits, and reviews requests for waivers of permits and emergency permits for dams, water obstructions, and encroachments; conducts field investigations of dams, stream encroachments, water obstructions, and wetlands to determine jurisdictional responsibility, and determines what enforcement action to pursue against violators to ensure compliance; and inspects existing dams and dams under construction to ensure that structures are constructed, maintained, and operated in conformance with permits and acceptable technical standards.

• In a roadway engineering environment, reviews permit applications for low, medium, high volume, and local roads occupancy permits; and recommends and administers referral of more complex projects to consultant engineering firms for review and analysis.

• In a roadway engineering environment, prepares or assists in preparing and reviewing programs, estimates, and plans for various maintenance operations, including surface treatment, surface patching, aggregate stockpiling, snow removal, bridge construction and maintenance, and other projects.

• In a roadway engineering environment, collects and analyzes data used in roadway or maintenance management programs such as pavement, highway features inventory, guide rails, drainage, signs, and shoulders to be used for Maintenance Contract design.

• In a roadway engineering environment, reviews pavement design and specifications.

• In a roadway engineering environment, oversees outside consultants involved in less 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 clearances, 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 less complex highway or structural design projects.

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

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

• In a roadway engineering environment, participates in the development of highway and bridge maintenance, minor construction, reconstruction, and snow removal plans and programs for an assigned area.

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

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

• In a transportation engineering environment, functions as an assistant project engineer responsible for the inspection of materials and workmanship of a moderately complex portion of a large construction project.

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

• In a hydraulic engineering environment, conducts engineering reviews of erosion and sedimentation control plans submitted with applications for department permits; conducts field investigations of dams, stream encroachments, water obstructions, and wetlands to determine jurisdictional responsibility; and reviews requests for waivers of permits and emergency permits for dams, water obstructions, and encroachments.

• In a hydraulic engineering environment, conducts hydrologic and hydraulic studies in conjunction with the planning or design of dams, levees, and other hydraulic structures; prepares feasibility studies for flood protection projects that consider the technical and economic aspects of the proposed projects; computes and reviews hydraulic analyses of natural or existing streams, bridges, culverts, and pipes to establish water surface profiles showing flood frequency elevations, flow capacities, and flood plain delineations; and prepares engineering reports that detail existing conditions, identify the appropriate remedial work, and include a project design and cost estimate.

• In a hydraulic engineering environment, conducts dam inspections and prepares reports and sketches to describe current conditions; inspects existing dams and dams under construction to ensure that structures are constructed, maintained, and operated in conformance with permits and acceptable technical standards; and designs component parts of hydraulic structures or systems when the controlling parameters have been established.

• In a civil structural engineering environment, work involves reviewing designs for conformance to civil and structural engineering standards, agency rules and regulations, and safety codes and laws; or designing component parts of a civil or structural engineering system.

• In a civil structural engineering environment, reviews the design of structural components prepared by consultants for compliance with project scope and commonwealth standards, codes, and regulations; designs or inspects design components of buildings, roads, parking lots, water and sewage treatment plants, bridges, and dams.

• In a civil structural engineering environment, conducts National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS) bridge safety inspections.

• In a civil structural engineering environment, reviews shop drawings to determine general conformance with the project plans and specifications.

• In a civil structural engineering environment, investigates claims of mine subsidence damage to homes and properties, and determines the validity of the claims and appropriate methods of repair.

• 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 hydraulics.

• Knowledge of statics and dynamics.

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

• Knowledge of geotechnical and materials engineering.

• 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 surveying.

• Knowledge of engineering economics.

• Knowledge of materials science.

• 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 effectively communicate orally.

• Ability to effectively communicate 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 such hydraulic structures 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.

• Ability to read and interpret 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, i.e. 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)

• Successful completion of the Civil Engineer Trainee training program (commonwealth title);

or

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

or

• Four 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

• 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.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

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