Principal Engineer Jobs

The Position

Do you enjoy performing complex professional public engineering work? Do you enjoy challenges and view every obstacle as an opportunity? Then the City has the perfect position for you! Applications are currently being accepted for the Principal Engineer position. This position will be responsible for developing and coordinating highly complex capital improvement, utilities planning, or land development projects and budgets. In addition, the incumbent will successfully coordinate the activities of their assigned section with other City departments and outside agencies.

The ideal candidate for the Principal Engineer assigned to the Municipal Utilities Company will be excited about the challenges of implementing the City's water, sewer and recycled water master plan and associated capital improvement program; enjoys and has the ability to work closely with Utilities operations; and will possess exceptional leadership, interpersonal and communication skills.

The City of Ontario

The City of Ontario is a dynamic leading community in the Inland Empire with a variety of fulltime and part-time employment and volunteer opportunities. Ontario enjoys the reputation of being a progressive City which provides solid leadership to its citizens and to the business community. The City provides a full range of services to the community including: Police, Fire, Management Services, Community Life & Culture, Community Development, Economic Development, Public Works, Financial Services and the Ontario Municipal Utilities Company. The City's team is staffed with approximately 1,400 full-time and 200 part-time diverse and talented employees who work to support a common goal of providing excellent service to the community.

We invite you to learn more about the City of Ontario by reviewing the City's website including the City’s 2023 State of the City Address to learn more about the exciting opportunities this position will play in the vital growth of the City in becoming the Premier Community of the Inland Empire!
Please click on other useful links below to learn more about the City of Ontario:

Approach to Public Service (Download PDF reader) (Core values for City of Ontario employees)
Downtown Ontario (What to do in Downtown Ontario)
The Ontario Plan (The City's Comprehensive Business Plan for Development)
OntarioCityEmployees.org (Information about City of Ontario employee benefit plans)

Examples of Essential Functions

The essential functions typically performed by the Principal Engineer include the following:

• Assists in the selection and supervision of consulting professional engineers for the development of plans, specifications, studies and reports; administers professional service contracts.
• Develops and revises engineering procedures, policies, standards and guidelines.
• Anticipates and determines a method/approach to resolve project problems and to accomplish project results.
• Assists in the development of and implements departmental goals, objectives, policies, and priorities.
• Responds to citizens, developers, and other agencies' requests for information.
• Develops requests for proposals; identifies scope of project; recommends consultant selection and manages professional services agreements for engineering consulting work; inspects project sites to assist in the solution of difficult problems; interprets specifications and City policy and reviews and recommends change orders as appropriate.
• Reviews invoices for accuracy and issues payment authorization.
• Supervises construction project management and persons performing services and functions.
• Supervises and directs the activities of assigned staff including employee selection, work assignment, performance evaluation, employee development, disciplinary action, and complaint resolution.
• Assists with the preparation of reports for presentation to City administration, Planning Commission, and City Council.
• Attends public hearings, committee meetings, and workshops and acts as a liaison between staff, developers, consultants, governmental agencies, other City departments, and the general public.
• Supervises the development of design plans, specifications, and estimates for the construction of projects in compliance with appropriate laws, ordinances and guidelines.
• Prepares budget recommendations; monitors personnel and internal services expenditures; ensures expenditures remain within budgetary limitations.

When assigned to the Municipal Utilities Company, functions may also include:

• Conducts needs assessments (involving hydraulic modeling as necessary) for the upgrade, repair and replacement of water and sewer infrastructure projects and facilities.
• Develops recommendations for Capital Improvement Programs, budgets and schedules incorporating advanced principles and practices of construction engineering, methods, materials, and techniques.
• Implements various projects to support ongoing Municipal Utilities Company operations including water production, treatment, distribution, and reliability improvements.
• Provides direct general management and daily supervision of assigned Municipal Utilities Company staff.
• Oversees the Asset Management Program and gives guidance to direct and external support staff.
• Manage grant applications/programs in coordination with other City staff and departments.
• Oversees the updating of the Water and Sewer Development Impact Fee (DIF) program and other DIF-related items.
• Provides direct general management of construction projects and contract administration activities ensuring projects remain within budget.
• Represents the department at meetings with other agencies, City Departments, developers, consulting engineers, construction contractors, and the general public.
• Negotiates construction related claims and develops recommendations for resolution.
• Manages the preparation and updating of water, sewer, and recycled water master plans.

When assigned to Land Development, functions may also include:

• Provides general management and supervision of the Engineering Department's Land Development Division and its employees.
• Manages subdivision and entitlement processing and prepares reports, memoranda, project conditions of approval, council staff reports, and agreements.
• Reviews, interprets, and recommends appropriate compliance programs related to NPDES regulations.
• Supervises project managers, plan check and consultant staff.
• Represents the department at meetings with other agencies, Planning Commission, Development Advisory Board, developers, consulting engineers, construction contractors, and the general public.
• Manages related plan check functions.
• Provides construction management.
• Assists the Assistant City Engineer in the management of Land Development Division specialized programs and functions, and persons/consultants performing services and functions.

Qualification Guidelines

Education

Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university in Civil Engineering or closely related field.

Experience

Five years of experience in professional civil engineering work including two years of supervisory experience in engineering or a related field.

Licenses

Valid California Class C driver's license and an acceptable driving record at the time of appointment and throughout employment.

Certification

Current registration as a Civil Engineer or an equivalent registration in a closely related field (i.e. Mechanical, Structural, Geotechnical, Land Surveyor) in the State of California.

Desirable

When assigned to the Municipal Utilities Company, strong background in the planning, design and construction of large water, sewer, and recycled water systems with a public agency.

Supplemental Information

How to Apply

• List all periods of employment for at least the past 10 years, beginning with your most recent or present employer (including, if applicable, all employment with the City of Ontario).
• List any relevant experience and education that demonstrates that you qualify for the position.
• Separately list each position held, including different positions with the same employer.

A resume may be attached to your application but will not substitute for the proper completion of your application. Applications that are not properly completed may be rejected.

Supplemental Question

To complete your application for this position you will be prompted to respond to supplemental questions. This information will be used as part of the application screening and selection process and is designed to help you present your qualifications for this position. This may include a selection step in which your application and supplemental questions are reviewed and scored by a panel of raters familiar with this position.

Incomplete responses, false statements, omission, or partial information may result in disqualification from the selection process. Your responses should be consistent with the information provided on your application.

Please provide succinct, concise, descriptive, and detailed information for each question. If you have no experience, write "no experience" for the appropriate question.

Email Notices

Email is the primary way that the Human Resources or Hiring Department will communicate with you. Please check your email account (including the SPAM folder) on a regular basis for any emails related to the application or selection process. Emails from the city of Ontario will come from "@ontarioca.gov" or "governmentjobs.com." If you change your email address after submitting your application please visit governmentjobs.com and update your profile.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have any additional questions regarding the application process, please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions page.