Construction Engineer

About the role

The Construction Engineer serves as the City's representative for all municipal infrastructure projects, ensuring compliance with approved plans, specifications, and regulatory standards.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the City’s construction representative for all municipal infrastructure projects, ensuring contractor activities comply with approved plans, specifications, and regulatory standards.
• Absorb and enforce project controls in alignment with company processes.
• Directly supervise Inspection Staff (when applicable).
• Observe activities critical to successful implementation of projects including earthwork, base course placement, paving and curb gutter placement, installation of drainage and utilities, stormwater management, erosion, and sediment control best management practices, etc.
• Document key project records including daily construction progress photographically and in writing, materials notebooks, as-built plans, quantity records, and schedules.
• Absorb and assist design staff with the production of practicable designs based on field experience and current construction trends.
• Create, implement, and enforce inspection protocols and procedures in accordance with contract, client, agency, company, and industry requirements and standards in coordination with the engineering staff.
• Forecast inspection workforce needs and communicate needed resources to ensure appropriate staffing.
• Pre-construction coordination: Set expectations with utilities/contractors for MUTCD-compliant traffic control, trench/backfill, pavement restoration, erosion/sediment controls, and required notifications (incl. 811).
• Attend construction meetings, progress meetings, and field reviews; assist in interpreting project requirements and clarifying technical details.
• Identify, document, and report non-conformance issues; coordinate with contractors and project managers to resolve field discrepancies.
• Review construction drawings, submittals, and change orders to ensure constructability and alignment with City requirements.
• Track ROW/utility permit applications; verify plan completeness, traffic-control notes, restoration details, and schedule alignment with City work.
• Field inspections (ROW only): Perform safety/setup, in-progress, and final completion inspections; issue correction notices; verify temporary and final surface restoration to City standards.
• Maintain a GIS-referenced log of pavement cuts, restorations, and warranty periods; schedule re-inspections prior to warranty expiry.
• Citizen interface: Track and respond to ROW-related service requests and construction inquiries; provide clear status updates and resolution notes.
• Safety & compliance: Model work-zone best practices; maintain applicable ATSSA training; ensure PPE use and adherence to City standards by all parties.
• Conduct site observations to monitor progress, materials, workmanship, and adherence to construction schedules and safety protocols.
• Verify that materials and methods conform to project specifications and relevant municipal, state, and federal codes.
• Monitor and document erosion control, utility installations, grading, paving, concrete placement, and other public infrastructure elements.
• Collaborate with contractors, engineers, consultants, and City staff to address construction-related questions and provide field-based guidance.
• Maintain detailed observation logs, field reports, photographs, and records of construction progress.
• Absorb and assist with the preparation of punch lists, pay applications, and closeout documentation.
• Track quantities for payment verification and assist in evaluating requests for change orders.
• Support the municipal services team, Engineering managers and the Engineering Director in evaluating long-term construction needs and capital improvement priorities by providing field-level insights and data on infrastructure conditions and contractor performance.
• Contribute to the ongoing refinement of construction-related Standards, Specifications, and Codes by providing feedback based on field observations and lessons learned from current and recent projects.
• Develop complete, biddable, and buildable contract packages for municipal projects—scopes, plans, Division 00/01, technical specifications, bid schedules, and addenda—ensuring alignment with City standards and applicable procurement regulations; lead pre-bid activities and respond to RFIs.
• Prepare the Engineer’s Estimate and perform independent reviews of contractor cost proposals and change orders, including quantity takeoffs, unit-price benchmarking (e.g., historical bids/RSMeans), productivity and means/methods checks, and written cost-reasonableness/price-analysis recommendations.
• Serve on selection/evaluation committees for public procurements (construction and professional services): help define criteria and scoring rubrics, conduct technical evaluations and interviews, document decisions for auditability, and ensure compliance with ethics, conflict-of-interest, and public-records requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Civil Engineering, or a related field.
• Proven experience as a Construction Engineer or in a similar role, for a minimum of 3 years, 10 years preferred.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license is highly preferred.