Senior Engineer, Traffic

About the role

The Senior Traffic Engineer plays a key role in advancing traffic safety and shaping an efficient, accessible, and multimodal transportation network for the Sammamish community. Serving as the City's in-house traffic engineering and safety subject matter expert, this role leads the full lifecycle of traffic safety initiatives and transportation projects—from strategy development and technical studies to data analysis, design, construction oversight, implementation, and performance monitoring. This position provides technical leadership and expertise across a broad range of traffic engineering disciplines, including multimodal transportation planning, traffic operations analysis and modeling, traffic control and management, intelligent transportation systems (ITS), and traffic design. The Senior Traffic Engineer communicates complex technical information to community members, decision-makers, and stakeholders to support engagement, transparency, and informed decision-making.

The Senior Traffic Engineer manages complex traffic engineering projects, oversees traffic operations and modeling efforts, supports the City's Traffic Management Center, reviews development permit submittals and capital project deliverables, and pursues and administers grant funding that advances the City's multimodal transportation, mobility, and safety goals.

Responsibilities

• Lead the department's efforts related to systemic traffic safety, focusing on proactively identifying risks, protecting vulnerable road users, and managing speed.
• Collaborate with the community and other stakeholders to identify safety concerns, conduct analyses, develop designs and recommendations, and implement proven safety countermeasures.
• Monitor transportation system performance, identify infrastructure deficiencies, investigate safety and operational concerns, and develop and implement solutions.
• Provide road design and traffic engineering expertise to support City initiatives and projects, including by reviewing and contributing to interdepartmental planning studies, private development permit applications, capital projects, and construction projects.
• Lead and oversee the planning, design, and construction of complex traffic engineering and transportation projects, ensuring projects are delivered within approved scope, schedule, and budget.
• Support the oversight and management of the City's traffic signal operations and control system, including operational performance, signal timing, maintenance needs, and system improvements.
• Manage consultants and contracts for transportation and traffic engineering projects throughout the project delivery cycle.
• Coordinate with and represent the City before residents, developers, contractors, consultants, regional agencies, City departments, committees, and other public forums to advance project and program objectives.
• Prepare grant applications and administer grant agreements for a variety of traffic engineering projects.
• Participate in emergency response, as assigned.
• May present to the City Council, boards, commissions, and other public bodies; represent the City at public meetings and events; and attend evening and/or weekend meetings and events as required.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with all people encountered in the course of work regardless of race, color, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, genetic information, disability, political affiliation, military service, or diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

Supervision exercised: This position has no supervisory responsibilities.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor's degree in civil engineering and five (5) years of progressive experience in transportation engineering, traffic engineering, traffic operations, traffic modeling, transportation planning, project management, or related civil engineering work in a municipal, public agency, or consulting environment. Employees must be residents of Washington State.

Certifications and Licenses: Licensed in Washington State as a Professional Engineer (PE). May be required to possess and maintain a valid Washington State Driver License and the ability to drive a City-owned vehicle per established policies, procedures, and safety guidelines.

Physical Requirements: Tasks involve the ability to exert light physical effort in sedentary