Senior Roadway Engineer

Posted: 08/18/2026  |  Closes: 09/01/2026  |  Agency: Oregon Department of Transportation  |  Location: Portland / Hybrid

About the Role

Bring your engineering expertise to the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Delivery and Operations Division in Portland as a Senior Roadway Engineer. In this collaborative role, you will serve as the final design expert and technical lead for the Roadway Unit, providing direction, mentoring, and training for multimodal, rural, and highly complex urban highway projects.

Responsibilities

• Preliminary Design & Major Projects:
  • Plan, direct, and scope the most complex designs for major regional transportation facilities and freight routes to solve unusual engineering problems.
  • Serve as the primary authority within the Technical Center for coordinating, distributing, analyzing, and reconciling multidisciplinary engineering reviews for complex highway design plans.
  • Review preliminary layouts and roadside features against safety criteria to reduce future state liability.
  • Create clear records of data used, explain design decisions, and write formal justifications when designs don’t meet standard requirements to protect the state under the Oregon Tort Claims Act (OTCA).
  • Coordinate data-sharing and technical design compromises across regional environmental, traffic, right-of-way, and utility units during early major project milestones.
• Final Design: Plans, Specifications, and Estimates (PS&E):
  • Direct and approve the production of complete, construction-ready PS&E packages for advertisement.
  • Use independent judgment to sign and seal final construction plan sets, special provisions, structural estimates, and design narratives as the Registered Professional Engineer of Record.
  • Enforce strict adherence to the ODOT Highway Design Manual (HDM), Standard Drawings, and statewide drafting metrics before final project turn-in.
  • Evaluate specialized roadway materials, traffic control staging plans, and utility conflicts to resolve engineering flaws prior to active construction bidding.
  • Provide specialized technical direction and mentoring to lower-level engineers and engineering specialists.

This position requires a combination of office work and field work. Outdoor worksites may involve inclement weather, proximity to highway traffic, and construction equipment. The role may also require navigating uneven terrain, overnight travel, overtime, and weekend or evening work as needed for projects/tasks.

Requirements

• Possession of a Professional Engineering (PE) license in the State of Oregon in Civil Engineering (CE) or the ability to obtain the license within six months of hire. If registered in another state, you must obtain a temporary permit to practice engineering in Oregon within six months of hire.
• Three years of licensed experience providing the required knowledge and skills to perform the responsibilities of the position.
• A valid US driver’s license and an acceptable driving record (pre-employment driving record checks will be conducted).

Preferred Qualifications

While not required, the following attributes will strengthen your application:

• Experience directing complex, intricate analysis, design, or operations of major facilities to solve unusual engineering problems.
• Experience serving as a staff mentor and engineering expert in highway design, safety, and operations.
• Experience advising management in determining policies and future directions for highway design and safety.
• Experience as a subject matter expert in highway design and safety.
• Experience leading a group of professionals from multiple disciplines and project team members to deliver complex projects.

Benefits

• Work/life balance with 11 paid holidays per year, flexible work schedules, and paid leave.
• Comprehensive and equitable base salary within the listed range, determined through an equal pay assessment based on your application materials. The salary range listed is the non-PERS monthly salary range; if you are a PERS member or become eligible, the range increases by 6%.
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness opportunity.
• Representation by the Association of Engineering Employees of Oregon (AEE).

Pay

Monthly salary range: $8,159 – $12,658.