Associate Engineer Job Descriptions

Planning and Policy Development

Under general direction of the Senior Transportation Specialist, the Associate Engineer will perform work of considerable sensitivity and complexity in transportation system planning, transportation impact studies, and environmental analysis for implementation of Envision San José 2040 General Plan Goals and Policies. The Envision 2040 General Plan embraces "planning for people, not just cars" and "creating walkable and bike friendly neighborhood villages" to transform San José into an interconnected and vibrant city from the traditional automobile- dominant, suburban-like city. Key duties include but are not limited to:

• Provide expertise in the planning and management of corridor or area wide transportation planning studies, including preparation of transportation analysis reports, CEQA analysis, impact fee studies, nexus studies, development review, and local and regional transportation improvement projects.
• Help manage, design, and implement goals and policies of the General Plan Circulation Elements, including but not limited to vehicle miles traveled (VMT) reduction, mode share, street typology, functional roadway network, and urban village planning.
• Make recommendations regarding and/or implement innovative transportation analysis theory/method/tools for transit-oriented development (TOD), transit corridor, mixed use development, VMT, mode share, data collection, and multimodal transportation network.
• Provide staff support and work effectively with committees, boards, task forces, consultants, community groups, and staff in other departments and agencies.
• Prepare technical reports, council memorandum, presentations, policy language, and multi-agency agreements.
• Represent the Senior Transportation Specialist at meetings with internal and external stakeholders.
• Represent the City at community meetings and other public outreach activities.
• Lead and supervise staff in the Technical Insights team by establishing goals, tracking performance, creating a positive work environment, maximizing staff development opportunities, and providing appropriate recognition.

Planning, Development, and Geometric Design

The Associate Engineer will, under general direction of the Senior Engineer, perform work of considerable sensitivity in geometric design, conceptual development of transportation infrastructure master plans, and review signage and pavement marking plans including supervising or leading others in developing such work. The successful candidate will have technical expertise in transportation planning and engineering, geometric and roadway design. This position will also work with the Senior Engineer to serve as the DOT representative with other departments in the City, consultants, developers, and other jurisdictions and agencies. Key duties include but are not limited to:

Prepare transportation infrastructure improvements conceptual designs of roadway, intersection and interchange, traffic signals and other street improvements.

• Develop “complete streets” and multimodal design plans in conformance with Federal, State, and City's transportation design standards, guidelines, and policies.
• Review contract drawings and specifications, master plans, and transportation studies related to capital infrastructure improvements.
• Review private development improvement plans to address roadway right of way dedication/vacation requirements and geometric design elements.
• Use AutoCAD to prepare geometric roadway layout relevant to development, capital improvement and pavement rehabilitation projects.
• Attend meetings/represent DOT as lead technical person on discussions with project engineers, City staff, and consultants as appropriate to build consensus and/or to coordinate project issues.

Private Development Review

The Associate Engineer will, under general direction of the Senior Engineer, perform work of considerable sensitivity in private development review. The Associate Engineer will be responsible to coordinate across the department and City development partners internally and externally on the review of private development entitlement applications as relates to DOT policies, design requirements and review of construction improvement plans. The Associate Engineer will also be responsible for implementation oversight of DOT development transportation project requirements in the field. Key duties include:

• Review and provide comments for private developments projects, improvement plans, and traffic analysis reports with DOT and Department of Public Works (DPW) staff.
• Coordinate signalized intersection design kickoff meetings with DOT and DPW staff relevant to private development projects.
• Prepare transportation infrastructure improvements conceptual designs for roadway, intersection and traffic signals and other street improvements as related to private development according to “complete streets” and in conformance with Federal, State, and City's transportation design standards, guidelines, and policies.
• Review private development improvement plans to address roadway right of way dedication requirements and geometric design elements.
• Apply directives from the Envision San Jose 2040 General Plan, Urban Village Planning, Multimodal Transportation Improvement Plans, and other city policies that apply to development projects.
• Develop geometric design skills through interacting with engineering and design staff, reviewing plans/designs, becoming familiar with geometric design policies and standards.
• Become the lead between DOT and DPW for development project issues during the entitlement and implementation phases of private development projects.

Local and Regional Project Delivery

The Associate Engineer will provide engineering and project management leadership in support of the City's Transportation Capital Improvement Program. Under the general direction of a Senior Engineer, the Associate Engineer works with internal and external partners, and the community, to ensure the efficient delivery of projects of local and regional significance. The lead agency for these projects may be the City of San Jose or outside agencies such as the CA High Speed Rail Authority, Caltrans, and VTA. The Associate Engineer will perform work of considerable sensitivity and complexity in transportation system planning, transportation impact studies, and environmental analysis for implementation of Envision San José 2040 General Plan Goals and Policies. The Envision 2040 General Plan embraces "planning for people, not just cars" and "creating walkable and bike friendly neighborhood villages" to transform San José into an interconnected and vibrant city from the traditional automobile- dominant, suburban-like city. Key duties include but are not limited to:

• Oversee the preparation and/or review of conceptual designs, improvement plans, estimates, specifications, and contract documents for construction projects that have been prepared by the City, outside agencies, or consultants.
• Attend meetings and represent DOT in discussions with project engineers, City staff, outside agencies, and consultants as needed to build consensus and coordinate project issues.
• Perform project management duties, including cost estimating, resource allocation, drafting and administering contracts and grants, expenditure tracking, grant billing, design review coordination, and progress report submissions.
• Lead and supervise engineering staff by establishing goals, tracking performance, creating a positive work environment, identifying, and implementing professional development opportunities, and providing appropriate recognition.
• Oversight of federal aid processes including environmental clearance, request for authorization, invoicing, right of way, and final invoice packages.

Area Planning

The Transportation Specialist position reports to the Associate Engineer that leads technical analysis efforts and focuses on performing work in transportation system planning, travel demand forecasting, transportation analyses for land use and transportation projects, and environmental analysis for implementation of the Envision San José 2040 General Plan goals and policies. This position also supports the development of multimodal area transportation plans. Additionally, the Transportation Specialist fulfills key technical and communications roles by effectively coordinating with City staff, partner and neighbor agencies, and community members. Key responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Apply progressive and sound planning, placemaking, design, and transportation operations principles.
• Exhibits excellent communication, analytical, data management and problem-solving skills.
• Is constructive, creative, and self-motivated, demonstrating a strong desire to support transportation planning.
• Exhibits strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Has an interest in transportation planning, including multi-modal travel; traffic impact analysis; the relationship between land use, urban design, and transportation; general plan and environmental analysis processes; GIS; transportation policy, planning, analysis, and management.
• Effectively communicate in situations that are sometimes controversial and/or ambiguous.
• Plan, coordinate, document, analyze, report, etc. for project management.
• Define, collect, validate, analyze, and monitor data collection projects.
• Perform corridor and area wide transportation analysis, including CEQA analyses, transportation operations analysis, impact fee studies, nexus studies, development review, local and regional transportation improvement projects, preparation of written reports, etc.
• Uses geographic information systems (e.g. ArcGIS), travel demand forecasting models (e.g. Cube), transportation operations models (e.g. Synchro, VISTRO), microsimulation models (e.g. VISSIM, SimTraffic), and statistical models (e.g. SPSS, Excel) to support short- and long-range transportation planning analyses.
• Coordinate outreach and materials for plans and projects.
• Communicate with members of the public, city, and neighbor and partner agencies.
• Exhibits the ability to be socially and politically adept.
• Develops technical methodologies.

The position requires occasional attendance and participation at evening public meetings and week-end public workshops, as well as occasional field surveys throughout the city.

Geometric Design

The Geometric Design Team is responsible for designing San José’s major roadways. The Transportation Specialist will perform duties in support of the City’s Complete Street planning, development, and project implementation. The position will also help manage engineering contracts and programs that enhances the delivery and use of different transportation options.

Under direct supervision of the Associate Engineer, this position works on key responsibilities that include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Assist with consultant design services through master agreements, contracts, or service orders.
• Develop and present information/recommendations using software such as Adobe Acrobat, ArcGIS, and AutoCAD/Civil 3D.
• Collect and analyze data for designing roadway projects and propose configurations in alignment with the city’s Complete Streets Standards.
• Assist with the procurement of materials, construction management and in-field support.
• Assist with the management of program and contract budget.
• Provide customer service including responding to internal and external stakeholders, which may require occasional attendance and participation at evening public meetings and weekend public workshops.
• Develop full understanding of on-call construction projects from the initiation phase to close-out.
• Assist teams in realizing their respective high-level planning goals by creating achievable implementation plans leading to the direct construction of a portfolio of traffic calming, transit boarding, and green stormwater infrastructure projects.

Active Transportation Program

The Transportation Specialist position in the Active Transportation Program focuses on bicycle and pedestrian facility planning and implementation. In addition, the Transportation Specialist works on a variety of projects including annual bikeway work plans, bike parking implementation, active transportation planning studies, grant application development, grant administration, administration of the San José Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, and a variety of pedestrian projects.

This position requires excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, superior project management competencies, the ability to apply progressive planning concepts and practices, a high level of community and stakeholder service using strong communications skills, effective budget tracking, and the ability to work well in a team environment.

This position reports to an Associate Transportation Specialist who leads this team. Key responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Plan and conduct outreach to develop, advance and implement City plans for active transportation, the City’s bikeways network, the City’s bike parking system, and City goals for mode shift, Vision Zero, equity, and related goals.
• Coordinate and administer special events such as Bike to Work Day.
• Assist with customer service including responding to constituent requests and representing the Department of Transportation at meetings with internal and external stakeholders.
• Plan, design coordination, environmental approval and documentation, public outreach, data analysis, grant administration, and project management for active transportation programs and projects.
• Develop and analyze information using Geographical Information System software such as ArcGIS.
• Organize and manage public outreach for specific projects via channels such as public workshops, print media, and social media (including development and management of a program web page); develop and implement strategies to reach underserved constituents.
• Manage grant accounting, reporting, and regulatory documentation.

The position requires occasional attendance and participation at evening public meetings and weekend public workshops, as well as occasional field survey work on various streets throughout the city.

Emerging Mobility

The Emerging Mobility team is in the Planning, Policy, and Sustainability Section. The position seeks to enhance mobility options, reduce GHG emissions, and advance racial and social equity by expanding access to electric and shared mobility options such as shared bikes, scooters, and microtransit via strategies such as mobility hubs and public electric vehicle chargers. To ensure equity is centered in the design of these and other programs and policies, this position will seek out opportunities to co-design solutions with the community, particularly the city’s equity priority communities, meaningfully engaging the community in the conceptualization and development process. This position will work collaboratively with members of the emerging mobility and other DOT teams to achieve these goals. Strong leadership, collaboration, and communication skills are crucial to this position as are constructive attitude, creativity, and self-motivation.

This position reports to an Associate Transportation Specialist who leads this team. Key duties include, but are not limited to:

• Project management, which includes managing multiple tasks and meeting deadlines; community engagement; preparing memos; making presentations; and responding to public inquires.
• Participate in the conceptualization and writing of grant applications with other team members.
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with stakeholders, community-based organizations, non-profits, public agencies, technical experts, and residents.
• Attend and present at relevant community meetings and events and represent the Department of Transportation at meetings with internal and external stakeholders.
• Gather qualitative and quantitative data and analyze existing data to better understand existing conditions, identify needs, evaluate potential solutions, and measure impact of City programs and policies.
• Develop and analyze information using geographical information system software such as ArcGIS.

Ideal candidate would also be fluent in Spanish or Vietnamese.

Planning and Policy

The Planning and Policy Team promotes community-driven, sustainable mobility solutions by advancing multimodal plans and projects, integrating data-driven insights, and aligning policies with climate, safety, and equity goals.
Under the general direction of the Associate Transportation Specialist, the Transportation Specialist supports transportation planning efforts that advance the goals and policies of the General Plan, Climate Smart San José, and the Move San José Plan. This role assists with the development and delivery of multimodal master plans, complete streets conceptual designs, and Geographical Information System (GIS) tasks. This position fulfills technical and communications roles by effectively coordinating with City staff, partner and neighbor agencies, and community members to help create and implement transportation plans, policies, and pilot programs. Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

• Manage transportation planning projects, policies, and pilot programs by overseeing project timelines, coordinating resources, and managing stakeholder communications.
• Oversee project documentation, analysis, and report development.
  Assist in the development of transportation policies and provide interdepartmental support for policy implementation.
• Manage grant writing, accounting, reporting, and regulatory documentation for transportation projects.
• Organize and manage public engagement for transportation projects through public workshops, pop-ups, intercept surveys, focus groups, print media, and social media, including the development of program webpages.
• Develop and implement strategies to engage underserved communities in the engagement process.
• Coordinate communication with the public, city departments, partner agencies, and neighboring jurisdictions regarding transportation initiatives.
• Define, collect, validate, and analyze data for transportation projects, and monitor data collection processes.
• Conduct corridor and area-wide transportation analysis, including CEQA analysis, transportation operations analysis, impact fee studies, and development review.
• Perform statistical analysis and data visualizations.
• Develop and analyze geographic data using GIS software such as ArcGIS.
• Contribute to the research and development of future policy initiatives, while guiding the implementation of current local policies.
• Assist in managing pilot projects, including project coordination and oversight, aimed at informing and shaping future local policies.

The position requires occasional attendance and participation at evening public meetings and weekend public workshops, as well as occasional field surveys throughout the city.