Assistant County Engineer - Empire

POSTING TYPE: Open-competitive
DEPARTMENT: Transportation
HOURS: Full-time
FULL SALARY RANGE: $115,678 - $180,748/year (112 grade)
LOCATION: Empire Transportation Facility, Empire/Rosemount
UNION: None
CLOSE DATE: This posting will remain open until the position is filled. The initial review of applications will occur on Friday, March 20th.

Who We Are
Dakota County offers rewarding career opportunities that make a real difference in people's lives. From maintaining roads to maintaining property records, protecting the environment to protecting our children's health, finding homes for those in need to finding justice for crime victims -- the work we do touches the lives of each of our residents every day. We're proud of what we do. You can be too. Join our team of nearly 1,800 and launch a career where you can truly "Be More."

We offer more than just careers that make a difference; we also offer competitive benefits, work life balance, and convenient work locations. Will you be the next person to join us at Dakota County?

What You'll Do
The Assistant County Engineer - Empire position is responsible for leading the delivery of the Capital Improvement Program, involving construction, and highway maintenance, and coordination of construction and maintenance activities with the Traffic Operations work group. The position serves as the lead Transportation department staff person at the Empire facility and assists the County Engineer in department leadership for establishing vision and strategic plans to achieve efficient, effective and responsive operations and services.

The Assistant County Engineer position has the discretion to determine priorities, investigate issues, make decisions, take appropriate action, and report actions to the County Engineer. The individual in this position may be delegated to serve as the County Engineer in the absence of the Transportation Director/County Engineer.

* Bachelor's degree in Engineering AND
* Registration as a Professional Civil or Highway Engineer in the State of Minnesota AND
* 10 or more years of related highway experience including a minimum of 5 years progressive experience in supervision and management of transportation staff AND
* Registration as a Professional Civil Engineer in the State of Minnesota

Preferred Qualifications beyond minimum qualifications:
* Master's degree in Civil or Highway Engineering, or a closely related field with an emphasis in Transportation.
* Highway engineering experience should include a combination of work in one or more of the following work areas of: highway construction management, highway maintenance, traffic engineering, highway design, highway project management, highway capital program management, right of way acquisition process, and public and agency engagement for transportation project development.

These examples do not include all possible tasks in this work and do not limit the assignment of related tasks in any position of this classification. Regular attendance according to the position's management approved work schedule is required for all positions.

1. Lead and manage all activities associated with the construction of Transportation Capital Improvement Program projects and maintenance f the County highway system:
a. Supervision and development of personnel (e.g., hiring of new personnel, assignment of work, determining work priorities, and performance evaluation/Individual Development Plans).
b. Budget preparation and administration for Construction and Highway Maintenance work groups (e.g., timely completion of the annual budget, pursuit of transportation funding, monitoring the use of appropriated funds, and recommendation of budget amendments, as necessary).

2. Develop and administer a strategic work program that best serves highway customers and meets the goals of the Transportation Department, Physical Development Division, and Dakota County:
a. Construction of Capital Improvement Program transportation projects, including consultant selection and management.
b. Provide efficient highway maintenance to promote safety for the travelling public and maximize highway life.
c. Coordination of Construction and Maintenance activities with the Traffic Operations work group to maximize efficiency of operations at the Empire facility.
d. Overseeing the Highway Permits work group to ensure work within the County right of way is effectively managed.
e. Anticipate and recommend actions to address changing fiscal, environmental, technical, or development-related issues.
f. Integrating County Values of People, Service, Integrity and Innovation, and the Transportation Department mission and values, into the activities, culture of the functional work area
g. Development and management of contracts, agreements, suppliers, vendors.
h. Partnering programs that help minimize County long-term operating costs and improve service delivery.
i. Maximize use of technology to serve customers.
j. Serve as engineer of record for County bridge administration and inspection requirements.

3. Serve as senior technical consultant for the Construction and the Construction and Maintenance work groups:
a. Provide resources, guidance, standards, and work processes based on accepted engineering practices and principles.
b. Ensure work products and processes provide required technical results and meet applicable laws, standards and policies.
c. Recommend standards and processes to maintain or improve technical services being delivered.
d. Lead continued development of transportation system management (pavement, bridge) systems and GIS applications.

4. Conduct research and analysis required for department activities and programs; and recommend appropriate actions, including:
a. Assist the County Engineer with periodic updates to the long-range County Transportation Plan.
b. Preparation of special studies requested by the County Engineer.

5. Provide for effective coordination of the activities of the Transportation Department with the activities of other departments within the Physical Development Division, Minnesota Department of Transportation, and local units of government.

6. Build and maintain effective working relationships with department heads within the Physical Development Division, the Physical Development Director, the Office of County Administrator, the Dakota County Board of Commissioners, and representatives of cities, townships, other governmental units, and the residents of Dakota County.
a. Build and maintain effective relationships with committees, interest groups, and the general public who are interested in the actions of the Transportation Department.
b. Develop proactive public and agency involvement processes.
c. Represent Dakota County on special committees and before governmental bodies (e.g., state, regional, or local governments) on Transportation Department matters and on Division and Countywide issues, as assigned by the County Engineer.
d. Prepare or direct preparation of agenda items and make presentations at department, Division, and County Board of Commissioner meetings.
e. Receive and resolve concerns received from the public.

7. Act as lead staff and facility manager for all Transportation Department activities at the Empire facility.

Essential Functions: 1-6

In general, the person in this position will be expected to possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities to fulfill the core organizational competencies for managers and supervisors in Dakota County. The core competencies are:
* Creativity
* Managing Diversity
* Interpersonal Savvy
* Dealing with Ambiguity
* Managing and Measuring Work
* Motivating Others
* Knowledge to Perform within County Government

Specific knowledge, skills, and abilities expected for this position include:
* Comprehensive knowledge of transportation and engineering principles and practices, including bridge rating and inspection, and their application in the public sector. Demonstrated ability and skill in applying this knowledge.
* Knowledge of the principles and processes of management in the public sector, including budget administration and management and personnel management. Demonstrated ability and skill in applying this knowledge.
* Demonstrated knowledge and experience in developing and coordinating the completion of complex transportation projects (e.g., capital improvements, comprehensive maintenance programs) and the ability to work independent of direct supervision to complete complex projects. Demonstrated ability in the evaluation of planning goals/programs.
* Knowledge of governmental functions and organizations (including legislative) affecting County government. The ability to develop effective cooperative working relationships with policy and technical staff of local, state, and regional authorities.
* The ability to effectively lead multi-disciplinary teams and a demonstrated ability to achieve desired results through the application of team concepts.
* The ability to communicate effectively and to develop effective working relationships with policy makers and elected officials at all levels of government.
* Communication skills, both written and oral, to clearly and concisely convey complex issues to decision-makers in order to enhance effective decision-making.
* Working knowledge of computers, technical software, and the use of computers for analysis.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: Work is primarily sedentary, although there is some walking, travel, and carrying of lightweight items such as briefcases, notebooks, and work papers. The work is typically performed in an adequately lighted and climate-controlled office. May require occasional travel.

Benefits

• Comprehensive and affordable medical, dental, vision, and other benefits
• Excellent work-life balance
• Generous paid time off (accrual rate starts at four weeks per year)
• Eleven paid holidays each year
• Pension with a generous employer contribution

• You submit an online application that includes supplemental questions
• We assign you a score based on your qualifications
• Top scoring candidates are referred to the hiring manager for interview consideration
• We conduct interviews and reference checks before extending an offer
• We extend an offer and conduct background checks