The City of Burlingame Department of Public Works is currently recruiting for a Senior Civil Engineer. This is a senior level position that manages staff and major program areas in the Engineering Division; performs professional engineering work, project management and coordination of a variety of public works and transportation projects. Performs difficult, professional civil engineering work in the planning and design of street, water, sewer and other public works facilities. Coordinates with City Departments, private engineers, inspectors and contractors on technical details of public works facilities. This is a full-time position that requires significant administrative, analytical and technical skills acquired by advanced professional training and experience. Incumbents of this classification are expected to have a breadth of knowledge and experience to successfully manage complex projects with considerable independence.
Essential Functions (including but are not limited to the following)
- Must be able to work independently with minimum supervision and guidance from the Assistant Director of Public Works;
- Must be able to plan and manage complex projects, perform difficult and complex engineering work, project management and represent the engineering division at City Council and Commission Meetings in the absence of the Assistant Director of Public Works;
- Strong written and verbal communication skills for preparing Engineering reports and making presentations to the public and agencies;
- Supervises and participates in the design of engineering plans and specifications for the construction of streets, street lighting, traffic signals, parks and recreation facilities, building facilities, storm, sanitary sewer and water systems, parking facilities and other structures;
- Manage preliminary design studies to determine the most economical and satisfactory type of installation;
- Prepares forecasts and develops and monitors division and capital improvement project budgets;
- Identifies potential funding alternatives and recommends program planning criteria and priorities for inclusion in the budget planning process; trains and develops engineers, technical and clerical support staff; assigns, reviews and evaluates the work of staff in developing computer analyses, technical and staff reports, plans and specifications for engineering design, construction and problem resolution;
- Supervises subdivision plan checking for conformance to City standards;
- Coordinates projects with other departmental sections of teams, consultants, developers and property owners;
- Meets with City, County, State and other officials to resolve problems;
- Prepares or directs the preparation of grant applications, engineering reports and recommendations;
- Supervises inspection and facilities problem resolution of construction projects;
- Approves plans and specifications and authorized payment for services rendered.
- Provides information to the public on department operations and current proposed projects;
- Attend meetings and conferences;
- Make presentations to the City Council, Commission Meetings, and other legislative bodies.
Minimum Qualifications
Knowledge of: Principles, practices and methods of civil engineering as applied to the planning, designing and construction of streets, storm drainage water systems, building facilities, traffic operations and analysis and other systems; design principles, strengths of materials, stress analysis and principles of mechanical, electrical and structural engineering and surveying as they apply to the design of public works structures; city codes and ordinances; principles of supervision, training and performance evaluation; applicable laws, legal issues and regulatory codes related to design and construction; principles and practices of municipal management including personnel, budget planning and preparation and public relations.
Ability to: Plan, assign and manage division priorities; effectively supervise and train professional, technical and clerical support staff; learn and retain City administrative, budgeting, purchasing and personnel processes and procedures; perform complex civil engineering studies, transportation studies; analyses and design; identify problem areas and develop alternative solutions and recommendations; determine adherence to engineering, specifications on a wide variety of improvements and construction projects; express technical information to non-engineering staff, maintenance personnel and consultants; develop plans and programs responsive to current mandates and needs; communicate clearly orally and in writing; manage a wide variety of projects simultaneously; develop and maintain cooperative working relationships with others to coordinate public works activities with other city departments, divisions and outside agencies; operate computer system and associated engineering applications; learn, retain and apply various laws and regulatory codes relevant to assigned area of responsibility.
Skills: Make accurate engineering computations and drawings; familiarity with Computer-Aided-Drafting is desirable; ability to operate survey equipment, e.g., experience with spreadsheets and word processing computer programs.
License/Registration: Possession of a valid Class C California Driver’s License. Valid registration in the State of California as a Professional Engineer in Civil Engineering.
Education and Experience: Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering or a closely related field from a recognized college or university. Six years in professional civil-engineering work involving engineering design, plan checking, project management and two years of supervisory responsibility. Additional related experience may be substituted for formal college education on the basis of two years’ experience for each year of formal college education.
Physical, Mental, and Environmental Working Conditions
Physically able to perform functions that would allow sufficient mobility to negotiate difficult construction terrain where crouching, climbing, and/or kneeling would be required. Ability to maintain cooperative working relationship with all those contacted in the course of work; remain calm during emergencies and when talking to irate citizens; exercise good judgment at all times; to enforce regulations with tact and diplomacy; to explain technical matters simply and patiently; to analyze situations accurately and adopt an effective course of action; to sit for long periods of time at a desk or in a car; a self-starter with good judgment, sufficient vision, hearing and stamina to perform the above functions. A sound organizer with attention to detail; ability to speak clearly and write clear and concise English.
The Application Process
Interested candidates must submit a completed on-line employment application. Resumes in lieu of a completed application will not be accepted.
Applications submitted without completed supplemental questions will be considered incomplete and disqualified from this recruitment process. Applications must be received by 5:00PM on Friday, April 24, 2026. Faxes will not be accepted.
Please note attachments need to be in a PDF format. If you are having difficulty attaching documents in CalOpps, please email hr@burlingame.org for assistance.
Unless otherwise specified, all correspondence will be conducted via the email address provided on your application.
Examination Process - Tentative Dates (subject to change):
Job related testing (examination) dates are determined after qualified applicants are selected. All dates are to be determined.
The process is as follows:
- Oral Panel Interview. Wednesday, May 6, 2026. The interviews will take place at the Burlingame City Hall.
- Department Interviews – Actual hire depends on success in the departmental selection process. The department interviews will be scheduled on Wednesday, May 20, 2026.
The Selection Process
All applications will be reviewed for relevant education, experience, training and other job-related qualifications. Meeting the minimum qualifications does not guarantee that a candidate will be invited to participate in the selection process. The candidates who best match the needs of the City will be invited to participate in an oral panel interview process. An eligibility list for this position will be established from those who pass the oral panel interview with a score of 70% or higher. The list will remain in effect for at least one year unless exhausted sooner.
The department will invite the most qualified candidates from the eligibility list to a department interview. The Director of Public Works will make the final appointment.
The probationary period for an existing employee who accepts a promotion shall be six (6) months.
The probationary period for a new employee shall be twelve (12) months.
