Description
The Department of Transportation (DOT) plans, develops, operates, and maintains transportation facilities, services, and related systems which contribute to the livability and economic health of the City. We comprise a team of more than 500 people ready to serve the needs of our residents to improve the efficiency and safety of San José streets. We are an energetic and innovative team that is improving transportation in one of the nation’s largest cities, while focusing on safety, sustainability, and active public life! For more information about DOT, visit www.sanjoseca.gov/transportation.
The Senior Engineer, under the general direction of the Division Manager, leads and manages the New Development Review Team, overseeing the review and delivery of complex private development projects. This role ensures that development projects align with the City of San José’s and department’s transportation priorities, multimodal policies, and regulatory requirements.
The position provides technical leadership across the development review process and serves as a key liaison with internal partners, external stakeholders, and the public. As a unit lead, the Senior Engineer supervises staff, manages workload, and supports the consistent, high-quality implementation of City transportation policies and standards.
Position Duties
The Department of Transportation is currently seeking to fill 1 vacancy for the Senior Engineer position. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment in the future.
Key responsibilities include:- Lead and manage the New Development Review Team, including supervising, mentoring, and providing technical guidance to engineering and technical staff.
- Oversee the full lifecycle of private development review—from entitlement through design and construction—ensuring timely, high-quality, and compliant project delivery.
- Plan, organize, direct, and participate in the review of development activity, including approximately:
- 250+ development applications annually
- 200+ improvement plans
- 80+ traffic analysis reports
- Lead the review and approval of complex private development applications and public improvement plans, ensuring consistency with City standards, General Plan goals, and Complete Streets policies.
- Conduct and oversee technical review of roadway design, traffic signal modifications, streetscape improvements, and bicycle and pedestrian facilities.
- Review technical reports, traffic studies, and memorandums to ensure compliance with local, state, and federal laws, regulations, and policies.
- Manage and advance complex and high-profile development projects like Pleasant Hills Golf Course and LS Power, ensuring adherence to aggressive schedules and key milestones.
- Coordinate closely with internal partners, including Public Works (DPW) and Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement (PBCE), on development intake, design, and approval processes.
- Serve as a liaison across DOT sections and with external stakeholders, including developers, Council offices, community groups, and public agencies.
- Represent the Department at community meetings, Director’s Hearings, and Planning Commission meetings; present recommendations and address transportation-related concerns.
- Synthesize and coordinate input across departments to support timely decision-making and high-quality project outcomes.
- Ensure compliance with the City’s General Plan, multimodal policies, Complete Streets standards, and transportation design guidelines.
- Develop and review roadway design parameters and planlines for development projects; assign and monitor deadlines for in-house conceptual design tasks.
- Plan, implement, and monitor program activities, including workload distribution, performance metrics, and continuous process improvements.
- Contribute to the development and refinement of Citywide transportation design guidelines and standards.
Ideal Candidate
Minimum Qualifications
Education: A Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university in the required professional engineering discipline
Experience: five (5) years of progressively responsible professional engineering experience.
Certifications/Licenses:
- Certificate of Registration in a relevant professional engineering discipline.
- Possession of a valid State of California’s driver’s license.
Form 700 Requirement: This position requires a disclosure of outside investments, real property interest, income, and business positions. You must complete and file an “Assuming Office Form 700” with the City Clerk’s Office within the first 30 days of employment with the office.
Other Qualifications
The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history.
- Job Expertise: Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies and federal and state rules and regulations.
- Communication Skills: Effectively conveys information and expresses thoughts and facts clearly, orally and in writing; demonstrates effective use of listening skills and displays openness to other people's ideas and thoughts.
- Constructive Energies: A demonstration of energy and drive that comes from within, and a willingness to approach all aspects of work with a generally positive attitude; possessing the inclination to take appropriate action rather than waiting to be told what to do; examples of Constructive Energies include but are not limited to: enthusiasm, honesty, integrity, empathy, dedication, reliable, proactive, respectful, confidence, ethical, and a willingness to help others.
- Customer Service: Demonstrates the ability to anticipate customers' needs and deliver services effectively and efficiently using professional demeanor.
- Leadership: Leads by example; demonstrates high ethical standards; remains visible and approachable and interacts with others on a regular basis; promotes a cooperative work environment, allowing others to learn from mistakes; provides motivational supports and direction.
- Management: Evaluates priorities to ensure the 'true' top priorities are handled satisfactorily; sets clear goals for the employees and the work unit.
- Planning: Acts to align own unit's goals with the strategic direction of the organization; defines tasks and milestones to achieve objectives, while ensuring the optimal use of resources to meet those objectives.
- Problem Solving: Approaches a situation or problem by defining the problem or issue; determines the significance of problem; collects information; uses logic and intuition to arrive at decisions or solutions to problems that achieve the desired outcome.
- Project Management: Ensures support for projects and implements agency goals and strategic objectives.
- Supervision: Sets effective long and short-term goals based on a good understanding of management practices; establishes realistic priorities within available resources; provides motivational support; empowers others; assigns decision-making and work functions to others in an appropriate manner to maximize organizational and individual effectiveness.
Selection Process:
The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to all the job specific questions. Only those candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to proceed in the selection process. Additional phases of the selection process will consist of one or more interviews.
If selected, the Conditional Offer of Employment may be contingent upon you providing proof of a valid State of California driver’s license, and an assessment of your California DMV Employer Pull Notice (EPN) as per the DMV Release of Driver Record Information form. Failure to pass the DMV Pull Notice assessment will deem you ineligible for employment.
If you have questions about the duties of these positions, the selection or hiring processes, please contact Keana Tran at keana.tran@sanjoseca.gov.