Assistant Engineer / Associate Engineer

Salary : $112,819.20 - $166,628.80 Annually
Location : Administration Office, 7811 University Ave. La Mesa, CA 91942, CA
Job Type: Full time
Job Number: 2026-12
Department: Engineering
Division: Design Engineering
Opening Date: 10/12/2026

The Position
PLEASE NOTE: Helix Water District is seeking one individual to join our engineering team. Successful candidate will be placed in either the Assistant Engineer or Associate Engineer position, depending on qualifications.

Position is OPEN UNTIL FILLED.

Assistant Engineer: $112,819 - $143,936/annually

Associate Engineer: $130,582 - $166,629/annually
Scheduled Salary increases include the following:

• July 1, 2027: 2 - 4% cost-of-living adjustment + 2% base salary adjustment
• July 1, 2028: 2 - 4% cost-of-living adjustment + 2% base salary adjustment
• July 1, 2029: 2 - 4% cost-of-living adjustment + 1% base salary adjustment
• July 1, 2030: 2 - 4% cost-of-living adjustment
• Annual Merit Increases. Full-time employees are eligible for 5% merit increases on an annual basis until they reach the top of their pay range.

We offer employees:

• 100% employee premiums paid for all health benefits
• CalPERS membership
• Deferred Compensation. Up to $3,500 matching on 457 plans
• 24 annual days of accrued leave (Increases to 29 after 5 years of service, max 37 annual days of accrued leave)
• Educational Reimbursement of up to $4,000 annually for qualifying coursework after one year of employment
• 12 paid holidays per year including 2 floating holidays

Overview of Responsibilities
Our Assistant Engineers / Associate Engineers in the design section help plan, design, and deliver water infrastructure projects by performing a variety of engineering tasks including in-house design, construction administration, plan checks, development reviews, hydraulic modeling, engineering calculations, and preparing or overseeing plans, specifications, studies, and cost estimates. They support projects from planning through construction by coordinating with contractors, consultants, district staff, and outside agencies; providing field and construction support; reviewing change orders and submittals; and maintaining project records.

At the Associate Engineer level, responsibilities expand to supervising staff, leading major capital projects, managing consultant procurement and budgets, developing district standards and board-level reports, and representing the district in higher-level coordination and technical assignments such as annexations and emergency interconnections.

To see the full job description for the Assistant Engineer / Associate Engineer position, visit our Careers page at There you will find detailed information about the responsibilities, qualifications and expectations for this role.

Qualifications
Qualified candidates will have the following:

Possession of a bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year college or university with major course work in civil engineering or another engineering discipline acceptable to the district; a master's degree in engineering can substitute for one year of engineering experience.

Candidates must have a valid Class C California driver's license and ability to maintain insurability under the district's vehicle insurance policy.

Assistant Engineer:

• A minimum of two years of related civil engineering experience.
• Possession of an Engineer-in-Training certificate from the State of California.

Associate Engineer:

• A minimum of three years of responsible civil engineering experience, preferably in a water industry, including a minimum of one year of project management responsibility.
• A certificate of registration as a professional engineer issued by the State of California. Registration must be maintained while in this job classification.

Application Process
To be considered for the Assistant Engineer / Associate Engineer, please select the APPLY button at the top to complete the online application and supplemental questionnaire. Resumes are not accepted in lieu of an online application. For a complete list of job responsibilities, please visit our careers page.

Recruitment Steps:
Submit Application
Skills Exercise
1st Interview
Final Interview
Helix Water District offers a comprehensive benefit package for our regular full time employees including medical, dental, vision, life insurance and paid time off.

Temporary full time employees receive medical, dental, vision and retirement benefits only.

For a more detailed overview of our benefit summary, please visit
01

Instructions for completing the supplemental questionnaire: Responses to the questions below will be used to determine your eligibility to advance in the recruitment. Please do not type "see resume" or "see application." Be advised you will be "timed out" of this page after 30 minutes. Please save your work continuously. I understand the guidelines above.

• Yes
• No

02

Do you have a Bachelor's Degree in civil engineering or related field from an accredited college or university?
03

How would you describe your qualifications for this position?

• I have a minimum of two years of related civil engineering experience.
• I have minimum of one year of related civil engineering experience and possess a master's degree in engineering.
• I have a minimum of three years of responsible civil engineering experience, including at least one year of project management responsibility.
• I have minimum of two years of related civil engineering experience, including a minimum of one year of project management responsibility, and possess a master's degree in engineering.
• I do not meet any of the above-listed qualifications.

04

In detail, describe your experience with reviewing construction plans for conformance to construction standards. Emphasize water plan review experience, if applicable. If none, list not applicable or "N/A."
05

Do you have a valid certificate of registration as a professional engineer issued by the State of California or Engineer-in-Training certificate from the State of California? If yes, please enter your license number and indicate type in the space below. If not, please indicated "N/A" for not applicable in the box below.
06

In detail, please describe your experience in water facilities design, including your role on the projects.
07

In detail, please describe your experience writing reports, using modeling software and/or preparing planning studies.
08

Why do you want this position with Helix Water District?
Required Question