Assistant Engineer

Salary : $116,148.23 - $141,172.80 Annually
Location : Santa Rosa, CA
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: 26/10-1011-O
Department: Sonoma County Public Infrastructure (SPI)
Opening Date: 10/06/2026
Closing Date: 10/20/2026 11:59 PM Pacific
Bargaining Unit: 21

Position Information
Advance your career and shape the future of public infrastructure as an Assistant Engineer with the County of Sonoma!
Starting salary up to $67.64/hour ($141,172/year) and a competitive total compensation package!*

Sonoma Public Infrastructure (SPI) is currently recruiting to fill a full-time position at either the Assistant Engineer or Engineer level. If you are interested in being considered at the Engineer level of this opportunity, you must apply to the separate concurrent recruitment being conducted for each level.
Note: Possession of an Engineer-in-Training Certificate with the State of California is required for the Assistant Engineer level. If you have a valid license as a Professional Engineer issued by the State of California, you should apply to the Engineer recruitment.

At the County of Sonoma, Assistant Engineers work independently, perform complex calculations, site evaluations, and inspections. They perform a wide variety of field and office professional-level engineering work of average difficulty. They ensure plans and specifications are compliant with county codes, standards, and regulations. As a subject matter expert, they may train and assist staff. Within SPI, this Engineer will primarily focus on road repair designs, retaining walls, drainage improvements, and a variety of projects for the department. Additional responsibilities include:

• Managing and overseeing diverse construction projects, including transportation facilities, traffic improvements, slope-stabilization and other infrastructure repairs, and community infrastructure improvements
• Applying engineering judgment and construction-management expertise to review plans, specifications, cost estimates, schedules, constructability, and proposed field changes
• Administering and overseeing construction contracts, including contractor coordination, progress meetings, submittals, requests for information, change orders, payment applications, claims, and project documentation
• Monitoring project budgets and schedules, identifying risks or delays, and coordinating corrective actions to keep projects within approved scope, cost, and schedule
• Conduct construction-site inspections to verify that work conforms to engineering plans, specifications, permit requirements, safety expectations, and applicable standards
• Coordinating with design consultants, contractors, utility providers, regulatory agencies, resource agencies, and other County departments to resolve technical and construction-related issues
• Supporting the planning, design, permitting, procurement, and delivery of transportation improvements
• Supporting the planning and construction of stormwater infrastructure, drainage improvements, erosion-control measures, and flood-mitigation projects
• Coordinating environmental reviews and permitting requirements while maintaining alignment with project objectives and construction schedules

The ideal candidate will possess one of more years of experience in engineering, the ability to shift gears quickly, and thrive in a fast-paced environment. In addition, you will possess intellectual curiosity, an interest in research, have a logical mindset, and possess many of the following:

• Engineering knowledge relevant to the planning, design, construction, inspection, and maintenance of public infrastructure
• Experience managing public works or civil construction projects through design, permitting, procurement, construction, and closeout
• Knowledge of construction-management practices, including constructability review, cost estimating, scheduling, contract administration, change orders, payment applications, quality assurance, and risk management
• Experience interpreting engineering plans, technical specifications, construction contracts, reports, and applicable codes and standards
• Strong collaboration, negotiation, conflict-resolution, and problem-solving skills
• Experience coordinating consultants, contractors, inspectors, utility providers, regulatory agencies, and internal departments
• Knowledge of federal, state, and local requirements applicable to publicly funded infrastructure projects, including permitting, procurement, documentation, reimbursement, and regulatory compliance
• Experience with federally funded or reimbursable projects, particularly FEMA-related infrastructure repairs and hazard-mitigation projects, is highly desirable
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare technical documentation and explain engineering and construction matters to technical and nontechnical audiences
• The ability to lead project meetings and hold consultants and contractors accountable for project requirements, schedule, quality, and deliverables

Assistant Engineers occasionally work in the evening, on weekends, and rarely on holidays. Emergency work may be required based on construction activities, public meetings, inspections, and project needs. Work is performed in both office and active construction-site environments. Field assignments may involve exposure to traffic, heavy equipment, noise, dust, uneven terrain, and inclement weather.

What We Offer

Working at the County of Sonoma offers expansive opportunities for growth and development, the ability to be a part of a challenging and rewarding work environment, and the satisfaction of knowing you're working to better our communities. You can also look forward to flexible work arrangements and excellent benefits* including:

• Hybrid Telework - A schedule that meets the needs of our staff, department operations, and the communities we serve may be available depending on the assignment
• Salary Advancement - A salary increase after 1,040 hours (6 months when working full-time) for good work performance; eligibility for a salary increase for good performance every year thereafter, until reaching the top of the salary range
• Career Advancement - With time and good performance, the opportunity for advancement to Engineer (up to $77.78/hour)
• Paid Time Off - Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals, 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year
• County Paid Health Premium Contributions - 100% premium contribution for the majority of employee-only and employee + family health plan options
• Staff Development/Wellness Pay - Annual benefit allowances of up to $1,500 and ongoing education/training opportunities
• Post-Retirement Health Reimbursement Arrangement - County contributions to help fund post-retirement employee health insurance/benefits
• Retirement - A pension fully integrated with Social Security
• Paid Parental Leave - May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) after 12 months of County employment
• Additional Benefits - Excellent dental, vision, disability, life insurance, employee assistance program, professional development, and more
• Student Loan Debt Relief - County employees may be eligible for through the U.S. Department of Education

*Salary is negotiable within the established range. Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Additional information can be found in the Western Counsel of Engineers Memorandum Of Understanding (WCE MOU) and our

This employment list may also be used to fill future full-time, part-time, or extra-help (temporary) positions as they occur during the active status of the list.Qualified County employees who wish to be considered for future positions should consider applying to this recruitment.

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire to be completed.

Minimum Qualifications

Experience and Education: Any combination of education and/or training which would provide an opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed. Normally, graduation from a four-year college or university with major coursework in engineering and one year of full-time, professional engineering experience at a level comparable to Junior Engineer.

License: Possession of a valid driver's license at the appropriate level including special endorsements, as required by the State of California, may be required depending upon assignment to perform the essential job functions of the position. The position advertised on this announcement requires possession of a valid California Driver's License.

Professional Certification: Possession of an Engineer-in-Training Certificate with the State of California.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Working knowledge of: the principles, practices and techniques of civil engineering, traffic engineering, electrical engineering, or mechanical engineering depending upon assignment; statistics and advance mathematics including algebra and analytic geometry; topographic and construction surveying, stress analysis, analytical mechanics and the strength, properties and uses of construction materials; common methods and equipment utilized in engineering construction and of inspection methods used in reviewing such work; real property descriptions; engineering design and drafting methods and equipment and computer-aided design (CAD) software.

Knowledge of: the principles, practices and techniques of training.

Ability to: prepare designs and make accurate drawings and maps; make accurate mathematical calculations and neat and accurate field notes; apply principles of logic and scientific reasoning to develop and evaluate alternative courses of action and determine appropriate solutions; read, understand and interpret complex technical and legal documents, maps, technical drawings and plans; listen attentively and participate in negotiations by providing required data and information; adjust workload changes and work under stress to meet deadlines; develop and maintain effective working relationships with all levels of representatives from governmental and private agencies, construction and consultant contractors, coworkers and the public; write clearly and concisely in order to prepare technical reports, correspondence, and maintain records.

Selection Procedure & Some Helpful Tips When Applying

• Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
• You should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application. Be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
• You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.
• Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.

Please visitto review more detailed information about the hiring process, including the application process, examination steps, and department selection process.

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire to be completed.

Responses to supplemental questions will be scored using position-specific criteria. Please provide specific and detailed responses of a reasonable length to allow for a thorough assessment of your qualifications. Responses that state, "See Resume" or "See Application" may be considered insufficient and therefore may not be scored.

The selection procedure will consist of the following examination:

An Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (weight 100%) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant's application and supplemental questionnaire for satisfaction of minimum qualifications (pass/not pass); and for educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities which relate to this position. Personally identifiable information (PII) is removed from the standard application fields and applicable attachments. This PII blind screening practice redacts a candidate's personal information that could potentially influence or bias the scoring process. Personal information includes the applicant's name, former last name, address, phone number, email, driver's license number, school name, education start and end dates, age, date of birth, gender, and race. This PII blind screening practice helps contribute to a fair and equitable examination process.

Each applicant will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Relevance of work history, related experience, and achieved level of education and/or training as described in the application and responses to the supplemental questions.

Candidates demonstrating possession of the minimum qualifications will be placed on an employment list in order of most qualified to least qualified based on the achieved score received in the Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination which evaluates the education, training, experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, and other qualifications that you demonstrate in your application and/or response to the supplemental questionnaire. Please be aware that resumes and cover letters are not typically evaluated in the Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination. Scores may be adjusted based on such factors as the number of candidates, anticipated vacancies, past practice, and natural breaks in the scores achieved by this group of candidates.

Additional Information