Salary: $44.55 - $56.12 Hourly
Location : Tacoma, WA
Job Type: Career Service - Full Time
Remote Employment: Flexible/Hybrid
Job Number: 26-00834
Department: Planning and Public Works
Division: PPW OCE (ENG)
Opening Date: 07/28/2026
Closing Date: 8/18/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

Description
Summary
Why it's a great opportunity: As a Civil Engineer 1 with Pierce County's Office of the County Engineer, you will be providing valuable contributions of various transportation design projects for the County including the design of roads, roundabouts, pedestrian accessibility, infiltration trench sizing, pond sizing, erosion control measures, storm water collection, and treatment. You will be involved from the preliminary phase through construction support to final close out of these projects. You will be working and gaining knowledge in AutoCAD, Civil3D, MGS Flood, preliminary design, project estimations, alignments, drainage analysis and design, risk management, and project delivery together with your team and other departments over various scopes of projects. Your contributions will keep Pierce County the best place to live in the Northwest.

Why it's a great department: PPW stewards a healthy and vibrant community by collaboratively planning and investing in our people, infrastructure, systems, and policies. PPW's team has more than 800 members that collaborate, innovate and inspire in performing essential services to the community. The department is responsible for the County road and levee systems, sewer systems, airports, ferries, building permits, environmental review, sustainability, community planning, and code enforcement - just to name a few!

How to be successful in the role: Your success will come from your technical contributions to the overall project planning, design, and analysis to ensure timely completion. Your ability to focus on technical skills specific to civil engineering in roads and corridor projects while contributing to team efficiency and help support project delivery will build your success. Your preliminary steps will be of great value during the preparation of engineering design plans, technical specifications, estimates, and reports. Excellent communication both written and verbal will also ensure your success.

Your future in this role: You and the team will support Pierce County's traffic projects and programs and will see the improvements make a direct impact in our community. Pierce County offers robust online learning opportunities available for your continued success. This position has multiple career growth and promotional opportunities within Pierce County to build up a great career.

Core daily responsibilities:

• Performs layout, drafting and design work on a variety of routine civil engineering projects utilizing computer programs. Depending on program to which assigned, may design or review roads, structures, traffic control devices, stormwater collection and disposal systems, and/or other infrastructure.
• Designs and/or prepares contract plans for capital improvement projects.
• Prepares and reviews comprehensive engineering plans, reports, studies and related documents.
• Prepares scopes, cost estimates, specifications, special provisions and related documents for capital improvement projects.
• Prepares or contributes to engineering technical reports or studies such as traffic, hydrology, hydraulic, or geotechnical, reviews calculations or routine work of others.
• Prepares information to support public meetings, hearings, boards, commissions, or elected officials.
• Reviews and investigates citizen concerns and recommends remedial measures.

Minimum Qualifications

• Four years of progressively responsible, broad-based civil engineering experience is required.
• Registration as an Engineer-in-Training or a bachelor's degree from an ABET accredited program in civil engineering or closely related field may be substituted for experience on a year for year basis.

• A resume and cover letter are required for this position.
• A valid driver's license is required.

As a condition of employment, the applicant will need to authorize and complete a background check. Information received from the background check is reviewed case-by-case and will not necessarily remove an applicant from consideration.

Supplemental Information
To be considered for this opportunity please:

• Complete and submit a detailed online Pierce County Employment Application by selecting "APPLY" above or visiting www.piercecountywa.gov/jobs.
• If you have questions about this opportunity, email the Recruitment Team at [email protected] and include the job number and title.
• Individuals who need accommodation in the application or interview process may contact Human Resources at (253) 798-7480 at least two days prior to the need.
• Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for visa sponsorship.

Our Recruitment Practices: This is a competitive and meritorious selection process. Pierce County applications are reviewed by human hiring staff in accordance with the qualifications listed for the positionPierce County understands applicants may use AI tools when preparing application materials. We recognize these tools can make the process easier; however, we ask that everything you submit genuinely reflects your own experience, skills, knowledge, and writing style.

During the interview process, you may be asked to demonstrate your skills, including writing and subject knowledge, and to speak to your experience in your own voice. Applicants should be prepared to respond to interview questions without relying on AI-generated responses or reading prepared answers from a screen. Any misrepresentation may result in disqualification or separation.

Applicants whose qualifications most closely align with the County's needs will be eligible for further consideration. Notification of application status typically occurs within two to three weeks after the closing date. Some applicants may receive short notice to participate in additional selection steps, which may include assessments, phone screens, or interviews.

Upon offer, compensation is based on a range of job-related factors, including the requirements of the role, your skills and experience, and internal pay equity.

Employee benefits are not just about the kind of services you get, they are also about how much you may have to pay out of pocket. Pierce County offers a competitive benefits package that offers flexibility and peace of mind. We are proud to offer Employee Resource Groups, a focus on professional development in our , and a County Book Club.

We understand that your life revolves around more than just your career and that your priority is making sure that you and your family maintain health and financial security. That's why choice is a key component of our benefits package. We have a selection of and , , staff training and other compensation benefits that you can mix and match to meet your current and future needs.

Our benefits:

Vacation (Annual Leave)
After approximately six months, employees receive six days of vacation leave.
Since we value your experience, the amount of vacation you can accrue increases the longer you work with us. Vacation accrues on a bi-weekly basis for full-time employees as follows:

Vacation Accruals:
During years 1-3, 12 Days
During years 4-7, 16 Days
During years 8-13, 20 Days
During years 14-18, 23 Days
During years 19, 24 Days
During years 20, 25 Days
During years 21, 26 Days
During years 22, 27 Days
During years 23, 28 Days
During years 24, 29 Days
During years 25 & thereafter, 30 Days

A maximum of 45 days may be carried from one year into the next.
Pro-Rated for Part-Time based on % of 1.0 FTE.

Military Leave:
Pierce County has a proud history of supporting the armed forces and provides members of the armed forces with up to 21 days paid military leave per state fiscal year.

Holidays:
Some full-time employees are entitled to eleven paid holidays as follows:
New Year's Day - January 1
Martin Luther King, Jr's birthday - Third Monday in January
President's Day - Third Monday in February
Memorial Day - Last Monday in May
Juneteenth - June 19
Independence Day - July 4
Labor Day - First Monday in September
Veteran's Day - November 11
Thanksgiving Day - Fourth Thursday in November & Friday after
Christmas Day - December 25

Personal Holidays:
Regular full-time and regular part-time employees, and employees occupying limited duration positions, shall also receive two additional paid personal holidays. Paid personal holidays shall only accrue for those employees on County payroll as of January 1 of each year or the first work day following January 1 and must be taken during the calendar year in which it was accrued.

Furlough:
Some Pierce County employees may be designated to receive 10 "furlough" days per year in lieu of holidays. Furlough days are available for use on January 1 and must be scheduled and taken within the calendar year. Employees who leave employment with Pierce County must reimburse the employer for used furlough days based upon the number of remaining holidays.

Sick Leave:
Sick leave accrues on a bi-weekly basis, at the rate of one day per month.

Insurance Benefits:
Employees and families are covered by medical (including vision), dental and basic life insurance. There are multiple medical plans with very affordable monthly premiums that offer coverage throughout Pierce County. Employees are eligible to enroll each year in a flexible spending plan, which enables them to use tax-deferred dollars toward their health care and dependent care expenses. Employees also have the opportunity to participate in supplemental life and long term disability insurance plans. To view premium rates, summary of benefit coverage, and other information, please visit the website.

Retirement and Deferred Compensation:
Pierce County employees are members of the State of Washington's Department of Retirement System (DRS) and depending on the position or previous DRS enrollment will be able to enroll in one of many programs DRS offers. For additional information, check out the web site.

Employees also have the ability to participate in the Nationwide Deferred Compensation Plan. This is a supplemental retirement savings program that allows you control over the amount of pre-tax salary dollars you defer as well as the flexibility to choose between multiple investment options.

Social Security:
All Pierce County employees are covered by the federal Social Security and Medicare systems. The county and the employee pay an equal amount into the system.
ORCA Passport Program
Pierce County employees may participate in the County's ORCA (One Regional Card for All) Passport program.
Your Pierce County issued ORCA card is loaded with an annual Passport pass. The pass automatically renews every year. The pass will provide you with free transportation on regularly scheduled service on several public transit systems.

Miscellaneous Benefits:
Please visit website for more information.

Telework/Remote Options:
Some departments allow for telework or work-from-home options dependent on the body of work. Learn more about our telework policy
**All employees are required to be WA State residents after 30 days of employment.
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A resume and cover letter are required to be attached to the application for consideration of this position. Have you ensured that both are attached?

• Yes
• No

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