Engineer - Transportation Operations

City of Lincoln/Lancaster County, NE

$87K — $119K *
Transportation
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in engineering from an accredited institution
  • Minimum of two years of progressively responsible civil engineering experience
  • Professional Engineer registration in the State of Nebraska or ability to obtain it within one year
  • Experience in transportation and traffic engineering disciplines
  • General understanding of roadway design, traffic signal systems, and intelligent transportation systems

Responsibilities

  • Lead the evaluation and optimization of transportation network operations
  • Identify system-level improvement opportunities through data and field observations
  • Assess impacts of operational changes on overall transportation networks
  • Develop balanced strategies addressing safety, mobility, and public interest
  • Provide engineering leadership for field operations in signing and signal management
  • Translate strategies into actionable plans and collaborate on implementation efforts
  • Oversee transportation management systems and asset performance

Benefits

  • Pay increases available after 6-month probationary period and annually based on performance
  • 20 days of vacation leave per year, plus 11 paid holidays and 2 personal days
  • Comprehensive health, dental, and vision benefits effective from the first month after hire
  • 30 days of paid parental leave
  • Employee assistance programs for various personal and professional services
  • Life insurance valued at $70,000
  • Employer matching contribution of 9% to 401(a) retirement plan with a 7% employee contribution
  • Post Employment Health Plan for eligible expenses after leaving city employment
Full Job Description
Salary: $42.21 - $57.52 Hourly
Location : Lincoln, NE
Job Type: Full time/probationary or status
Job Number:
Department: Transportation & Utilities Department
Opening Date: 04/14/2026

Job Posting Information
The City of Lincoln Department of Transportation and Utilities is seeking a skilled, motivated, and highly responsible individual to assist in the evaluation, development, and coordination of various transportation-related activities. This position offers an opportunity to positively impact the City of Lincoln and to gain progressive experience in transportation engineering.

The Department's mission is to responsibly deliver, enhance and maintain vital infrastructure and services for the good of our community. The Engineer will be responsible for upholding this mission by leading staff engaged in transportation system management and operations (TSMO) on the Transportation Operation's team.

We are looking for a systems-minded engineer who likes how pieces connect across departments, cross-functional coordination, process improvement and data-driven decision making. If you enjoy optimization, strategy plus execution, coordination and turning data into decisions, then we are looking for you.

This includes resolving problems of advanced professional and technical nature and using current transportation/traffic engineering principles and practices to use data to identify operational and safety improvements, support deployment and use of traffic technology, develop performance metrics, dashboards and operation strategies and collaborate with field, technical and planning teams to implement improvements.

Nature of Work/Examples of Work Performed

Transportation Operations Strategy and Network Optimization
  • Leads evaluation and optimization of the transportation network, identifying operations improvements that enhance safety, mobility and system reliability while balancing public interest and field feasibility.
  • Identifies corridor- and system-level operations improvements based on data, field observations and performance metrics.
  • Assess impact of proposed operational changes on the broader network, including pedestrian, bicycle, and emergency response considerations.
  • Develop strategies that balance safety objectives, mobility needs, and public interest.
  • Evaluates transportation-related concerns though a systems-based lens to identify root causes and sustainable solutions.

Engineering Leadership & Field Coordination
  • Provide engineering leadership and direction to signing, marking and signal field operations to ensure alignment with system-level objectives.
  • Translate operational strategies into actionable work plans and prioritized improvements.
  • Collaborate with field supervisors to ensure practical, constructible, and efficient implementation of operational changes.
  • Supports strategic allocation of field resources based on risk and network impact.

Transportation Systems & Asset Management
  • Provides engineering oversight of transportation management systems to ensure optimal performance, integration, and lifecycle sustainability.
  • Support planning and prioritization of operational and maintenance activities across the transportation system.

Signing & Pavement Marking Program Oversight
  • Oversee signing program activities, including plan reviews, sign installation review, preparation of sign work order, administration of the sign inventory database.
  • Oversee pavement marking program activities, including plan reviews, technical and project management oversight of the durable marking contract and in-house marking operations, preparation of work orders for pavement marking upgrades and maintenance.


Desirable Knowledge, Abilities & Skills/Desirable Training & Experience

Progressive experience of 4 years or more with primary focus in transportation and/or traffic engineering. General knowledge of roadway/intersection design, round about analysis and design, traffic studies, traffic signal system design and operations, capacity analysis, signing and pavement markings, Intelligent Transportation Systems, budget management, and the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.

Minimum Qualifications:
  • Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with major coursework in engineering
  • Two years of experience in progressively responsible civil engineering work
  • Any equivalent combination of training and experience that provides the desirable knowledge, abilities and skills.

Necessary Special Requirements
  • Registration as a Professional Engineer by the State of Nebraska. If registered in another state, must obtain State of Nebraska registration within one year of appointment.
  • Possession of a valid driver's license.


Why Join Us?

We commit ourselves to offering additional training opportunities and a variety of paths for professional growth. Our teammates enjoy benefits that include, but are not limited to, a retirement match with a total employer contribution of 9%, paid vacation, 11 holidays, sick leave, 2 personal convince holidays and excellent health, dental, and vision insurance plans. Join the largest department at the City of Lincoln today. We are excited to enhance our community's quality of life together.
We value each City of Lincoln employee and one way we demonstrate this is by providing an attractive and competitive total compensation package that adds value to our employees' professional and personal lives. The following benefits are available for this position:
  • Pay increases are available upon completion of the 6-month new employee probationary period, and annually thereafter based on performance.
  • We encourage a healthy work-life balance by offering 20 days of vacation leave approximately annually that you begin accruing upon hire plus 11 paid holidays and 2 personal convenience days per fiscal year.
  • All medical, dental, and vision benefits for you and your family begin the first of the month following hire, no need to wait!
  • 30 days of Paid Parental Leave
  • Employee Assistance Programs offering work/life services, wellness coaching, short-term counseling, legal assistance, and financial coaching.
  • Up to 4 days of Funeral and Bereavement Leave
  • $70,000 of Life Insurance
  • 401(a) Retirement Plan. If you make a 7% contribution, the City will contribute 9%
  • We a provided Post Employment Health Plan for eligible medical expenses that occur after you leave City employment.
  • Optional benefits include:
    • Medical and/or Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
    • Allstate Voluntary Plans
    • Supplemental Term Life
    • Deferred Compensation Plans

01

APPLICATION COMPLETION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTTo successfully complete your application, please make sure you read each statement below and check ALL boxes prior to submission.
  • 1. This application is hand scored.
  • 2. ALL questions must be fully answered to receive full credit.
  • 3. "See Resume", or answers such as "See ___" are not acceptable responses and may not receive full credit.
  • 4. ALL employers and education referred to in answers must be listed in the Work History and Education sections of the application for verification and to receive full credit.
  • 5. I understand I am responsible for the accuracy and completeness of my application.
  • 6. I Acknowledge that I have read and understand each of the above statements.

02

Are you a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Nebraska.
  • Yes
  • Yes, in another state
  • No

03

If you checked other state, please list state below. If not, enter N/A.
04

Indicate if you have a college level coursework or a degree in the following:
  • Coursework only - Civil Engineering
  • Associate's degree - Civil Engineering
  • Bachelor's degree - Civil Engineering
  • Course work only - Transportation Engineering
  • Associate's degree - Transportation Engineering
  • Bachelor's degree - Transportation Engineering
  • Coursework only - Transportation Planning
  • Associate's degree - Transportation Planning
  • Bachelor's degree - Transportation Planning
  • Course work only - related field (specify below)
  • Associate's degree - related field (specify below)
  • Bachelor's degree - related field (specify below)
  • None

05

If you selected "related field", please specify field of study. If not, enter N/A.
06

Do you have experience in progressively responsible engineering work?
  • No experience
  • Yes, less than 2 years experience
  • Yes, 2 - 4 years experience
  • Yes, 4 to 6 years experience
  • Yes, more than 6 years experience

07

If yes, please list the employers where you acquired this experience. If no, enter N/A.
08

If yes, please describe your work duties. If no, enter N/A.
09

Do you have experience with conducting traffic/transportation engineering studies?
  • No experience
  • Yes, less than 2 years experience
  • Yes, 2 to 4 years experience
  • Yes, 4 to 6 years experience
  • Yes, more than 6 years experience

10

If yes, please list the employers where you acquired this experience. If no, enter N/A.
11

If yes, please describe your work duties. If no, enter N/A.
12

Do you have experience with pedestrian and bicycle safety analysis and design projects?
  • No experience
  • Yes, less than 2 years experience
  • Yes, 2 to 4 years experience
  • Yes, 4 to 6 years experience
  • Yes, more than 6 years experience

13

If yes, please list the employers where you acquired this experience. If no, enter N/A.
14

If yes, please describe your work duties. If no, enter N/A.
15

Indicate if you have experience with any of the following traffic engineering resources and analysis tools.
  • MUTCD
  • ITE Trip Generation Manual
  • ITE Traffic Engineering Handbook
  • Signal Timing Guidelines
  • Synchro software
  • NCHRP 672
  • Sidra software
  • None

16

If you checked any of the resources for the above question please list the employer(s) where you acquired this experience. If not, enter N/A.
17

Please indicate if you have experience with any of the following tasks?
  • Asset management
  • Engineering plan review
  • Signal timing
  • Traffic counting
  • Traffic control design
  • Capacity analysis
  • ITS planning and design
  • Reviewing crash data
  • None

18

If yes, please list the employers where you acquired this experience. If no, enter N/A.
19

If yes, please describe your work duties. If no, enter N/A.
20

Do you have experience in the preparation of reports, proposals, or other technical documents?
  • Yes
  • No

21

If yes, please list the employers where you acquired this experience. If no, enter N/A.
22

If yes, please describe your work duties. If no, enter N/A.
23

Do you have experience in working with contractors to complete projects?
  • No experience
  • Yes, less than 2 years experience
  • Yes, 2 to 4 years experience
  • Yes, 4 to 6 years experience
  • Yes, more than 6 years experience

24

If yes, please list the employers where you acquired this experience. If no, enter N/A.
25

If yes, please describe your work duties. If no, enter N/A.
26

Do you have experience creating program budgets and project construction estimates?
  • No experience
  • Yes, less than 2 years experience
  • Yes, 2 to 4 years experience
  • Yes, 4 to 6 years experience
  • Yes, more than 6 years experience

27

If yes, please list the employers where you acquired this experience. If no, enter N/A,
28

If yes, please describe your work duties. If no, enter N/A.
29

Indicate if you have experience with the following software (check all that apply):
  • CAD/Microstation - Training only
  • CAD/Microstation - Used occasionally
  • CAD/Microstation - Used daily
  • Microsoft Word - Training only
  • Microsoft Word - Used occasionally
  • Microsoft Word - Used daily
  • Microsoft Excel - Training only
  • Microsoft Excel - Used occasionally
  • Microsoft Excel - Used daily
  • Microsoft PowerPoint - Training only
  • Microsoft PowerPoint - Used occasionally
  • Microsoft PowerPoint - Used daily
  • GIS App

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