Pierce County

Engineering Manager

Pierce County$132K — $169K *
Real Estate & Construction
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Minimum eight years of work in civil engineering or related experience.
  • Bachelor's degree in civil engineering or a closely related field.
  • At least five years of supervisory or management experience.
  • Required certification as a Professional Engineer in Washington or ability to obtain it within six months.
  • Valid driver's license is mandatory.

Responsibilities

  • Manage and coordinate daily activities and workflows of the unit.
  • Oversee special project assignments and staff consultations.
  • Manage resources across divisions, ensuring proper planning and control.
  • Provide leadership and direction for operations management.
  • Train staff and provide engineering expertise to the team.

Benefits

  • Robust vacation accrual system over years of service, starting with six days after six months.
  • Paid military leave of up to 21 days for armed forces members.
  • Eleven paid holidays, including significant national observances.
  • Additional paid personal holidays each year.
  • Comprehensive insurance coverage including medical, dental, and vision.
Full Job Description
Salary: $132,779.19 - $169,382.39 Annually
Location : Tacoma, WA
Job Type: Career Service - Full Time
Job Number: 26-00946
Department: Planning and Public Works
Division: PPW River Roads Maintenance Operations
Opening Date: 09/08/2026
Closing Date: 9/15/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

Description
Summary
Why It's a Great Opportunity: In this newly developed position for the Maintenance and Operations team, you will be leading the team for capital facilities planning, design, coordination, and project management. Capital facilities will include county roads, levees, airports, and other facilities along with supporting work of the Surface Water Management Division. Your team of Civil Engineers, Environmental Biologists, Engineering Technicians, and support staff will be coordinating efforts with other divisions, municipalities, jurisdictions, regulatory agencies, contracting vendors, and maintenance teams. You will also focus on project development for maintenance, team development, response for flooding and weather incidents, and emergency repairs. Using Bluebeam, ArcGIS, Workday, and other relatable software, the work you do will ensure that County resources are developed and maintained effectively.

How to be Successful in the Role: Your success will come from utilizing your engineering skills but also from leading, training, and supporting your teams, customers, managers, and external stakeholders in efforts towards the Division's goals and needs. Your experience with management of multiple projects, shifting priorities, and multitasking will further ensure your success.

Your Future in this Role: You will have access to professional development through robust online learning and other training opportunities throughout your career to ensure your success. This position has multiple career growth and promotional opportunities in Pierce County to build on a great career while directly impacting the communities in Pierce County.

Core Daily Responsibilities:
  • Manage, supervise and coordinate activities of the unit; determine work procedures, prepare work schedules and determine methods for expediting workflow. Ensure consistent interpretation and application of laws, rules, policies and procedures.
  • Manage special project assignments; consult with staff on issues pertinent to the effective functioning of the division.
  • Manage the resources of several sections or a division through acceptable methods of planning, forecasting, review, feedback and control.
  • Provide leadership and direction in the administration of operations; delegate authority to professional personnel commensurate with assigned responsibility; ensure proper performance.
  • Train and educate staff on criteria and standards of section/division. Provide engineering guidance to staff and make engineering recommendations to County officials and other departments.

Minimum Qualifications

  • Eight years of progressively responsible work experience /or postsecondary education in the field of civil engineering OR
  • Graduation from a four-year college or university with major coursework in civil engineering or closely related field AND
  • Five or more years of supervisory or management experience is required.
  • This position requires certification as a Professional Engineer by the State of Washington or the ability to obtain such registration within six months of employment.
  • 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
How to Apply:
  • Complete and submit a detailed online Pierce County Employment Application by selecting "APPLY" above or visiting
  • If you have questions about this opportunity, email the Recruitment Team at 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.

We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time.
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.
01

A resume and cover letter are required to be attached individually to your application for consideration of this position. Have you ensured that both are attached?
  • Yes
  • No

02

Do you understand that this role may require flexible scheduling during times of peak workloads/deadlines and emergency/weather events?
  • Yes
  • No

Required Question

About Pierce County

Pierce County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 795,225, making it the second-most populous county in Washington behind King County. The county seat and largest city is Tacoma. Pierce County is included in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Pierce County is notable for being home to Mount Rainier, the tallest mountain and a volcano in the Cascade Range. Pierce County was created from Thurston County by the legislature of Oregon Territory on December 22, 1852, and was named for U.S. President Franklin Pierce. Pierce County is home to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, the largest joint base on the West Coast of the United States and the third-largest in the U.S. Department of Defense.
Learn more about Pierce County

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