Principal Engineering Technician

Salary : $89,074.08 - $113,670.72 Annually
Location : Sacramento, CA
Job Type: Permanent Full-Time
Job Number: 28245-D
Department: County Wide
Opening Date: 10/26/2026
Closing Date: 12/2/2026 5:00 PM Pacific

The Position
This is a continuous filing exam. Next filing cut-offs are at 5:00 pm on:

11/2/2026, 11/16/2026, 12/2/2026 (Final)

Principal Engineering Technician is the advanced and/or lead specialist level in the Engineering Technician series. Principal Engineering Technicians are leadworkers of assigned staff, perform difficult field or office research and administrative tasks, and assist in the supervision of a program or functional area or perform a variety of complex, technical work involving plan checking, map checking, design & drafting assignments similar to those often assigned to beginning level professional engineers. Specialty assignments include interpreting and applying engineering principles and techniques to the resolution of problems.
Examples of Knowledge and Abilities

Knowledge of

All Options

• Extensive and varied knowledge of public works construction principles, practices, methodologies, and techniques;
• Principles of training and work direction.

General Option

• Extensive and varied knowledge of public works contract administration, fee & permit requirements;
• Construction conditions requirements;
• Traffic utilization analysis techniques and practices;
• Labor compliance requirements;
• Related legislative and rules relating to public works construction in the County.

Design & Drafting Option

• The specialized engineering support principles and practices utilizing conventional or computer-aided design and drafting techniques applicable to plans, schematics, sketches, and other materials utilized for the construction of public works facilities and structures.

Computer Specialist Option

• The principles and practices of the utilization and application of automated equipment and systems to the resolution of engineering related problems, including the knowledge of techniques and procedures for advanced development and modification of software packages in the design, configuration, and implementation of unique solutions to engineering specific problems.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Option

• Extensive and varied knowledge of GIS applications, including the capabilities, limitations, and characteristics;
• Extensive knowledge of ArcInfo computer software;
• Mapping and geoprocessing operations of local government;
• Computer-aided drafting.

Plan & Map Check Option

• The principles and practices of public works design and construction, Federal, State, and County improvement standards as they are applied to map and plan checking for conformance to established requirements and standards, including parcel and subdivision criteria.

Ability to

• Independently perform specialized assignments requiring extensive knowledge of sub-professional engineering work;
• Represent the County in meetings and conferences with outside consultants, contractors, and other public agencies;
• Assign, coordinate, and provide technical direction to assigned staff;
• Speak, read, and write English at a level necessary for satisfactory job performance.

Employment Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

Any combination of experience and education or training that is likely to provide the required knowledge and abilities for this class. Typical ways to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

Either: 1. Two years of full-time experience in the class of Senior Engineering Technician in Sacramento County service including one year of experience in the option be tested.

Or: 2. Four years of sub-professional engineering experience involving public works facilities or structures work, including two years of experience comparable to the Senior Engineering Technician in Sacramento County service in the option being tested.

Education Substitution Criteria: Completion of coursework in engineering or related field at an accredited college or university may be substituted for up to one year of the required experience. Related education substitutions for the required experience are computed on the basis of 3 semester units or 4.5 quarter units = 1 work month

Note: If the word "experience" is referenced in the minimum qualifications, it means full-time paid experience unless the minimum qualification states that volunteer experience is acceptable. Part-time paid experience may be accumulated and pro-rated to meet the total experience requirements.

Note: If the minimum qualifications include an educational or certificate/license requirement, applicants must submit proof of requirements with the application. Failure to submit proof of requirements may result in disqualification from the examination. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable. For guidelines on submitting acceptable proof of educational requirements, please click or speak to someone in our office before the cut-off date listed in this notice.

Special RequirementsDriver's License:
Some positions in this series require a valid California Driver's License, Class C or higher at the time of appointment.

Note: Failure to maintain the appropriate valid California Driver's License constitutes cause for termination from the class in accordance with Civil Service Rule 11.4.

Background/Criminal History:
Applicants for positions assigned to the Department of Airports are subject to a criminal history record check in accordance with the Federal Aviation Administration, FAR 107.11(f) and Sacramento County Personnel Policies and Procedures.

Probationary PeriodThe probationary period for this classification issix (6) months.
Application and Testing Information
APPLICATION

Qualified applicants are encouraged to apply immediately. All applicants must complete and submit an online County of Sacramento employment application by 5:00 PM on the posted cut-off date. Click here to apply.

County of Sacramento

Department of Personnel Services

Employment Services Division

700 H Street, Room 4667

Sacramento, CA 95814

Phone (916) 874-5593; 7-1-1 California Relay Service

Email EmployOffice@Saccounty.net

Inter-Office Mail Code: 09-4667

www.SacCountyJobs.net

• Employment applications and all documentation requested in this announcement must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date.
• Employment Services is not responsible for any issues or delays caused by an applicant's computer or web browser. Applicants will be automatically logged out if they have not submitted their applications and all documentation prior to 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date.
• Your application should highlight all relevant education, training, and experience, and clearly indicate how you meet the minimum qualifications for the position as of the cut-off date.
• Application information must be current, concise and related to the requirements in this job announcement. You may only apply for this recruitment once. Duplicate and incomplete applications will be disqualified.
• A resume may be included with your application, however it will not substitute for the information requested on the application.

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE

Applicants are required to provide a full and complete response to each supplemental question. The Supplemental Questionnaire is located in the tab marked "Supplemental Questions". Please be descriptive in your response.

Note: Responses of "See Resume" or "See Application", or copy and paste of work experience are not qualifying responses and will not be considered.

• Supplemental Questionnaires must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date. Employment Services is not responsible for any issues or delays caused by an applicant's computer or web browser. Applicants will be automatically logged out if they have not submitted their applications and all documentation prior to 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date.
• The supplemental questions are designed to elicit specific information regarding a candidate's experience, education, and training. Responses should be consistent with the information on your application and are subject to verification.
• Please provide place of employment, pertinent dates, and concise, descriptive and detailed information for each question.
• If a job included responsibilities applicable to several questions, separate the different functions of the job to answer all the questions completely.
• Resumes or referral to the application or other questionnaire responses will not be accepted in lieu of completing each question.
• If you have no experience, write "no experience" for the appropriate question.
• For many individuals, it is more efficient to develop responses to the supplemental questions in a word processing document and then paste them into the final document to be submitted. Changes or corrections to your Supplemental Questionnaire cannot be made once your application packet has been submitted.
• If the Supplemental Questionnaire is used in the Formula Rate exam, failure to complete all of the questions or incomplete responses will result in a lower score. While scoring the Supplemental Questionnaire, the candidate's application and/or attachments will not be reviewed, therefore, a candidate's responses to the questions should be accurate, thorough, detailed, and complete.

FORMULA RATE EXAMINATION (Weighted 100%)

All candidates meeting the minimum qualifications by the cut-off date will have their Supplemental Questionnaire scored in the Formula Rate Examination.

This examination will evaluate the relevance, level, recency, progression and quality of candidate's education, training and experience. The candidate's application or other materials will not be included in this examination. Therefore, the candidate's responses to the supplemental questionnaire should be thorough, detailed and complete. The score from the Formula Rate Examination will determine the ranking on the eligible/employment list for this job.
All candidates competing in the testing process will receive written notice of their examination results by email. Notices can also be accessed in their governmentjobs.com inbox. Applicants achieving a passing score will be placed on the eligible list in rank order. The rank is determined by the test score attained from the examination.