Westlands Water District

Fresno, CA

Associate Engineer

Bargaining Unit: Office and Clerical Employee Unit
Salary Code: 26
FLSA Designation: Exempt
Revision Date: 03/01/19

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

Under general supervision of the Supervisor of Resources or Supervisor of Field Engineering and Planning, plans, organizes, directs, controls, and supervises special projects within the District’s Resources and Operations and Maintenance Divisions including engineering design and technical work, policy analysis, water projects operations, land acquisition, power, drainage, groundwater, and water conservation.

EXAMPLES OF WORK PERFORMED:

The information below is meant to serve as examples of the job duties and responsibilities for this classification. This list is neither inclusive nor exclusive, but indicative of several types of duties performed.

  1. Plans, organizes, assigns, directs, reviews, and engages in the preparation of various analyses, planning feasibility studies, project development, interpretation and preparation of studies, mitigation plans, environmental documents, designs, specifications, contract and bid documents, estimates, and reports.
  2. Researches project design requirements and performs related calculations; conducts plan checks to ensure compliance with District and various environmental and regulatory standards; prepare time and material cost estimates.
  3. Prepares plans and specifications for the design, construction, maintenance, and operation of District facilities and projects; ensures conformance to District standards and practices, and relevant codes and regulations.
  4. Serves as Engineer on various projects related to capital improvement, water resources, regulatory compliance, land acquisition, groundwater, drainage, energy management, power resources, and water conservation.
  5. Maintains effective communication and coordination of projects while ensuring compliance with District safety rules, policies, and rules and regulations of outside agencies that apply to District operations.
  6. Monitors, evaluates, and makes recommendations regarding laws, codes, regulations, and proposed legislation as they apply to related job duties and responsibilities.
  7. Participates in long-range capital improvement planning and budgeting, including performing inspections and preparing related studies.
  8. Coordinates, negotiates, and administers engineering and other resources projects, contracts, and agreements.
  9. Communicates information and provides guidance to the public and other agencies regarding various engineering design elements and codes.
  10. Prepares or reviews engineering or environmental studies and water and biological documents and reports; prepare a variety of technical reports.
  11. Acts as District representative at meetings, conferences, and hearings of local, state, or federal agencies which could include the written documents such as legal agreements, board agenda items, and routine correspondence.
  12. Creates and presents various technical documents including probability studies and reports which require engineering judgments and evaluations.
  13. Operates computer terminal and a variety of software and programs used to make engineering calculations; including maintenance and updates of software; monitoring data entry, and recognizing and correcting errors in the data base.
  14. Performs other duties as assigned.

CLASSIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Education and Experience

Any combination of equivalent education and experience that has led to the acquisition of the knowledge required by the position. A typical way of acquiring the knowledge would be:

A bachelors’ degree in Civil, Agricultural, or Environmental Engineering, or a related field, and two (2) years of increasingly complex engineering experience related to project identification, planning, design, construction, and operation of water distribution systems, power generation and conveyance systems, ground water resources, and water conservation and management.

Knowledge of:

  • Applying federal, state and local laws, codes, regulations, and ordinances related to projects when assigned.
  • Principles of hydraulic design, hydrology, materials engineering, soil mechanics, and structural engineering.
  • Engineering mathematics and statistical analysis techniques.
  • Engineering economics, specifications, and contract procedures.
  • Principles of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and Endangered Species Act (ESA) compliance requirements.
  • Water conservation and management practices, including plant-soil-water relationships.
  • Surface and subsurface drainage principles and practices.
  • Principles and practices of management, supervision, and budgeting.
  • Construction methods and materials.
  • Irrigation principles and practices, including wastewater reuse.
  • Fundamentals of specification writing and regulations.
  • Computer technology and design software as applied to perform engineering tasks.
  • Principles and practices of power regeneration and energy conveyance systems.
  • Engineering principles, practices, and methods of planning design construction, operation, and inspection of water distribution and drainage collection systems.
  • Principles and practices of effective customer service.

Skills/Abilities to:

  • Exercise leadership, authority, and management skillfully and effectively.
  • Assist with the negotiations of agreements with various entities.
  • Understand and apply District standards and regulations; along with applicable laws and regulations, related to the design and construction of District facilities.
  • Perform detail analysis of requirements, designs, and plans.
  • Maintain accurate records and files.
  • Operate modern office equipment, including computer equipment, and related software to perform required engineering duties.
  • Communicate effectively verbally and clearly and concisely orally and in writing.
  • Work cooperatively with staff, employees, and employee organizations.
  • Provide prompt response to public concerns and complaints.

LICENSE, CERTIFICATE, OR CREDENTIAL

  • Possession of a valid certificate of registration as a Professional Engineer issued by the California State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers is required.

WORKING CONDITIONS

  • Possess physical characteristics to perform the critical and important duties of the job.
  • May work hours other than normal work schedule.

STANDARD REQUIREMENTS

  • Possession of a valid California Class C Driver’s License with a driving record acceptable to the District’s automobile insurance provider is required.