Engineering Technician III

If you thrive working in a fast-paced environment and have the ability to shift gears quickly, apply now as an Engineering Technician III, and be a part of Permit Sonoma's team!

Starting salary up to $55.24/hour ($115,292/year) and a competitive total compensation package!*

Permit Sonoma is currently recruiting to fill an Engineering Technician position at either the I, II, or III level. If you are interested in applying at the other levels of this opportunity, you must apply to the separate concurrent recruitments being conducted for those levels.

Engineering Technicians As an experienced Engineering Technician you will be responsible for performing inspections for sanitation, grading, sewer, encroachment, private water systems, and septic system operational permits, including, verifying construction work compliance, specifications, and County codes and standards. Engineering Technicians issue correction notices and perform follow up inspections and customer service work, assist customers with a variety of engineering permitting and construction issues. They may perform survey work assisting customers and the County Surveyor by reviewing Records of Survey and Corner Records for compliance with county standard. In addition, they will interact and coordinate inspection work with other resource agencies.

As an ideal candidate, you will possess tact, positivity, empathy, patience, a sense of humor, and many of the following:

• Multiple years of experience utilizing engineering principles and calculation methodologies to determine adequacy of infrastructure services for roads, drainage systems, sanitary sewer systems, and waterline systems
• Skilled in construction building and/or inspecting, reading technical maps, plans, and drawings
• Experience writing concise and coherent correction notices, emails and short reports
• Ab ility to read and interpret County codes and standards to the public
• Excellent interpersonal skills, and the ability to effectively build relationships with homeowners, contractors, engineers, and a diverse community
• Stro ng communications skills verbally, written, and orally
• Intermediate Microsoft Office Skills
• The ability to lead, work independently, and on a team
• QSD/QSP certifications are highly desired, but not required
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) skills are desirable, but not required

Important: The position advertised on this announcement requires possession of a valid California Drivers License

Due to the nature of the inspection work that Engineering Technicians perform, incumbents are required to work indoors, in an office setting, and outdoors. They drive across the County in assigned County vehicles on dirt roads, pavements, and in various weather conditions. As these positions conduct site inspections in the unincorporated areas of Sonoma County, incumbents may be exposed to natural hazards such as poison oak, ticks, and other wildlife. If you enjoy a mixture of office and outdoor work and are comfortable working in hiking boots, bring your technical skills and positive attitude to Permit Sonoma!

Working at the County of Sonoma offers expansive opportunities for growth and development, the ability to be a part of a challenging and rewarding work environment, and the satisfaction of knowing you're working to better our communities. You can also look forward to flexible work arrangements and excellent benefits* including:

• Hybrid Telework - A schedule that meets the needs of our staff, department operations, and the communities we serve may be available depending on the assignment
• Salary Advancement - A salary increase after 1,040 hours (6 months when working full-time) for good work performance; eligibility for a salary increase for good performance every year thereafter, until reaching the top of the salary range
• Paid Time Off - Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals, 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year
• County Paid Health Premium Contributions - 100% premium contribution for the majority of employee-only and employee + family health plan options
• Post-Retirement Health Reimbursement Arrangement - County contributions to help fund post-retirement health insurance/benefits
• Retirement - A pension fully integrated with Social Security
• Paid Parental Leave - May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) after 12 months of County employment
• Student Loan Debt Relief County employees may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education

*Salary is negotiable within the established range. Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Additional information can be found in the and our .

Permit Sonoma is currently recruiting to fill an Engineering Technician position at either the I, II, or III levels. This Engineering Technician III employment list may also be used to fill future full-time, part-time, or extra-help (temporary) positions as they occur during the active status of the list. Qualified County employees who wish to be considered for future positions should consider applying to this recruitment.

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire to be completed. Experience: Any combination of experience which would provide an opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed. Normally, one year of experience at the level of Engineering Technician II with the County of Sonoma, would provide such opportunity.

Education: Any combination of education and experience which would provide the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed. Normally, academic course work in plane geometry, trigonometry, algebra, drafting, computer aided drafting and design software; and land surveying, would provide such opportunity.

License: Possession of a valid driver's license at the appropriate level including special endorsements, as required by the State of California, may be required depending upon assignment to perform the essential job functions of the position. Considerable knowledge of: mathematics, including algebra, geometry, and trigonometry and of engineering practices, including the making of difficult engineering computations; the methods employed in making inspections of engineering construction work; the principles, techniques, and terminology relating to drafting and computer aided design and skill in performing a wide variety of complex drafting and computer aided design work using various instruments; of the principles, techniques, and terminology relating to surveying and skill in the use of surveying and computing instruments and record keeping the principles, techniques, and terminology relating to testing of construction materials and skill in the making of complex materials tests; office methods and procedures, including setting up and maintaining technical record-keeping systems; departmental safety practices and procedures; the principles, techniques and terminology relating to traffic engineering; electronic information systems.

Working knowledge of: the principles, techniques and terminology of civil engineering; Title 27 as it relates to soil, air, and groundwater quality; storm water runoff water quality issues and NPDES permitting requirements; and EPA test methods and reporting standards; use of total station and GPS; computers and computer aided drafting and design software.

Ability to: make accurate notes and sketches and to prepare satisfactory work and observation reports; understand and carry out in detail lengthy or complicated written or oral instructions, including reading and interpreting plans and specifications; make difficult technical and mathematical computations; utilize computers for a wide variety of calculations; prepare and compile complex written technical reports and board resolutions; maintain effective public relations with departmental staff, property owners, contractors, and other individuals and groups in the community; lead the work of other employees; climb, stand and walk for sustained periods of time and to lift moderately heavy objects; utilize electronic information systems and analyze and interpret such information.

• Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
• You should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application. Be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
• You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.
• Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.

Please visit to review more detailed information about the hiring process, including the application process, examination steps, and department selection process.

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire be completed.

Responses to supplemental questions will be scored using position-specific criteria. Please provide specific and detailed responses of a reasonable length to allow for a thorough assessment of your qualifications. Responses that state, "See Resume" or "See Application" may be considered insufficient and therefore may not be scored.

The selection procedure will consist of the following examination:

An Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (weight 100%) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant's application and supplemental questionnaire for satisfaction of minimum qualifications (pass/not pass); and for educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities which relate to this position. Each applicant will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Relevance of work history, related experience, and achieved level of education and/or training as described in the application and responses to the supplemental questions.

Candidates demonstrating possession of the minimum qualifications will be placed on an employment list in order of most qualified to least qualified based on the achieved score received in the Application & Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination which evaluates the education, training, experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, and other qualifications that you demonstrate in your application and/or response to the supplemental questionnaire. Please be aware that resumes and cover letters are not typically evaluated in the Application & Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination. Scores may be adjusted based on such factors as the number of candidates, anticipated vacancies, past practice, and natural breaks in the scores achieved by this group of candidates.

Additional Information

A background investigation is required prior to employment. Candidates referred to departments for a selection interview are typically required to sign authorization and release forms enabling such an investigation. Failure to sign prescribed forms will result in the candidate not being considered further for that vacancy. Reference information will not be made available to applicants.

Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position. If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer is contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter. You may also review the to determine the requirements for this position.

How to Apply

Applications are accepted online at

The County of Sonoma values diversity and is dedicated to creating a workplace environment that provides individuals with a sense of belonging. We are committed to having a diverse workforce that is representative of the communities we serve. The County is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer where all aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance, and business need.

HR Analyst: CA

HR Technician: RR