City Traffic Engineer (Engineer 5)

Job Summary

The City of Salem is seeking a leader with expertise in traffic engineering to fill the City Engineer position.

Make an impact:

The City of Salem is seeking an experienced leader to fill a full-time career position as the City Traffic Engineer following the retirement of the incumbent. We are seeking an individual with proficiency in the principles of traffic engineering, expertise in complex problem solving, and a passion for public engagement. The individual in this position performs a critical and highly visible role ensuring safe and effective operations of the City's transportation infrastructure. Owing to the scope and scale of the work, serving as the City Traffic Engineer is one of the most fascinating, compelling, and rewarding positions in the City's Public Works Department.

The City Traffic Engineer establishes policies, responds to issues, and implements solutions related to Salem's transportation system. Areas of responsibility include roadways, bike lanes, signs, signals, on-street parking, ADA access, electric vehicle charging sites, community events in the right-of-way, streetlights, neighborhood traffic calming, pedestrian safety, speed limit adjustments, and much more.

The City Traffic Engineer is responsible for providing information, explaining requirements, and identifying options to address the multiple and occasionally competing interests for use in the public right-of-way. In this capacity, the City Traffic Engineer serves as the City's ambassador to members of the Salem community, senior managers and elected officials, and to the professional staff of county, state, and federal agencies.

Learn and grow:

You will be part of a highly cohesive division within the Public Works Department that is committed to providing a welcoming work environment with excellent family-work balance. We offer competitive pay, outstanding benefits, flexible remote work policies, and opportunities to develop and expand your professional repertoire.

What you will do:

Working under the general supervision of the Assistant Public Works Director, the City Traffic Engineer's areas of responsibilities will encompass many aspects related to planning, operations, maintenance, response, and public engagement regarding activities in the public right-of-way.

• Supervise the work of the Assistant City Traffic Engineer, Signal Engineers, and the Signal and Streetlight Maintenance Section.
• Establish policies, respond to issues, and implement solutions related to Salem's transportation system. Areas of responsibility include roadways, bike lanes, signs, signals, on-street parking, ADA access, electric vehicle charging sites, community events in the right-of-way, streetlights, neighborhood traffic calming, pedestrian safety, speed limit adjustments, construction traffic control, and more.
• Provide information, explain requirements, and identify options to address the multiple and occasionally competing interests for use in the public right-of-way. In this capacity, the City Traffic Engineer serves as the City's ambassador to members of the Salem community, senior managers and elected officials, and to the professional staff of county, state, and federal agencies.
• Interact with the public on a wide range of matters related to traffic operations and activities in the public right-of-way. Among the many areas of public interest are bike lanes, parking spaces, speed zones, ADA accessibility, pedestrian safety, efficient traffic flow, and traffic calming.
• Work closely with other City staff, Mayor and City Council, boards and commissions, state and federal agencies, consultants and contractors, volunteers and community organizations, and the public at large.
• Coordinate operations and maintenance of traffic controls with other agencies, including the City of Keizer, Marion County, Polk County, Oregon Department of Transportation, Salem Area Mass Transit District, and franchise utilities.
• Ensure plans submitted by the development community adhere to sound traffic engineering principles.

What else will you do?

Generally, the City Traffic Engineer will lead the City's policies and practices related Salem's transportation infrastructure. Among the many job duties and responsibilities:

• Set goals, establish priorities, implement actions, and solve problems.
• Plan, direct, and coordinate the activities of the City's traffic engineering team, which includes the Assistant City Traffic Engineer, two signal engineers, two traffic technicians, and five electricians of the Signal and Streetlight Maintenance section.
• Prepare and administer the budget for the Traffic Engineering Section.
• Coordinate with partner agencies and organizations, including representatives of county, state, and federal agencies and the Tribal Nations.
• Engage with subject matter experts, conduct research, analyze data, draw insights, and prepare reports.
• Manage the work of teams, consultant firms, and contracted service providers.
• Participate in community engagement, including interacting with neighborhood groups, nonprofit organizations, the business community, and environmental advocacy groups.
• Respond to public inquiries, particularly those related to Salem's transportation infrastructure and activities in the public right-of-way.

What are the minimum qualifications?

• Must pass the pre-employment background check.
• Must have an Oregon Driver License and meet the City of Salem's driving standards.
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Civil Engineering or a related field, and fourteen (14) or more years of experience in Civil Engineering or Environmental Engineering, Structural Engineering, Construction Engineering, or a closely related engineering discipline; or any combination of education, experience, and training which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the essential job functions.
• Professional Civil Engineer (PE) License required (or Comity to obtain a State of Oregon license required within one year of appointment to the position).

Note: Hiring managers do not have access to view resumes as part of the application review process. Please make sure to give detailed information in your application that includes your experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities as requested in the supplemental questions and job advertisement.

What can we offer you for all your hard work?

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your family.
• Paid vacation and sick time in accordance with City policies.
• Competitive pay.
• Employer-paid PERS contribution of 6%.
• Opportunity for voluntary pre-tax contributions to a 457b account.
• Health care and dependent care flexible spending accounts.
• Voluntary long-term care.
• Employee wellness program.
• Employee assistance program.
• Employee health clinic.
• Flexible position schedule. Normal working hours are Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m..

The City of Salem offers a comprehensive and equitable base salary within the listed range based on your experience, skills, and education. We encourage you to clearly describe how you meet the minimum qualifications and essential attributes in your application materials. Learn more about Equal Pay.

What you will bring along:

• The desire to be part of a highly talented team responsible for a wide range of programs and projects.
• An enjoyment of learning new concepts and of building excellent working relationships.

What are the preferred qualifications?

• Excellent communications skills, with an emphasis on clear, concise, and cohesive writing.
• At least ten years of increasingly responsible work experience as an employee in the public sector or as a consultant working on one or more programs and/or projects for a public agency as client.
• A master's degree in a related field is preferred and may substitute for two of the ten years of work experience required. A doctorate in a related field may substitute for an additional two of the ten years of work experience required.
• Experience working with external stakeholders, such as local, state, and federal regulators; Tribal Nations; business interests; neighborhood associations; private developers; nonprofit organizations; and special interest groups.
• Experience managing the work of consultants and/or contracted service providers, including writing proposals, approving scopes of work, and managing the contract.
• Experience planning for active transportation in an urban environment.
• Familiarity with Oregon rules and statutes related to transportation and traffic engineering
• Experience providing public engagement and outreach activities.
• Experience developing and reviewing traffic impact studies.
• Experience developing and managing budgets.
• Experience managing professional and field staff.
• Ability to converse in Spanish.

About us:

The Engineering Division is responsible for delivering the 5-Year Capital Improvement Plan and is currently working on a wide variety of capital improvement projects including: water treatment and distribution facilities, wastewater collection and treatment facilities, pump stations, reservoirs, drainage facilities, parks, airport facilities, streets, bridges, traffic signals, and urban development projects. The recent Community Improvement Bond includes capital improvement projects for streets, bridges, parks, building renovations, and new building construction, adding $300 million to the current $280 million Capital Improvement Plan and providing a secure source of funding for projects over the next 10 years.

The City of Salem is the second largest City in the State of Oregon, located in the heart of Willamette Valley, and is the capital city of Oregon with a population over 170,000. Centrally located, Salem is 47 miles south of Portland and an hour from the Cascade Mountains to the east and an hour from the ocean beaches to the west. Salem is an exceptional community for living and working with exciting new and comfortable well-established neighborhoods and carefully preserved historic buildings.

A full-service City, Salem has eight primary departments:

Community Services, Finance, Fire, Enterprise Services, Legal, Police, Public Works, and Community and Urban Development. Several departments also have functional divisions within their department. The City has five labor unions and employs roughly 1,350 talented and dedicated staff members. The Urban Renewal Agency and the Salem Housing Authority are separate municipal corporations. The Agency contracts with the City for services and the Authority is led by the Housing Administrator within the Urban Development department.

Where can I find out more about the position?

Go to the menu option for Class Specifications and search forEngineer 5.

How can I apply?

The City of Salem invites individuals of all diverse communities and backgrounds to apply for our available job opportunities as we strive to provide the best service to everyone. The City of Salem is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all and has a culture that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. We believe that by welcoming differences, encouraging new ideas and views, listening to, and learning from each other, we are better able to serve the community.

To apply, click on the green "Apply" button to complete your application. Make sure that you specify how you meet the qualifications outlined in the class specification and complete the application.

Applicants that meet the minimum qualifications as outlined above but not selected for this position may be placed on an eligibility list, and candidates may be hired from the list. Eligibility lists are valid for six months. The City will send email notifications to eligible candidates about potential hiring opportunities so please ensure your email settings accept our system generated email notifications.

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For more information about employment at the City of Salem, please visit our website at www.cityofsalem.net/jobs.