Design Team Lead (TE3)

State of Washington•Thurston County – Lacey, WA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is a multimodal agency with a global reputation for excellence. Our dedicated workforce plans, designs, builds, and operates an integrated transportation system that safely and efficiently moves people and goods throughout the state. In addition to maintaining over 20,000 lane miles of state highway and 4,100 bridges, WSDOT leads an award-winning Active Transportation Plan, manages the world’s longest floating bridge, and operates the largest ferry system in the nation! WSDOT is currently seeking a Transportation Engineer 3 for the Tumwater/Lacey Design Office (TLDO). In this role, you will serve as a design team leader responsible for overseeing the successful development and delivery of highway transportation projects that improve the safety, quality, and capacity of Washington’s transportation system. This position leads and supports a team of engineers and technicians through project design activities, coordination with specialty groups, schedule management, quality review, and communication with project stakeholders. A strong candidate will possess effective leadership and collaboration skills, sound engineering judgment, strong organizational and communication abilities, and the ability to manage multiple priorities while ensuring compliance with agency policies, procedures, standards, and stewardship expectations that support WSDOT’s mission and long-term resilience goals.

Requirements

Demonstrated experience applying engineering principles, methods, and practices to project management in transportation or construction environments. This includes expertise in design development, construction techniques, and/or contract administration.
Ability to oversee and review engineering designs and documentation to ensure accuracy, compliance with standards, and constructability, while supervising the preparation of plans, specifications, and cost estimates.
Advanced skills in operating Windows-based systems and engineering software, including MS Office Suite (Excel, Word, SharePoint, Outlook), MS Teams, computer-aided engineering applications, cloud-based platforms, and system databases for project tracking and information management.
Advanced skills in professional communication, specifically in communicating technical information effectively and professionally to a diverse audience, including those with non-technical backgrounds, virtually, by phone, and in person.
Skills to lead and supervise a diverse workforce by fostering collaboration across boundaries, building and maintaining effective teams, coaching and mentoring staff, and encouraging engagement and professional growth.
Actively demonstrates a commitment to learning and growth.
Takes action to meet the needs of others.
Ability to travel within the region to perform site and field visits, and to attend meetings or training.
Ability to traverse rough, steep, and uneven terrain.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated ability to apply knowledge of transportation project design within a government agency setting, including navigating public sector processes, standards, and stakeholder coordination.
Demonstrated commitment to professional engineering standards through attainment or progression toward certification, such as Engineer-in-Training (EIT) or Professional Engineer (PE) licensure in Washington State.
Demonstrated foundational knowledge of civil engineering principles and practices. This knowledge may have been gained through professional experience and/or formal education.

Responsibilities

Manage assigned transportation design projects, including project scope, schedule, budget, plans, specifications, estimates, and associated design documentation.
Review engineering plans and specifications for compliance with established standards, policies, and procedures.
Coordinate field reviews, survey data, environmental commitments, and right-of-way agreements needed for project design and plan preparation.
Communicate project status, schedules, technical information, and design deliverables with Specialty Groups, project stakeholders, and external customers.
Prepare and review plans, specifications, estimates, schedules, correspondence, engineering documents, and technical transportation engineering data.
Supervise, coach, mentor, and support engineering design team members while providing guidance, training, and performance feedback.
Plan, assign, and review work assignments to ensure timely completion, quality standards, and compliance with safety policies and labor requirements.