Sr. Drainage & Wastewater Planning Engineer (Sr. Civil Engineer)

City of Seattle • Seattle, WA

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

Seattle Public Utilities is seeking a Senior Drainage & Wastewater Planning Engineer (Senior Civil Engineer) for its Drainage & Wastewater Line of Business. The role leads initiation and options analysis for capital projects and programs that address flooding, combined sewer overflows, sewer and drainage capacity, creek-system needs, and water quality. The work is guided by Shape Our Water, a 50-year community-led investment plan focused on affordability, climate-resilient neighborhoods, community co-benefits, and improved water quality through integrated stormwater and wastewater strategies.

The engineer will join a four-person team responsible for launching and guiding a $179 million North Seattle portfolio of drainage and wastewater capital improvements across planning, design, and construction. The position manages multiple concurrent projects, from moderate to high complexity, with individual budgets up to approximately $100 million. It provides senior-level engineering guidance and serves as a subject matter expert in stormwater, combined sewer overflows, sewer capacity, green stormwater infrastructure, floodplain connections, and fish-passage-barrier-removal alternatives. The role reports to the DWW North Seattle Capital Portfolio Lead.

The position requires collaboration with SPU teams, community partners, interagency groups, other City departments, developers, consultants, and leadership. It also represents the Drainage & Wastewater Line of Business on projects led by other City departments, developers, or SPU’s Capital Project Delivery and Engineering branch, supporting those projects through design, construction, and close-out while ensuring alignment with policy and procedural requirements.

Seattle Public Utilities provides drinking water, drainage and wastewater, and garbage, recycling, and compost services. The organization states that it is committed to City values, race and social justice, service equity, inclusion, and equitable recruiting, hiring, and promotion.

Requirements

• Five years of professional civil engineering experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering or Civil Engineering Technology, or an equivalent combination of education, experience, and training.
• Registration as a Professional Engineer in the State of Washington.
• Current Washington State driver’s license.

Nice To Haves

• Progressive experience solving challenging drainage and/or wastewater problems with innovative solutions.
• Subject matter expertise in wastewater and combined sewer system planning and design.
• Subject matter expertise in stormwater system planning and design.
• Subject matter expertise in fish-passage planning and design.
• Subject matter expertise in green stormwater infrastructure system planning and design.
• Experience with resiliency and/or climate-adaptation planning in utility capital projects.
• Experience and proficiency in understanding utility system modeling concepts.
• Proven ability to embed racial and service equity in capital project development.
• Understanding and effective use of Project Management Institute (PMI) project management principles within project delivery.
• Demonstrated experience applying PMI practices in scope, schedule, budget, risk, and stakeholder management to deliver complex capital projects throughout the project lifecycle.
• Ability to communicate complex technical issues clearly and effectively to community members, government stakeholders, and executives.
• Ability to lead complex projects with diverse teams of internal staff and consultants with minimal oversight.
• Comfort shifting between detailed technical work and big-picture thinking.

Responsibilities

• Lead or oversee civil engineering analysis to evaluate solutions for prioritized stormwater, wastewater, floodplain-restoration, fish-passage-barrier-removal, and combined sewer overflow projects.
• Serve as a technical subject matter expert to peers within the Drainage & Wastewater Planning and Portfolio Management Division.
• Lead diverse teams, integrate team members’ perspectives, develop project management plans, and coordinate actions and communications.
• Set clear project requirements, ensure adequate project resourcing, and draft scope statements defining existing drainage and wastewater problems during project initiation.
• Initiate, negotiate, and finalize partnership approaches, formalizing them through agreements and funding mechanisms.
• Lead consultant and grants or loans procurement and negotiation processes, and direct and manage execution of tasks.
• Prepare business cases, technical writing, and presentations recommending project directions to SPU leadership based on financial, social, and environmental considerations.
• Communicate project and program updates through presentations, briefings, and written materials for SPU staff and leadership, department directors, and executives.
• Build community relationships and strengthen commitments to community engagement.
• Develop creative solutions that pursue multiple outcomes and integrate race and social justice principles throughout the work.
• Represent the Drainage & Wastewater Line of Business on capital projects led by other City departments, developers, or SPU’s Capital Project Delivery and Engineering branch, supporting work through design, construction, and close-out and ensuring policy and procedural alignment.
• Manage multiple concurrent projects with internal and consultant staff, including projects with budgets up to approximately $100 million.

Benefits

• Family-friendly and multicultural work environment.
• Work-life balance.
• Generous benefits package.
• Free ORCA Pass.
• City pension plan with employer and employee contributions.
• Growth potential and advancement opportunities.
• Vacation, holiday, and sick leave.
• Medical, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability insurance for employees and their dependents.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior