Sonoma Water Technical Writing Manager

Position Information

Join the Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water) as the Technical Writing Manager!

The Sonoma Water Technical Writing Manager oversees a team of technical writers who have considerable autonomy. The manager directs and coaches the Technical Writing team on precise contract writing, team dynamics, and effective communication to work with a diverse range of colleagues, consultants, specialists, scientists, and service providers. Additionally, the manager evaluates the employees' work and offers support for contract strategy, assignment priorities, project manual development, and professional development. Other responsibilities include:

• Overseeing the development of engineering construction project manuals by vetting project readiness for advertisement, and coordinating with staff experts on land acquisition, environmental review, grants compliance, operations, and maintenance
• Participating in the design development review of engineering construction projects, which includes reviewing detailed civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering drawings and technical specifications
• Directing the public project bid process in accordance with state law, policies, and procedures
• Determining appropriate procurement strategies for a wide range of materials, equipment, and services
• Navigating competing technical writing project timelines, deadlines, and priorities with Sonoma Water executive and management staff in accordance with overall Sonoma Water goals and priorities
• Developing agreements with regional, federal, state, non-profit, and other organizations while working with legal counsel to carry out the objectives and priorities of Sonoma Water
• Making insurance and liability requirements and exceptions recommendations to the General Manager

The ideal candidate will have outstanding interpersonal, coaching, and communication abilities. They will foster a team environment and have empathy, tact, positivity, patience, and a sense of humor. They will possess an aptitude for learning technical content and have intellectual curiosity and skills in doing research. The ideal candidate will also possess many of the following:

• Experience working in a civil engineering-based public agency
• Experience complying with the terms of federal and state grant contracts
• The ability to read, understand and analyze engineering drawings
• Advanced analytical skills for problem defining and solving
• Advanced to expert proficiency with Adobe and the Microsoft Office Suite

What We Offer

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
• Staff Development/Wellness Pay- Annual benefit allowances of up to $2,000 and ongoing education/training opportunities
• 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
• Incentive Retirement Savings Plan (IRSP) and 457 Voluntary Deferred Compensation- 3% of salary County contribution to a 401(a), in addition to the County matching up to 1% of base salary in 401(a), based upon employee contribution
• 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 Salary Resolution (SalRes) and our Employee Benefits Directory .

About Sonoma Water
Sonoma Water is a special district formed by the California State Legislature in 1949 and is responsible for providing a safe and reliable water supply to its customers in Sonoma and Marin counties. Sonoma Water also maintains 75 miles of flood control channels and provides sanitation services. Employing approximately 250 employees, Sonoma Water consists of four divisions, including Engineering & Resource Planning, Environmental Resources, Business Services & External Affairs, and Water/Wastewater Operations & Maintenance. Sonoma Water supports the concept of environmental sustainability, focusing on renewable power sources, and strives to be a leader in its water use efficiency and fishery restoration programs.

Employees of Sonoma Water are employees of a special district and are not subject to the provisions of the Civil Service Ordinance of the County of Sonoma.

This recruitment is being conducted to fill a Sonoma Water Technical Writing Manager position. This 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. The formal title for this position is Water Agency Technical Writing Manager.

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire to be completed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education and Experience: Any combination of education, training, and experience which would likely provide the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed. Normally, this would include a Bachelor's degree, or equivalent, with major course work in engineering, technical writing, contract law, journalism, business, project management, or public administration, or a closely related field, and five years of engineering and/or public works project experience, including two years of experience in contract specification preparation and public construction contract administration and at least one year of supervisory or lead experience, would provide such opportunity.

Desired Certificate: A Certified Document Technologist, Certified Construction Specifier, or Certified Construction Contract Administrator Certificate from the Construction Specifications Institute.

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.
The position advertised on this announcement does require possession of a valid California Driver’s License.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Thorough knowledge of: techniques of writing and editing engineering specifications and technical reports; legal and regulatory requirements associated with public construction projects; principles and practices of personnel supervision, training and evaluation; use of personal computers and appropriate software applications.

Considerable knowledge of: public contract law; the Agency's organization, policies and procedures; personnel and fiscal administration.

Working knowledge of: construction methods and materials associated with specific types of public projects such as flood control, water supply, water transmission, sanitation and other hydraulic facilities, roadways or buildings; civil engineering principles, practices and terminology; environmental regulations affecting the design, location and construction of public projects; and legal and regulatory requirements associated with environmental impact reports.

Skill in: checking detailed plans, drawings, specifications, and site conditions.

Ability to: plan, organize, and direct the activities of a technical unit; train, develop and motivate staff; obtain and interpret engineering and other technical material and information by interview, in writing or through research; read and prepare engineering specifications, and read and interpret construction drawings; make mathematical calculations; analyze situations and adopt effective course of action; analyze and evaluate insurance requirements; independently conduct research; observe and work with small details; select essential elements of a problem; organize thoughts and concepts into orderly, accurate statements; write effectively and use good judgment in assembling, evaluating and using information; establish and maintain effective working relationships with other staff and the public; and communicate verbal ideas clearly and logically.

Working Conditions
Duties require sitting, standing, repetitive motion and body twisting, squatting, stooping, and walking on level surfaces in performance of daily activities. Incumbent may be required to drive vehicles, walk on uneven surfaces and be subjected to dust and pollen in making site visits. The need to climb stairs, push and/or lift weights up to 25 pounds may be required when using office equipment, lifting binders and/or pushing boxes of specifications and reports. The incumbent attends meetings, works with interruptions, and answers questions while meeting critical schedules and multiple deadlines.

Selection Procedure & Some Helpful Tips When Applying

• 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 Getting a Job with the County of Sonoma 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 to 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. Personally identifiable information (PII) is removed from the standard application fields and applicable attachments. This PII blind screening practice redacts a candidate’s personal information that could potentially influence or bias the scoring process. Personal information includes the applicant’s name, former last name, address, phone number, email, driver's license number, school name, education start and end dates, age, date of birth, gender, and race. This PII blind screening practice helps contribute to a fair and equitable examination process.

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 and 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 and 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 Job Classification Screening Schedule to determine the requirements for this position.

How to Apply

Applications are accepted online at www.yourpath2sonomacounty.org . Paper applications may be submitted by person, fax (707-565-3770), email, or through the mail. All applications and appropriate supplemental information as outlined in the job bulletin must be received by the time and date specified on the first page of this job announcement. Applications received after the recruitment closes will not be accepted.

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: JT
HR Technician: VH

Important Note: Benefits described herein do not apply to Extra Help positions.

County of Sonoma Benefits: Management*

These are some of the excellent benefits the County offers:

Paid Time Off: Competitive vacation accrual and sick leave accruals; additional management leave annually; 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year; and may be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) of Paid Parental Leave after 12 months of County employment.

Health Plan: Choose from nine health plans (three HMOs, three deductible HMOs, and three HSA-qualifying plans) with a generous County contribution to the premium (the contribution amount varies by bargaining unit). For more information, please see the appropriate MOU.

Retirement: Fully integrated with Social Security. For more information regarding eligibility, retirement contributions, and reciprocity with prior public service, please visit https://scretire.org/active-/-deferred/when-you-are-hired .

IRS 457 Plan: Pre-tax employee contribution up to the IRS annual maximum.

Retiree Medical: County contribution to a Health Reimbursement Arrangement to help fund post-retirement employee health insurance/benefits.

Student Loan Debt Relief: County employees may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education.

Plus, excellent dental, vision, disability, life insurance, professional development, and more.

For answers to specific questions regarding the employment process and more details about benefits or retirement, please contact Human Resources at (707) 565-2331. Additional details about benefit and compensation packages can be found in the MOUs located at Labor Agreements & Salary Resolution . For specific information about health and welfare benefits, including plan options, coverage, and premium amounts, go to Human Resources or contact the Human Resources' Risk Management-Benefits Office at benefits@sonomacounty.gov or (707) 565-2900.

*Important Notes: Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice.

Closing Date/Time: 11/3/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

• 

• County of Sonoma

• 707-565-8059

Show more