Sanitary Engineer

Our diverse and inclusive workforce of more than 7,000 employees play a key role in the success of San José, the heart of the Silicon Valley. All City of San José employees work together as one team to make San José a vibrant, innovative, and desirable place to live and work. Visit here to learn more about our One Team Leadership Values and Expectations, including quality and excellent customer service and here to learn more about San José.

The City of San José is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants for all job openings will be considered without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful under any federal, state or local laws. The City of San José is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at 408-535-1285, 711 (TTY) , or via email at CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov .

About the Department

The Environmental Services Department (ESD) is a national leader in pollution prevention, watershed protection, utility service provision, and climate action. Together, ESD employees positively impact every resident and business in San Jose.

Our department is an exceptional place to start or grow your career. We have a supportive leadership team, numerous professional growth opportunities, and an inclusive workplace culture that is welcoming of your talents! We offer an array of meaningful career paths and value flexibility - offering hybrid work and alternative work schedules in select roles. Additionally, the City offers excellent health and pension benefits, as well as 15 paid holidays!

To learn more about ESD, follow @sjenvironment on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and San Jose Environmental Services on LinkedIn.

Position Duties

The Sanitary Engineer performs a variety of professional sanitary engineering assignments of moderate difficulty at the San José-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility.

The annual salary range for the Sanitary Engineer position is $118,067.04 - $149,451.12. This amount includes an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing, non-pensionable pay. The actual salary will be determined based on the selected candidate’s qualifications and experience.

The Sanitary Engineer performs a variety of professional sanitary engineering assignments of moderate difficulty at the San José-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility.

The CIP division is responsible for planning and implementing capital long term capital improvement projects at the Regional Wastewater Facility (RWF). The RWF is an advanced wastewater treatment plan that serves approximately 1.4 million residents over a 300 square mile service area. The RWF is one of the largest advanced treatment plants in the western U.S. Since 1956, it has protected public health and the environment by treating the South Bay’s wastewater and releasing clean, treated water into the South San Francisco Bay. This process supports healthy ecosystems and aligns with ESD’s mission of sustaining our communities and natural resources.

The ESD CIP division is currently comprised of 53 full-time positions that perform program administration, budget planning, project delivery, and process engineering services. The division is also supported by a co-located team of consultant staff and staff from the Department of Public Works who provide program management and construction management services, respectively. This integrated team is responsible for delivering a 10-year capital improvement program estimated at $1.4 billion. The RWF CIP is an exciting opportunity that stands among one of the largest construction programs in the South Bay.

The CIP Division is pioneering the design-build method for major wastewater projects, completing three large efforts and advancing two more using this collaborative, efficient delivery approach. About one-third of our team holds Associate DBIA or full DBIA certifications, reflecting our growing expertise. Our next milestone is the $240 million Aeration Project— the largest design-build project in CIP history

Capital Improvement Program link: http://www.sanjoseca.gov/index.aspx?NID=1665

The Capital Improvement Program (CIP) is currently recruiting for three (3) Sanitary Engineer positions located at the San Jose/Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility (RWF). The incumbent in this position will be supervised by an Associate or Senior Engineer. The Sanitary Engineer will provide engineering and technical assistance in the development and delivery of wastewater capital improvement projects.

Combine your expertise with the on-the-job experience you’ll gain in CIP by working with multi-discipline engineering professionals, program management consultants, RWF operation and maintenance technicians, and San José Public Works staff. You will enjoy career development, new skills, mentoring, and the benefits of contributing to your community.

Typical duties may include but are not limited to:

• Coordinate and provide technical review of project submittals including feasibility studies, condition assessment reports, engineering calculations, conceptual design reports, 30-60-90-100% design documents, construction schedule, and construction estimates.
• Attend work meetings and record meeting minutes.
• File, store and organize consultant deliverables into project directories.
• Research and evaluate wastewater technology and equipment, and make selection recommendations based on sound engineering analysis.
• Assist in the preparation of project bid packages (i.e. plans & specifications) and coordination of contractors’ bid processes.
• Evaluate, prepare, and/or coordinate responses to Requests for Information (RFI) and bid protests in a timely manner.
• Preparing technical reports, documents, and memoranda.
• Review design guidelines and evaluate their relevance to new design projects.
• Schedule, organize, prepare, and distribute meeting agendas, minutes, and/or presentation materials for meetings.
• Provide technical support during construction phase (i.e. review, prepare and coordinate responses to design related submittals, design change memos (DCM), RFIs and Potential Change Orders (PCO).
• Negotiating, preparing, and managing consultant agreements and/or construction contracts.
• Review and keep track of consultant invoices and Monthly Progress Reports.
• Participating in commissioning, post-construction process testing, and lesson learned.
• Providing technical assistance to the RWF operations and maintenance teams.
• Leading technician and intern staff in conducting field studies.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Minimum Qualifications

Education and Experience

Completion of a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in an engineering science or environmental engineering, and one (1) year of professional sanitary or closely related engineering experience.

Possession of a valid Engineer-in-Training Certificate or a valid Professional Engineer Certificate issued by the State of California, or Master's reciprocal states, may be substituted for the required education. A degree with specialty in sanitary or environmental engineering may be substituted for the required experience.

Other Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history. Desirable competencies for this position include:

Job Expertise - Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies and federal and state rules and regulations.
Experience in design, bidding and/or construction of capital improvement program delivery. In addition:

• Knowledge of sanitary engineering principles and practices.
• Knowledge of wastewater treatment methods, processes and equipment, engineering mathematics and hydraulic principles.
• Knowledge of statistical software packages for data analysis, verification, and interpretation.
• Experience supporting the coordination of all phases of project delivery with contractors and consultants
• Ability to perform field inspections, engineering calculations, data analysis. Experience working with multiple stakeholders during design and delivery of capital improvement projects, including operations and maintenance staff, consultant staff, City planning and building code enforcement officials, etc.
• Experience with construction/document management systems.
• Experience with SharePoint, or other cloud-based collaboration systems.

Analytical Thinking - Approaches a problem or situation by using a logical, systematic, sequential approach.

Computer Skills - Experienced with common business computer applications including but not limited to: MS Outlook, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Access, and MS Excel, MS SharePoint, MS OneDrive.

Multi-Tasking - Can handle multiple projects and responsibilities simultaneously; has handled a wide variety of assignments in past and/or current position(s).
Planning - Acts to align own unit’s goal with the strategic direction of the organization; Defines tasks and milestones to achieve objectives, while ensuring the optimal use of resources to meet those objectives.

Teamwork & Interpersonal Skills - Develops effective relationships with co-workers and supervisors by helping others accomplish tasks and using collaboration and conflict resolution skills.

Flexibility - Makes effective decisions and achieves desired results in the midst of major changes in responsibilities, work processes, timeframes, performance expectations, organizational culture, or work environment.

Communication Skills - Effectively conveys information and expresses thoughts and facts clearly, orally and in writing; demonstrates effective use of listening skills; displays openness to other people's ideas and thoughts.

Selection Process

The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to the Job Specific Questions. Only the candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to proceed in the selection process. Additional phases of the selection process will consist of one or more interviews.

You will be prompted to answer the following job-specific questions during the online application process. Please note that there is a 4,000-character limit, including spaces, for each text response.

You must answer all job-specific questions in order to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration.

If you have questions about the duties of these positions, the selection or hiring processes, please contact Irina Orozco at Irina.Orozco@sanjoseca.gov

Additional Information:

Employment Eligibility: Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will NOT sponsor, represent or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1-B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.

You must answer all job-specific questions to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applicants are expected to write their own essays/responses.

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third party job board application system.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov and we will research the status of your application.

AI and the Hiring Process

We recognize that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming part of daily life and can be a valuable tool for learning, research, and professional growth. We encourage candidates to use AI responsibly as a support in preparing application materials, live assessments, and interviews. However, we value authenticity, accuracy and truthfulness. Application responses and interview answers must reflect your own knowledge, skills, and experiences. While AI can supplement preparation, it cannot replace the originality and judgment we look for in our employees. This ensures fairness, transparency, and equity for all applicants in the hiring process.

The City of San Jose offers a wide range of core health benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Disability, and Savings Plans. Please visit the City's benefits pagefor detailed information on coverage, cost, and dependent coverage.

For information on the City’s Retirement Plan(pension for full-time employees), please visit the Office of Retirement Services website. You will be able to view information based on different Sworn/Federated job classification.

In additional to the benefits above, there is an additional perks siteto explore further benefits of working for the City of San Jose like paid leave, educational reimbursements, and holiday pay are specific to the job classification and union membership.

Closing Date/Time: 12/15/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

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• City of San Jose

• 408-535-1285

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