Assistant Engineer

Assistant Engineer (Civil Engineer Intern)

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) protects public health and the environment by supplying clean drinking water, collecting and treating wastewater, and reducing air, noise, and hazardous materials pollution. DEP is the largest combined municipal water and wastewater utility in the country, with nearly 6,000 employees. We deliver 1.1 billion gallons of high-quality drinking water per day to 8.3 million New York City residents and more than 1 million people in Upstate New York, and we collect and treat an average of 1.3 billion gallons of wastewater per day. The position will fall under jurisdiction of the Bureau of Water and Sewer Operations which is responsible for the operation and maintenance and protection of New York City's drinking water distribution and wastewater collection systems, the protection of adjacent waterways and natural drainage (wetlands), and the development of the Department's Capital Water and Sewer Infrastructure Program. The Bureau also approves and inspects water and sewer connections performed by licensed plumbers and/or authorized contractors. In addition, BWSO has overall responsibility for the approval and inspection of all public and private construction projects as they relate to the City's water or sewer systems. We are seeking to hire an Assistant Engineer (Civil Engineer Intern) to join our CSI team to manage investigation projects for the inspection, design, and expansion of the City's sewer system.

The candidate will assume the role of Assistant Engineer responsible for the day-to-day management of multiple short- and long-term sewer investigation projects. The candidate will be involved in all aspects of the projects including procurement, execution, administration and closeout. The candidate will ensure that all work is performed in a safe and expeditious manner. The candidate will be required to track the budget and ensure that adequate funding is available for the work and to make the payments to any contractors for work completed. The candidate will perform routine tasks including supervision of contractors in the inspection and reconstruction of City sewers, elevation studies, dye tests, monitoring and analysis of sewer flow levels.

Daily Duties: Under general supervision of the Chief of Collection Systems Investigation, or one of the Deputy Chiefs therein, with considerable latitude for independent decision-making, the Assistant Engineer is to manage engineering investigation work to ensure that all work is prioritized properly and performed expeditiously; that funding is available to pay for the work if performed by a contract; that the work is performed in a safe manner and in accordance with specifications, rules and standards of the NYCDEP and other governmental agencies and authorities; that any contractors are paid timely; that associated records, including reports, drawings, and repair orders, are created and filed accurately and timely; and that contracts are closed out in a timely manner. Some of the specific duties include but are not limited to:

• Overseeing and reviewing inspection of sewer mains.
• Ensuring compliance with DEP and other relevant governmental rules, regulations, specifications, and standards.
• Responsible for providing daily reports on contractor or in-house work activities.
• Ensuring that all work is performed on schedule.
• Enforcing safety requirements and procedures throughout the process.
• Preparing documents, reports, forms and drawings as required by the Agency and governmental authorities.
• Informing and updating supervisors and managers of the status and progress of the work.
• Maintaining communication with all supervising staff as necessary.

Periodic Duties:

• Attending project progress meetings.
• Conducting site inspections/field visits including dye-tests, elevation surveys, health orders, land surveying, and other field investigations.
• Scheduling and prioritizing work locations and task orders.
• Providing engineering opinions concerning technical matters.
• Providing updates on work status and reporting on critical events that transpire on the field.
• Attending agency required training including for OSHA, EEO and Workplace Violence.
• Reviewing and approving contractor submittals including proposed means and methods, materials and equipment.
• Review and approve geometry drawings, design plans, specifications, and reports.
• Preparing and approving estimates, ensuring that requests for payment submittals are complete and contain the requisite documents.
• Monitoring the budget to ensure that the necessary funding is available.

Duties performed at irregular intervals:

• Working extra hours to ensure delays and backlogs are resolved.
• Preparing Fixed Assets reports pertaining to City infrastructure.
• Maintaining communication with private utility companies impacted by City work.
• Prepare and review substantial completion and final payments.
• Prepare and review change orders and overruns for additional contract funding.
• Coordinating with other City agencies, private utilities, members of the community and other Bureaus in the Agency as required to accomplish the work.
• Training of subordinates.

Minimum Qualifications:

1. A baccalaureate degree in civil engineering from an accredited college. A degree in any other engineering area or in civil engineering technology is not acceptable.

Preferred Skills:

• The ability to organize and prioritize tasks in accordance with ever changing deadlines and needs.
• The ability to work well both as a team member as well as independently.
• The ability to train and impart knowledge on others.
• The ability to deal with contentious, aggressive and difficult people.
• The ability to work well under pressure.
• The ability to distinguish colors - Comfortable with entering sheeted trenches, manholes and underground chambers for inspections under all weather conditions.
• Comfortable with on call status and working off hours.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite.
• Knowledge of sewer construction, and field experience on water and sewer jobs.
• Having research capabilities.

55a Program: This position is also open to qualified persons with a disability who are eligible for the 55-a Program. Please indicate at the top of your resume and cover letter that you would like to be considered for the position through the 55-a Program.

Residency Requirement: New York City Residency is not required for this position.

Additional Information: The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.