Engineer 3 (Bridges), Multnomah County

*only apply for this position once*

Please note that the first review of applications will take place on August 4, 2025. If you apply after this date, your application may not be reviewed.

Join Our Team as a senior Civil Engineer for our Bridges!
Multnomah County’s Transportation Division is seeking an energetic, motivated, and collaborative senior Civil Engineer to join our Bridge Engineering team. This is a unique chance to manage complex capital improvement projects on Portland’s iconic Willamette River bridges and contribute to a safe and efficient transportation system that supports economic and community vitality.

At Multnomah County, you’re not just taking a job; you’re joining a strong organization dedicated to providing outstanding services to the community and fostering a supportive and inclusive environment for its employees.

What We Can Offer You:

Multnomah County offers an exceptional benefits package designed to enhance your well-being, financial security, and professional growth. You can find more details on our website, but when you join us, you’ll gain access to:

Generous Employer-Funded Retirement Savings: We invest in your future, helping you build a secure retirement.

Affordable Health & Dental Insurance: Enjoy very low costs for comprehensive health and dental coverage for you and your dependents, ensuring peace of mind for your family’s health needs.

Paid Parental Leave: We support new parents with valuable paid time off, allowing you to cherish those important moments with your family.

Robust Wellness Programs: Your health matters to us! Take advantage of programs designed to promote your physical and mental well-being.

Commitment to Work-Life Balance: We believe in fostering an environment where you can excel professionally while still having time for what matters most outside of work. Flexible schedules and hybrid telework options are often available to help you achieve this balance.

A Culture of Equity and Inclusion: We are deeply committed to maintaining an effective, respectful, and inclusive workplace. You’ll be part of a diverse department that values collaborative problem-solving and strives for continuous improvement. Visit our Workforce Equity Strategies Plan (WESP) to see where Multnomah County is headed with these values.

Opportunities for Growth and Mentorship: You’ll be challenged, encouraged to excel, and given the opportunity to build a rewarding career. This role specifically includes mentoring junior staff members, allowing you to share your expertise and help shape the next generation of engineers.

What You’ll Do: Make a Tangible Impact

As a senior engineer, you will primarily manage the design, permitting, and construction of our most complex capital improvement projects on our six, large County-owned bridges over the Willamette River in Portland, OR. We are looking for a candidate that has exceptional leadership, communication, analytical and organizational skills.

Your core responsibilities will be to manage a variety of bridge and other public works projects from conception through construction and ensure that project elements satisfy the needs of our diverse stakeholders. You will prepare and administer project agreements, develop cost estimates and budgets, and review design criteria and standards. You will also maintain ongoing communication with community stakeholders and develop materials for and participate in public outreach events.

You will:

Work with Transportation management to make recommendations for future capital projects and help to develop grant applications to fund those projects.

Work closely with our funding partners and other local agencies to ensure our projects meet all federal, state, and local rules, laws, standards, and regulations.

Coordinate with and represent the County in various meetings with other agencies, consultants and stakeholders.

You may also perform some engineering design work, particularly in support of County bridge maintenance activities.

This position will also be expected to mentor and coach junior staff members.

Additional duties include:

Coordinate work and resolve conflicts between plans and field conditions

Negotiate change orders, pay contractors, and manage construction inspectors

Check and approve plans, specifications, and estimates

Review and analyze contractor’s schedule, specialized work plans, procedures and estimates

Meet regularly with the Oregon Department of Transportation to discuss project issues

Manage weekly project team meetings with staff, contractor and other parties to exchange information on project progress, schedule, and issues

Work with County Public Information Officer to provide periodic updates of project status to the public

Who Are We?
The Multnomah County Transportation Division is part of the Department of Community Services (DCS). We manage and preserve the County transportation infrastructure and provide a safe and efficient transportation system that supports economic and community vitality. With 297 miles of roads, 6 Willamette River bridges (4 movable), over 20 smaller bridges, and over 1,750 culverts to manage, our staff is committed to maintaining the community’s livability. Our primary goals are to help people safely get to where they need to go, to protect the public investment by preserving our transportation infrastructure, to support social equity and economic well being, and to help plan for the future transportation needs of Multnomah County.

Our Department’s mission is to preserve harmony between natural and built environments, keep people and pets safe, and ensure every voice is heard through a diverse group of programs including transportation, land use planning, animal services, elections, and budget and operations support. This department is an incredibly diverse department and your role will be too.

This recruitment will be used to fill any current and future full-time, part-time, on-call, temporary and limited duration positions while the eligible for hire list is active.

We will consider any combination of relevant work experience, volunteering, education, and transferable skills as qualifying unless an item or section is labeled required. Please be clear and specific about how your background is relevant. For details about how we typically screen applications, review our overview of the selection process page.

Minimum Qualifications/Transferable Skills*:

Equivalent to a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in civil and/or structural engineering

Professional Engineer certification in Oregon. If registered in another state, must be able to obtain an Oregon PE through reciprocity within six months of accepting position

Six (6) years of increasingly responsible professional engineering experience managing multiple projects

Valid driver’s license

Preferred Qualifications/Transferable Skills*:
You do not need to have the following preferred qualifications/transferable skills to qualify. However, keep in mind we may consider some or all of the following when identifying the most qualified candidates. Please clearly explain on your application how you meet any of the following preferred qualifications/transferable skills.

Demonstrated experience managing capital projects and knowledge of principles of project management including monitoring schedule, scope, and budget

Demonstrated experience managing project staff time and work output to achieve project goals

Demonstrated experience preparing plans, estimates, and specifications for bridge related projects

Demonstrated experience collaborating with maintenance staff to support maintenance activities and to complete smaller projects

Demonstrated experience mentoring more junior staff members

Clear and concise verbal and written communication and presentation skills

Ability to problem solve collaboratively as part of a team or individually

Exhibit and support a culture of exceptional customer service, equity, and inclusiveness

Ability to work effectively in a team environment by building rapport and promoting cooperation among team members

Ability to interpret and apply federal, state and local rules, laws, standards, regulations and policies to assigned work

*Transferable skills: Your transferable skills are any skills you have gained through education, work experience (including the military) or life experience that are relevant for this position. Be sure to describe any transferable skills on your application and clearly explain how they apply to this position.