Engineer, Principal - Civil/Mechanical

Engineer, Principal - Civil/Mechanical

Salary

$92,049.00 - $153,724.00 Annually

Location

Public Utilities, 730 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA

Job Type

Full-Time

Job Number

35M00000444

Department

Public Utilities

Opening Date

07/22/2026

Closing Date

8/5/2026 11:59 PM Eastern

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Are you Richmond R.E.A.D.Y? Respect. Equity. Accountability. Diversity…YOU!!!

This is an EXCITING time to Join the City of Richmond! We are committed to nurturing talent, fostering growth opportunities, and building strong connections within our workforce. As we continue to make strides to becoming the employer of choice, we are thrilled about the below employee benefit enhancements:

• Virginia Retirement System (VRS)
• Language Incentive
• Referral Bonus
• Tuition Assistance Program

Description

The City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities (DPU) is seeking an Engineer, Principal who is a dedicated and focused self-starter and who can manage engineering and construction efforts within the drinking water and wastewater capital infrastructure project portfolio. This position may assist plant operations and maintenance staff in the organization of plant processes and the development of O&M and small capital improvement projects.

The Engineer, Principal provides professional engineering administration and management for a variety of public services and construction projects. The position will provide supervision and management of engineers and technical staff for large and complex citywide projects, which may be highly visible or politically sensitive. As assigned, work may include supervising construction from conception to close-out; defining project scope, operational problems, and specific needs; managing the engineering design process; providing technical expertise to projects; serving as the Citys key staff contact for architects, engineers, consultants, and outside agencies; managing work assignments, project scheduling, and budgets; reviewing specifications and drawings; inspecting job sites as required; coordinating project standards and procedures; preparing bid documents; reviewing and approving invoices, change orders, and design scope changes; attending or facilitating meetings; researching and compiling complex information and preparing complex reports; attending public meetings and making public presentations; assisting in budget preparation; maintaining project records; and coordinating with outside entities.

As assigned, the Engineer, Principal may supervise professional, paraprofessional, and support staff including conducting performance evaluations, coordinating training, and implementing hiring, discipline, and termination procedures.

Duties include but are not limited to

• Managing engineering consultants as they assist DPU with the development of (engineering and construction) design efforts at the Water Treatment Plant, Wastewater Plant, or other utility asset. Reviews proposals to ensure design drawing and detailed specifications are prepared according to project requirements.
• Managing construction management firms as they provide services for the construction phase of capital improvement projects.
• Assisting Plant operations and maintenance staff in the optimization of plant processes and the development of O&M and small capital improvement projects.
• Acting as Project Manager for all large capital Plant projects; developing annual, five year, and ten-year capital program budgets and providing needed input to O&M budgets.
• Supervising engineers and technical staff to include prioritizing and assigning work; conducting performance evaluations; ensuring staff is trained and employees follow policies and procedures to maintain a safe work environment.
• Leading and mentoring engineers.
• Some assignments may require a Professional Engineering (PE) License.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications, Special Certifications and Licenses

MINIMUM TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelors Degree in engineering
• Five years of professional engineering experience

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelors degree in Civil, Environmental, or Mechanical Engineering
• Professional Engineering (PE) Registration license
• Envision SP Certification
• Two years of supervisory experience
• Three (3) years of planning, design, and construction management experience for water and wastewater capital improvements projects

LICENSING, CERTIFICATIONS, and OTHER SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Some assignments may require a Professional Engineering (PE) Registration
• Some assignments may require a valid Drivers License with a satisfactory driving record and a valid Commonwealth of Virginia Drivers License within 30 days of hire

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

TYPICAL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES: These are a representative sample; position assignments may vary.

Knowledge (some combination of the following):

• Construction practices and processes
• Design practices and processes
• Various construction contract delivery methods
• Envision sustainable design principles
• City finance system and budget process
• Hydraulics
• Water Treatment and Wastewater Treatment processes
• Drinking Water conveyance design/modeling
• Equipment and material selection
• Procurement
• Cost estimating and funding opportunities
• Concepts of project management such as the triple constraint, scheduling, budgeting, and project management software
• Applicable federal and state laws, regulations, rules, standards, and codes

Skills (some combination of the following):

• Project Management
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, scheduling software, eBuilder
• Reading and interpreting drawings, P&IDs, as-builts
• Basic GIS
• Basic CAD design
• Developing/managing a CIP and operational budget
• Public speaking, oral/written communication and presentations
• Procurement processes and documentation

Abilities (some combination of the following):

• Prepare and read easements, survey data, right of way agreements, etc.
• Navigate through and manage difficult situations while working with diverse groups of individuals and agencies

Americans with Disabilities Act Requirements

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. Prospective and current employees are invited to discuss accommodations.

ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS: Working conditions may include exposure to travel to other locations within the City of Richmond as well as outside of the City of Richmond; exposure to hazardous physical conditions such as mechanical parts, electrical currents, vibrations, etc.; atmospheric conditions such as fumes, odors, dusts, gases, and poor ventilation; inadequate lighting; intense noise; and environmental hazards such as disruptive people, imminent danger, and a threatening environment.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT: Due to the nature of work assignments, incumbents must be able to perform detailed work on multiple, concurrent tasks, with frequent interruptions and under time constraint. While performing the essential duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to finger (pick, pinch, type or otherwise work primarily with fingers), talk, see, hear and use substantial repetitive motions of the wrists, hands, and fingers. The employee is frequently required to stand, walk, and feel; and the employee is occasionally required to climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, and reach extending hands and arms in any direction, push, pull, or lift. In terms of the physical strength to perform the essential duties, this classification is considered to be sedentary, exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally, and a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to move objects.

• Internal use: HR Generalist to review.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The City of Richmond provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

The City of Richmond is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, the City of Richmond will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided with reasonable accommodations. If you require reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to participate in the job application and/or the interview process, please contact Veronica Kenner, by email at HR-ADA@rva.gov.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

The City of Richmond Values Veterans. We are an official V3 Certified Company.

The City of Richmond is a proud partner with the US Army Partnership for Your Success PaYS Program.

With over 4,000 employees, the City of Richmond is an "Employer of Choice" among cities throughout the nation. The City strives to hire and retain employees who bring dedication and talent to the workforce. Offering a competitive, cost effective, and quality benefits package is one element of an "Employer of Choice".

The City offers a full range of benefit programs from initial hire through retirement. Please visit our Web site for details.

01

10-point compensable veteran. You must have an existing compensable service-connected disability of 10 percent or more. Other 10-point veteran include disabled veteran or a veteran who was awarded the Purple Heart for wound or injuries received in action, veterans widow or widower who has not remarried, wife or husband of a veteran who has a service-connected disability, widowed, divorced or separated mother of an ex-service son or daughter who died in action, or who is totally and permanently disabled. Do any of these apply?

• Yes
• No

02

5-point veterans must have been discharged under honorable conditions and had one of the following: Active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States, in a war, or during the period 4/28/52-7/1/55 or active duty for more than 180 consecutive days other than for training, any part of which occurred during the period beginning 2/1/55 and 10/14/76 or active duty during the Gulf War sometime between 8/2/90 - 1/2/92 or active duty in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized or active duty for which more than 180 consecutive days other than for training, any part of which occurred during the period beginning 9/11/2001 and ending on the date prescribed by the Presidential proclamation or by the law as the last date of operation Iraqi Freedom. Do any of these apply?

• Yes
• No

03

Do you have a Bachelors Degree or higher in Engineering?

• Yes
• No

04

Which of the following Bachelors of Engineering Degrees do you currently have? (Select all that apply)

• Civil Engineering
• Environmental Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Other (Engineering)
• No engineering degree

05

Do you have at least five (5) years of engineering experience?

• Yes
• No

06

Do you have at least three (3) years of experience working as an engineer in the water or wastewater industries?

• Yes
• No

07

Describe your years of experience with water and wastewater CIP planning, design, and construction.

• No experience
• Less than 3 years of experience
• 3 to 5 years of experience
• 5 to 10 years of experience
• More than 10 years of experience

08

Please describe your experience with capital improvement projects?

09

Please describe your experience with developing capital project and/or program budgets.

10

How many years of supervisory experience do you have?

• No experience
• Less than two years of experience
• Two to five years of experience
• More than five years of experience

Required Question

Employer City of Richmond

Address 900 East Broad Street

Suite

Richmond, Virginia, 23219

Phone (804) 646-5660

804-646-5660

Website https://www.rva.gov/