Senior Mechanical Engineer

Salary/Pay Plans

The salary listed above is Step 1 in a structured pay plan. At 6 months of employment with the District, the salary will increase to Step 2: $126,028.76. At 18 months, the salary will increase to Step 3: $133,024.58. There are 9 total steps for TAM 17 of the pay plan (view full pay plan). These increases are based on service time in the job classification and require a 'Meets Standard' performance rating.

Original Entrance - Introduction

This examination is open to all candidates, both internal and external, who meet the minimum requirements.


Applications will be accepted only during the designated filing period for this examination. The opening and closing dates of the filing period are listed in this announcement. Applications must be filed by the following method:


Submitted online through the District's Online Employment Center at Applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Central Time on the closing date in order to be considered.


The deadline for filing an application will not be extended due to any unavailability of the District's Online Employment Center. The District will not be liable for the Online Employment Center being unavailable for any period of time, and it is the sole responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application form is completed and submitted in a timely manner. Therefore, it is recommended that applications be submitted early in the filing period.


It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application form is completed and submitted in a timely manner by the method described above.


Descriptions and dates of education, experience and any required license or certification should be very clear so that it is understood exactly how the applicant meets the minimum requirements. Prospective employees will be required to provide documentation of the required education, experience and licensure/certification upon employment. Falsification of a material statement in an application may constitute grounds for rejection of the application, exclusion from the examination, removal from the eligible list, or discharge of an employee from his or her position in the Classified Service.


Minimum Requirement Date: The minimum requirements for this examination must be met by the qualification date listed in this announcement.


Residency Requirement: There is no residency requirement to participate in the examination; however, all District employees must be domiciled within the boundaries of the District within six months of successful completion of probation. (The District is in Cook County, Illinois, covering approximately 90% of the county area.)


Veterans' Preference: In Original Entrance examinations, five points for Veterans' Preference will be added, in accordance with the District statute, to the scores of those candidates who attain a passing score in all phases of the examination. Information regarding the periods of eligible service, the documentation needed to file a claim and Veterans' Preference claim forms can be obtained through the District's website, by clicking here, or requested at the test site.


Probationary Period: The probationary period for this classification is one year (250 days worked).


Hiring and Employment Objectives: The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago is committed to hiring and employment practices that base employee selection on a candidate's knowledge, skill and ability to perform effectively on the job; provide equal employment opportunity to all applicants; prohibit the entry of political reasons or factors and other improper considerations into any stage of the selection and hiring processes; and create a transparent, honest and fair hiring system.

An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D


Reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities will be made in accordance with applicable laws. Requests for testing accommodations are to be made within one week after the close of the filing period. For information regarding accommodation for individuals with disabilities, phone View phone number on click.appcast.io (voice) or View email address on click.appcast.io (email).

Original Entrance - Examination

Duties: Performs supervisory and professional mechanical engineering work in connection with the mechanical design, construction, maintenance and operation of mechanical equipment in wastewater treatment plants or pumping stations.

Absolute Requirement: Registration as a Professional Engineer in the State of Illinois. Anticipation of Eligibility: An applicant who can demonstrate the likelihood of being registered as a Professional Engineer by September 18, 2027 may be admitted to the examination process. Candidates so admitted, who are successful in the examination process, may not be appointed until evidence is provided that registration was obtained by September 18, 2027. Obtaining registration is interpreted to mean that the candidate passed a Professional Engineer test that was given prior to September 18, 2027, and that no further requirements must be met by the candidate in order for the license to be issued.

Minimum Requirements: Graduation from a four-year accredited college or university majoring in mechanical engineering and four years of full-time, post-degree mechanical engineering experience related to the District's activities. Substitution: Full-time graduate study in mechanical engineering may be substituted for the required experience on a year-for-year basis to a maximum of two years.

Examination: The examination will consist of a Training and Experience evaluation (T&E) weighted 100%. The minimum passing score on the T&E evaluation will be 70% unless determined otherwise by the Director of Human Resources. Candidates must achieve a passing score to have their names placed on the eligible list.

The T&E evaluation will assess candidates' knowledge, skill and ability in areas such as engineering principles and practices; project management; contract administration and budgeting; problem solving; supervision; and written communication. Please note that the KSA for oral communication will be addressed during the interview process, after the eligible lists are established.

All applicants will be advised by email if they have been admitted to the examination process. Applicants who do not receive a response to their application by Friday, October 2, 2026 should contact the Employee Selection Office at View phone number on click.appcast.io.

Examination Process: Each candidate whose application is approved, will have their T&E responses (supplemental questionnaire portion of the application) rated by a qualified professional. This T&E will serve as the examination for this recruitment. Failure to complete the Supplemental Questionnaire portion of the application will result in disqualification of the applicant.

Original Entrance - Appointments

Appointments will be made from an eligible list with three categories: A (Exceptionally Well Qualified), B (Well Qualified) and C (Qualified). Candidates in the highest category will be given first consideration for appointment. This examination is also being given on a Promotional basis. In instances where both Original Entrance and Promotional eligible lists result from an examination process, it is the District's practice to appoint only from the Promotional eligible list until all names from that list have been considered. The eligible list has a duration of three years. Appointment is subject to successfully passing a physical examination, a drug test and a criminal history background investigation.