Senior Engineer or Principal Engineer

Job Title

Senior or Principal Engineer

Job Description

We are the Metropolitan Council, the regional government for the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area. We plan 30 years ahead for the future of the metropolitan area and provide regional transportation, wastewater, and housing services. More information about us on our website. The Environmental Services (ES) Division has four (4) vacancies for either a Senior or Principal Engineer (depending on qualifications) in the Interceptor Engineering group of the Capital Design and Delivery department.

NOTE: This position will remain open until filled and may close at any time after Thursday, May 14, without further notice. Priority application review will begin on Thursday, May 14, 2026.

About the Interceptor System:

The interceptor system is the sanitary sewer network of pipes, mains, and tunnels that intercept wastewater flow when it leaves one city and is conveyed through other cities enroute to one of the 9 wastewater reclamation/treatment facilities in the 7-County Metropolitan area. The interceptor system consists of 635 miles of gravity mains, forcemains, and siphons; 230 billing and performance meters; and 59 lift stations. The interceptor system serves 2.8 million people from 111 communities. NOTE: THIS IS A REPOST. If you have previously applied, you do not need to reapply.

How your work would contribute to our organization and the Twin Cities region:

The Interceptor Engineering group is responsible for planning and designing capital projects to preserve, improve, and expand the interceptor system to meet our customer service goals. In addition, the Interceptor Engineering department supports the Construction Services group during capital project construction.

A senior or principal engineer in the Interceptor Engineering group is responsible for managing capital improvement projects. Either a senior or principal engineer is responsible for preparing project documentation, developing scopes of work, developing schedules and budgets, monitoring progress for multiple capital projects at a time, and coordinating reviews with internal and external stakeholders. The principal engineer manages large, complex, and often multi-disciplinary projects ($15M or greater in construction costs) and interceptor planning projects. The principal engineer is also responsible for conducting peer reviews of engineering reports and designs as well as mentoring less experienced staff. After an initial period of on-site work, this position is eligible for a hybrid (both remote and onsite) telework arrangement. The candidate's permanent residence must be in Minnesota or Wisconsin.

Job Responsibilities

• Represent the Council with regulatory agencies, local interests, neighborhood groups, cities, metropolitan county, state, and federal governmental units, industrial user groups and other interested parties. Conduct necessary communications and interactions with groups.
• Apply engineering skills and knowledge to wastewater projects.
• Conduct or review condition assessments for lift stations, pipelines, meters, or odor control facilities.
• Manage project budgets and expenditures.
• Prepare milestone schedules. Anticipate impacts to the project schedule and actively work to mitigate project delays.
• Track approval processes for various purchase orders, change orders, amendments, pay requests, invoices, and other procurement/contract administration documents.
• Solve problems from an owner/government agency perspective.
• Lead planning and/or design of assigned projects to meet ES business objectives.
• Prepare consultant work authorizations and review consultant deliverables, including plans and specifications, technical memoranda, evaluations, and reports.
• Prepare and review evaluations for process mechanical equipment, products, systems, and facilities.
• Monitor projects during installation/construction and commissioning.
• Provide work direction to Architectural/Engineering (A/E) consultants, technical staff, and less-experienced engineers.
• Perform lower-level engineer series duties as needed.
• Complete related duties as assigned.

Required Education and Experience

Senior Engineer:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or in a directly related area of discipline AND four (4) years of related experience as an Engineer AND Successful completion of the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam (FE) or registered as a Professional Engineer (PE) in the State of Minnesota or a state with reciprocity. PE may be required for some positions.
• Note: FE exam replaces the former Engineering in Training (EIT) exam.

Principal Engineer:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or in a directly related area of discipline AND five (5) years of related experience as an Engineer INCLUDING, including being registered as a Professional Engineer (PE) in the State of Minnesota or a state with reciprocity

Additional Skills and Experience

• Experience managing engineering work on large multi-disciplinary capital projects ($15M construction cost or greater).
• Experience in all three phases of project delivery for wastewater or water projects: planning, design, and construction/commissioning.
• Experience in presenting and explaining technical concepts to the general public or other non-technical groups.
• Basic computer skills using Microsoft applications software and PDF editing.
• Experience working and collaborating in diverse, multicultural, and inclusive environments.

What You Can Expect From Us

• We offer the opportunity to make a difference and positively influence the Twin Cities metropolitan area.
• We encourage our employees to develop their skills through on-site training and tuition reimbursement.
• We provide a competitive salary, excellent benefits and a good work/life balance.

Work Environment

Work is typically performed in a standard office setting and at various project sites throughout the region. Periodic construction or project site visits will be required.

Recruitment Process

1. We review your minimum qualifications.
2. We rate your education and experience.
3. We conduct a structured panel interview.
4. We conduct a selection interview.

Benefits

We believe our employees are a key to our agency's success! In order to attract and retain high quality employees, the Council provides a highly competitive benefits package both in choice and coverage levels. Some highlights about our benefits are listed below:

• Guaranteed monthly retirement income through Minnesota State Retirement System pension fund
• Opportunity to save additional funds for retirement on a tax-deferred basis through a voluntary deferred compensation (457) plan
• Two or more medical plans from which to choose, with employer contribution towards premiums over 80%
• Dental insurance, life insurance and vision insurance

The following benefits are provided to all employees as part of working for the Council. You will have access to free:

• View email address on click.appcast.io clinic
• bus/rail pass valued at over $1200 per year
• parking at many job locations
• fitness centers at many job locations
• Employee Assistance Program
• extensive health and wellness programs and resources