Associate Engineer - Environmental Services Department, Water Resources Division

Salary: $135,975.84 - $172,099.20 Annually
Location : San Jose
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: 202601814
DEPART: Environmental Services
Opening Date: 10/05/2026
Closing Date: 10/27/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

Our diverse and inclusive workforce of more than 7,000 employees play a key role in the success of San José, the heart of the Silicon Valley. All City of San José employees work together as one team to make San José a vibrant, innovative, and desirable place to live and work. Visit to learn more about our One Team Leadership Values and Expectations, including quality and excellent customer service and here to learn more about San José.

The City of San José is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants for all job openings will be considered without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful under any federal, state or local laws. The City of San José is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at [click to reveal phone number]View phone number on us.fitly.work , 711 (TTY), or via email at [click to reveal email address] View email address on us.fitly.work .
About the Department
The City of San José's is an award-winning department with a mission to deliver world-class utility services and programs to improve our health, environment, and economy. The Department is a national leader in managing garbage and recycling services; watershed protection and pollution prevention; municipal drinking water and recycled water; sustainability initiatives; and the operation and infrastructure improvements of the San José-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility. Together, ESD employees positively impact every resident and business in San José.

Our department is an exceptional place to start or grow your career. We have a supportive leadership team, numerous professional growth opportunities, and an inclusive workplace culture that is welcoming of your talents!

To learn more about ESD, follow @sjenvironment on , , and , and San José Environmental Services on

About the Water Resources Division:

The Water Resources Division is comprised of three sections:

• Municipal Water System,
• South Bay Water Recycling, and
• Operations and Maintenance.

The Water Resources Division provides potable water service through the Municipal Water System to the communities of Evergreen, North San José/Alviso, Edenvale, and Coyote. The Water Resources Division also provides recycled water service through the South Bay Water Recycling system to the cities of San José, Santa Clara, and Milpitas. South Bay Water Recycling includes 165 miles of pipeline and facilities, including five pump stations, three reservoirs with a total storage capacity of 9.5 MG, and Retail Agency Operations and Maintenance activities for over 1,100 individual customer connections. In addition, the Water Resources Division also leads water conservation efforts for the City of San José.

Position Duties
The Environmental Services Department is currently seeking to fill one (1) full-time Associate Engineer position in the Water Resources Division, South Bay Water Recycling section.

The total salary range for this classification is $135,975.84 - $172,099.20 annually . This amount includes an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing non-pensionable pay. The actual salary shall be determined by the final candidate's qualifications and experience.

Duties of the position will include, but are not limited to:

The South Bay Water Recycling (SBWR) section is responsible for system operations and maintenance engineering support, as well as the planning, design, construction, maintenance, rehabilitation, and improvement of the SBWR system's pipelines and facilities. This includes supporting the conservation program and providing development- related support services, ensuring the availability and reliability of recycled water supply, overseeing and implementing capital improvement and infrastructure maintenance projects, conducting construction inspections, and providing engineering support to operations and maintenance activities. Typical duties for the position include:

• Prepares engineering plans and details, project schedules, engineer's cost estimates, and specifications for construction contract documents.
• Supervises staff including prioritizing and assigning work; conducting performance evaluations; ensuring staff training; and making hiring, termination, and disciplinary recommendations.
• Prepares, coordinates, and implements agreements for consultants, contractors, and laboratory analysis.
• Responds to questions and inquiries from the general public, developers, contractors, engineering professionals and senior management regarding engineering projects.
• Provides design support during construction including reviewing shop-drawing submittals, answering RFIs, preparing design clarifications, and performing special inspections.
• Coordinates the work with internal work groups and with external agencies and organizations.
• As technical lead on projects, meet SBWR's needs and deliver quality results that are within budget and on schedule.
• Perform plan review for proposed developments to ensure all proposed projects adhere to state and local regulations, City standards and policies, and acceptable construction techniques and materials.
• Oversees and prepares plan documents, including but not limited to, assembling and reviewing plans and specifications for conformance.
• Directs the inspection of major engineering projects, prepares bid documents, solicits bids, facilitates award of contracts, administers the contract, interprets plans and specifications, resolves field problems, gives final inspection, and follows through with acceptance of the project.
• Manages complex projects from planning through construction, including overseeing project design, ensuring compliance with technical and regulatory requirements, negotiating contracts, negotiating change orders, and processing progress payments.
• Perform other related duties as assigned by the Senior Engineer.

Minimum Qualifications
Education: A Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Civil Engineering or Mechanical Engineering or possession of a California Engineer-in-Training (EIT) certificate.

Experience: Three (3) years of increasingly responsible professional engineering experience.

Acceptable Substitution: A Master's degree from an accredited college or university in the required professional engineering discipline may be substituted for one (1) year of professional engineering experience.

Required Licensing: Possession of a valid State of California driver's license is required.

If selected, the Conditional Offer of Employment may be contingent upon you providing proof of a valid State of California driver's license, and an assessment of your California DMV Employer Pull Notice (EPN) as per the DMV Release of Driver Record Information form. Failure to pass the DMV Pull Notice assessment will deem you ineligible for employment.

Other Qualifications
Desirable Licensing or Certifications:

• Possession of a Certificate of Registration as a Civil Engineer (PE) issued by the California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists.
• State of California Water Resources Control Board Water Distribution (D) and/or Water Treatment (T) certification(s).

Competencies:

The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history. Desirable competencies for this position include:

• Job Expertise - Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies and federal and state rules and regulations.
  • Knowledge and experience with managing complex engineering projects and provide supports to Operation and Maintenances, including the management and analysis of engineering data, compliance reports, and providing technical assistance to internal staff and external customers.
  • Knowledge and experience with water supply, and/or utility design, developing plans, specifications, tracking project budget, computer-aid design (CAD), consultant contracts, and project development implementation/construction.
  • Proven experience in project management within the realm of capital improvement or related fields.
  • Proficiency in design review, contract document preparation, bidding, and construction of capital improvement projects.
  • Knowledge of principles of design for water and hydraulic principles.
  • Experience working with multiple stakeholders during the design of capital improvement projects, including operations and maintenance staff, consultant staff, and regulatory agencies.
• Computer Skills - Experienced with common business computer applications including but not limited to: MS Outlook, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Access, MS Excel and AutoCAD.
• Initiative - Exhibits resourceful behaviors toward meeting job objectives; anticipates problems, is proactive, and avoids difficulties by planning ahead; displays willingness to assume extra responsibility and challenges; pursues continuing education opportunities that promotes job performance.
• Problem Solving - Approaches a situation or problem by defining the problem or issue; determines the significance of problem; collects information; uses logic and intuition to arrive at decisions or solutions to problems that achieve the desired outcome.
• Project Management - Ensures support for projects and implements agency goals and strategic objectives.
• Teamwork & Interpersonal Skills - Develops effective relationships with co-workers and supervisors by helping others accomplish tasks and using collaboration and conflict resolution skills.
• C ommunication Skills - Effectively conveys information and expresses thoughts and facts clearly, orally and in writing; demonstrates effective use of listening skills; displays openness to other people's ideas and thoughts.

Selection Process:

The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to all the job specific questions. Only those candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to proceed in the selection process. Additional phases of the selection process will consist of one or more interviews.

If you have questions about the duties of these positions, the selection or hiring processes, please contact Vaishali Vashistha at
Additional Information:

Employment Eligibility: Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will NOT sponsor, represent or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1-B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.

You must answer all job-specific questions to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applicants are expected to write their own essays/responses.

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third party job board application system.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email and we will research the status of your application.

AI and the Hiring Process

We recognize that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming part of daily life and can be a valuable tool for learning, research, and professional growth. We encourage candidates to use AI responsibly as a support in preparing application materials, live assessments, and interviews. However, we value authenticity, accuracy and truthfulness. Application responses and interview answers must reflect your own knowledge, skills, and experiences. While AI can supplement preparation, it cannot replace the originality and judgment we look for in our employees. This ensures fairness, transparency, and equity for all applicants in the hiring process.
The City of San Jose offers a wide range of core health benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Disability, and Savings Plans. Please visit the City's for detailed information on coverage, cost, and dependent coverage.

For information on the City's Retirement Plan(pension for full-time employees), please visit the Office of Retirement Services You will be able to view information based on different Sworn/Federated job classification.

In additional to the benefits above, there is an to explore further benefits of working for the City of San Jose like paid leave, educational reimbursements, and holiday pay are specific to the job classification and union membership.
01

We recognize that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming part of daily life and can be a valuable tool for learning, research, and professional growth. We encourage candidates to use AI responsibly as a support in preparing application materials, live assessments, and interviews. However, we value authenticity, accuracy and truthfulness. Application responses and interview answers must reflect the candidate's own knowledge, skills, and experiences. While AI can supplement preparation, it cannot replace the originality and judgment we look for in our employees. This ensures fairness, transparency, and equity for all applicants in the hiring process.

• Yes, I acknowledge that I have read and understand the above statement regarding the use of AI in the application and interview process.

02

What is the highest level of education you have completed?

• High School Diploma or the equivalent (GED)
• College (1 to 29 semester units/ 1 to 44 quarter units)
• College (30 to 59 semester units/ 45 to 89 quarter units)
• College (60 to 89 semester units/ 90 to 134 quarter units)
• College (90 to 119 semester units/ 135 to 179 quarter units)
• College (120 or more semester units/ 180 or more quarter units)
• Associate's Degree
• Bachelor's Degree
• Master's Degree
• Doctoral Degree
• Other
• None of the above

03

If you have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in related field, please state the field of study and the issuing accredited college or university.
04

Do you possess an Engineer-In-Training (EIT) certificate? If yes, please include the certificate number and attach a copy of EIT Certificate with your application.
05

How many years of increasingly responsible professional engineering experience do you possess? (Please Note: One year of Full-Time experience = 2080 Hours)

• Fewer than Three (3) years
• Three (3) years or more

06

An acceptable substitution for one (1) year of professional engineering experience is a Master's degree from an accredited college or university in the required professional engineering discipline for the Associate Engineer position. If you possess a Master's degree, please state the field of study and the issuing accredited college or university.
07

This position may require a State of California Driver's License. Please select the applicable option that best describes your driver's license, or your ability to possess a valid driver's license.

• State of CA, Class A Driver's License
• State of CA, Class B Driver's License
• State of CA, Class C Driver's License
• I do not possess a State of California Driver's License but, I can obtain one.
• I do not possess a State of California Driver's License and I cannot obtain one

08

Describe your work experience related to any/all of the following: Water supply and/or recycled water distribution systems, capital improvement, plan review/permitting. Please include your role(s) and responsibilities, duration of experience, and employer(s) where you attained the experience.
09

Please describe your project/construction management experience. For each project, specify the project type, budget, stakeholders involved, and your specific responsibilities.
10

Describe your experience taking responsibility when working with minimal supervision, and how you ensure tasks are done correctly and on schedule. Please give two specific examples of times when you took initiative at work, include what inspired you to take action and the outcome of your efforts.
Required Question