PROJECT ENGINEER, MATERIALS

Definition

Under the direction of a supervisory official in the Department of Transportation, supervises the work programs and staff required to inspect, sample, and test materials used in construction and maintenance projects; supervises staff and work activities; prepares and signs official performance evaluations for subordinate staff; does other related duties as required.

Examples of work

• Supervises the Central Laboratory consisting of physical and chemical testing and inspections.
• Supervises the materials engineering staff responsible for quality control operations, inspection, sampling, and testing materials used in construction and maintenance projects.
• Assigns, instructs, and supervises the work performance of engineering personnel in the inspection, field acceptance, testing and approval of concrete, soil aggregates, structural steels, pre-stressed, post tensioned and precast concrete members, metal alloys, and all other materials used in projects.
• Establishes, plans, organizes, and supervises a work program for either a regional or statewide operation, in accordance with the established procedures.
• Manages the operations of permanent regional or state headquarters, including an engineering inspection and office staff and temporary project offices.
• Coordinates all field staff and operations to maintain standard policies and procedures.
• Provides engineering materials to regional construction and design personnel, other bureaus and contractors, and U.S. Department of Transportation, and Federal Highway Administration.
• Provides materials engineering guidance and counseling to resident and/or municipal engineers.
• Assigns staff to projects and maintains work schedules to ensure timely completion of plans.
• Prepares, presents, and supervises the presentation of technical papers as required.
• Supervises the preparation of clear, technically sound, accurate, and comprehensive soils engineering reports containing findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
• Prepares budget requests of the section.
• Supervises the work operations and/or functional programs and has responsibility for effectively recommending the hiring, firing, promoting, demoting, and/or disciplining of employees.
• Supervises the establishment and maintenance of essential records and files.
• Will be required to learn how to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office or related units.

Education

Graduation from an accredited college with a Bachelor's degree in Engineering.

Possession of a Bachelor's degree in Engineering Technology in a field related to civil engineering from an accredited college having a curriculum approved by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).

<b>OR</b>

Completion of forty-five (45) semester hour credits of specialized college level/non-remedial engineering education from an accredited college in an engineering or engineering technology program. Acceptable specialized education must include a minimum of 24 credits in engineering/Engineering Science and a minimum of 21 credits in general science and higher-level math courses. Information regarding acceptable courses may be obtained from DOT/Human Resources.

You must attach a copy of your transcript(s) to your application. Foreign degrees/transcripts must be evaluated by a recognized evaluation service. Failure to do so will result in rejection from the examination process.

<b>AND</b>

Three and one-half (3 1/2) years of full-time experience in engineering related work.

Applicants who have more than the required forty-five (45) engineering related credits may substitute additional credits for the required experience on a pro-rated basis, thirty (30) credits equaling one (1) year of experience, up to a maximum of two and one-half (2 1/2) years.

Experience

Four (4) years of engineering experience involving the making, testing and/or inspecting of materials used in highway or building construction and maintenance, including one (1) year in a supervisory capacity.

License

Appointees will be required to possess a driver's license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform the essential duties of the position.

Knowledge, skills and abilities

• Knowledge of the purpose, policies, procedures, functions, equipment, and standards of the department, particularly as applied to highway and public transportation facility construction and maintenance materials and products.
• Knowledge of the properties of varied types of materials and products used in construction projects and of the field and laboratory tests and inspection methods used to measure such properties.
• Knowledge of inspection techniques.
• Knowledge of the problems which arise when tests are made in the field or at the point of manufacture and of the precautions to be taken to prevent breakage, deterioration, and/or waste of testing equipment, materials, and supplies.
• Knowledge of the department specifications established for materials and the products used in construction and maintenance of highways and public transportation facilities.
• Knowledge of the theoretical and practical conduct of experiments and collection, analysis, and interpretation of extensive data useful in improving existing equipment, procedures, and techniques.
• Knowledge of the form and content of construction plans and specifications.
• Ability to organize assigned technical and supervisory work, analyze field and office physical and chemical testing and inspection work, and develop effective work methods and programs.
• Ability to plan, organize, and supervise a program of physical and chemical tests and inspection in the field, in the laboratory, and at the point of manufacture of various materials and products used by the department in construction.
• Ability to assign, instruct, train, supervise, and evaluate work of engineering, technical, clerical, and other staff.
• Ability to supervise the work of consultant inspection forces for adherence to prescribed inspection and testing methods and procedures, quality of workmanship, and review of daily work reports.
• Ability to plan, organize, and supervise a program of applied field and laboratory research and investigations on materials and products used in construction and maintenance of highways and public transportation facilities.
• Ability to supervise assigned staff and plan, organize, and implement projects within the unit.
• Ability to apply technical engineering and chemical analytical procedures to specific field, laboratory, and other testing problems.
• Ability to determine suitability of currently used and/or proposed types of construction materials for department projects.
• Ability to prepare, supervise the preparation of, and present clear, scientifically sound, technically accurate, and informative reports containing findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
• Ability to supervise the preparation and maintenance of records and files.
• Ability to learn how to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
• Ability to read, write, speak, understand, and communicate in English sufficiently to perform duties of this position. American Sign Language or Braille may also be considered as acceptable forms of communication.
• Persons with mental or physical disabilities are eligible if they can perform essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible.
• <b>NOTE: FOR PROMOTIONAL PURPOSES ONLY</b>
• Employees hired by the Department of Transportation on or before July 1, 1999, who do not possess the Bachelor's degree listed above, may substitute education and experience as indicated below to meet the education requirements:

Note

The examples of work for this title are for illustrative purposes only. A particular position using this title may not perform all duties listed in this job specification. Conversely, all duties performed on the job may not be listed.

An Engineer-In-Training (EIT) certification issued by the Division of Consumer Affairs, New Jersey Office of the Attorney General may be substituted for the above education requirement. Applicants must submit proof of the EIT certification and the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam results.

Possession of a valid Professional Engineer's license issued by the New Jersey State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors may be substituted for the Bachelor's degree in Engineering.