PRINCIPAL ENGINEER, MECHANICAL

Definition

Under the general supervision of a higher level supervisory official in a State department or agency, supervises the field and/or office work involved in the mechanical engineering design, inspection, and/or survey of the various types of State buildings; and/or supervises work in mechanical engineering design and development of equipment, equipment specifications, and shop equipment of various types, or of equipment operations, methods, and preventative maintenance; supervises staff and work activities; prepares and signs official performance evaluations for subordinate staff; does other related duties as required.

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

Examples of work

• Supervises the review of architectural and mechanical drawings submitted on boiler design, boiler installation, power plant design, and the water treatment for power plants and air-conditioning equipment within State buildings.
• Supervises the development and review of specifications, cost estimates, and work plans for plumbing and drainage, heating and boiler installation, ventilation, air-conditioning, refrigeration, noise and vibration control, equipment design and fabrication, and sprinkler and fire protection systems for various types of State buildings.
• Supervises the review of specifications, cost estimates, and work plans for designated vehicular equipment, road equipment, shop equipment, equipment modifications, and shop layout projects.
• Organizes, supervises, and as required, dismantles and assembles various types of equipment to make thorough inspections; prepares recommendations for the replacement of worn or broken parts.
• Supervises the determination of office space requirements; supervises and prepares layouts, and reviews proposals to meet current needs.
• Prepares and interprets computer data related to individual engineering projects.
• Supervises the development of in-house engineering-oriented programming.
• Utilizes computer applications in engineering problem-solving.
• Supervises the work operations and/or functional programs and has responsibility for effectively recommending the hiring, firing, promoting, demoting, and/or discipling of employees.
• Organizes and supervises the subordinate engineering and technical staff in the preparation of equipment specifications, and in the various equipment research, development, and outfitting projects.
• Conducts and/or supervises thorough inspections of new equipment to ensure compliance with specifications, and authorizes production or acceptance.
• Maintains close contact with the manufacturers of various types of equipment and machinery to maintain up-to-date equipment specifications, obtain up-to-date lists of prices and availability of spare parts, and to become knowledgeable of new equipment developments.
• Conducts and/or supervises the more complex studies of the various types of equipment in use to determine needed modifications and design changes that would increase output, efficiency, and safety of operations.
• Develops, prepares, and updates the Equipment Additions and Replacement Schedule for the Equipment Bureau budget.
• Prepares preliminary order requests for the purchase of all new and replacement equipment.
• Reviews and makes final bid analysis recommendations to the Project Engineer, Equipment or other supervisory official.
• Prepares and/or supervises the preparation of clear, technically sound, accurate, and informative mechanical engineering and other related reports containing findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
• Prepares detailed correspondence.
• Supervises the maintenance of essential records, reports, 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 or university with a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Civil, or Electrical Engineering.

Experience

Three (3) years of experience in mechanical, civil, or electrical engineering work.

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 principles, procedures, techniques, and applications of mechanical engineering.
• Knowledge of the preparation and specifications of projects, plans, designs, and calculations for heating, ventilation, plumbing, air-conditioning, and fire protection systems for various types of State buildings.
• Knowledge of equipment design and stress analysis for all types of equipment.
• Knowledge of engineering mathematics, including applied trigonometry and calculus.
• Knowledge of boiler design and installation, and water treatment for such installations.
• Knowledge of the construction, operation, and maintenance of mechanical, heating, electrical, hydraulic, gas, and refrigeration machinery and other equipment.
• Knowledge of the methods used to prepare detailed specifications for mechanical engineering projects, including the calculation of stress, heat losses, costs of materials required, and other basic calculations.
• Knowledge of the principles involved in calculations for vehicular equipment, road equipment, shop equipment, equipment modification, and shop layout systems found in the Bureau of Equipment fleet or shops.
• Knowledge of the mechanical engineering problems likely to be encountered in the maintenance of the large-scale equipment.
• Knowledge of the capabilities and application of computers in engineering situations and projects.
• Ability to inspect power plant equipment and mechanical devices to diagnose the causes of operating difficulties.
• Ability to supervise assigned staff and plan, organize, and implement projects within the unit.
• Ability to supervise the conduct of engineering studies and preparation of work plans for plumbing, ventilation, heating, air conditioning, and fire protection systems, devices, equipment, and installations, and for equipment research, specifications, and shop operation methods.
• Ability to prepare and/or supervise the preparation of clear, technically sound, accurate, and informative mechanical engineering and other related reports containing findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
• Ability to supervise the collection and analysis of engineering data for computer processing, and to read and interpret the results.
• Ability to supervise the maintenance of essential records, reports, and files.
• Ability to prepare detailed correspondence.
• 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 the 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 the 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.

Note

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. The area of discipline indicated on the FE exam results must be in Mechanical, Civil, or Electrical and Computers.

A Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Technology (BSET) in a field related to civil engineering from an accredited college having a curriculum approved by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) meets the above education requirement.

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.

Possession of a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering may be substituted for one (1) year of the indicated experience.