Airport Assistant Director of Planning & Development - Structural/Civil Engineer

Salary range: $129,296-$161,647

General Description and Classification Standards

The proponent will effectively manage a staff comprised of Department of Aviation and consultant personnel, whose primary objective is to plan, design, build, and maintain airport facilities in a safe and efficient manner.  The Department’s capital program has work divided into numerous areas, or types, of work.

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Assistant Director of Structural Engineering to lead our engineering team. The ideal candidate will be responsible for overseeing all structural engineering projects, ensuring their successful completion within budget and on schedule. They will also play a key role in developing and implementing engineering standards, procedures, and best practices.

The Assistant Director’s position will be responsible for managing, designing, and overseeing engineering designs and collaborating with other disciplines. Most designs will be produced by on-call design consultants under contract to the Department of Aviation.  Design management includes managing task orders, design budgets, technical details of design, and schedules.  The designs include building, utilities, airfield, roadway, and other specialized designs.  The proponent will also be responsible for supporting the Department’s tenant review process, whereby the proponent will also be reviewing designs submitted by airport tenants.  When workload allows, the proponent may be allowed to self-perform design.

The individual provides day-to-day guidance to staff members on project-related issues as well as ensures compliance with program processes and procedures including the monitoring and mitigation of risk to project execution.  The proponent will also perform administrative management functions.

This is NOT a routine promotional level position and the specific justification for classification at this level must be documented.

Supervision Received

This position requires work to be completed independently with minimum supervision. Direction received is a function of the task, with direction focusing on strategic objectives as well as project detail and is typically collaborative in nature.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

This position supports and reports to the Department of Aviation’s Director of Civil Engineering. The proponent will have demonstrated experience in carrying out the following primary essential duties and responsibilities to include:

• Lead and manage the structural engineering team and consultants, including hiring, training, and performance management.
• Oversee the design and analysis of structural systems for buildings, bridges, and other infrastructure projects.
• Collaborate with architects, contractors, and other stakeholders to ensure the successful execution of projects.
• Develop and implement engineering standards, procedures, and quality control measures.
• Review and approve engineering designs, calculations, and drawings.
• Monitor project progress, budgets, and schedules to ensure adherence to project goals. Provide technical expertise and guidance to team members and junior engineers.
• Stay current with industry trends, advancements, and best practices in structural engineering.
• Participate in business development activities, including client meetings, proposal preparation, and project presentations.
• Provides direction on a variety of construction and maintenance projects. Performs and/or supervises construction inspections.
• Performs quality assurance review of submittals and advises construction management support regarding the RFIs/submittals that are deemed critical, overdue, or questionable (i.e. discrepancies, incomplete, missing info, require attention, etc.).
• Interacting and teaming with affected stakeholders, such as other Department of Aviation business units; airlines serving the airport and their liaison representatives; consultants supporting Planning and Development; federal agencies such as the FAA, TSA, and others
• Being involved in consultant and construction contractor selection
• Closely monitoring planning, design, contractor, and consultant budgets and schedules; resolving disputes between the airport sponsor and a contractor; and preparing change orders
• Assisting facility managers with infrastructure repair and replacement
• Supporting various DOA departments with information requests
• Coordinating with Properties Department for lease work
• Providing support to the Director of Civil Engineering when requested

Decision Making

The proponent will be overseeing numerous, multi-million-dollar projects.  The types of decisions typically made include but are not limited to identifying appropriate task order scope of work; developing and maintaining schedules and budgets; project design reviews and developing technical rationale as to why a project may require a change.  Additionally, the proponent will be called upon to prioritize projects and defend the prioritization.

Leadership Provided

The individual will provide guidance to both subordinates and superiors and is expected to feel comfortable interacting with both groups.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

This is a partial listing of necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the job successfully.  It is not an exhaustive list. The proponent is expected to exhibit detailed knowledge, skills, and abilities of the following:

• Typical project management and design processes involved in the planning, design, and construction of a project, ideally at medium and large hub airports
• The ability to manage Airport related designers and guide them in preparation of designs and specifications resulting in projects that come in on schedule and budget
• The ability to read and interpret airport-related design drawings and specifications
• The skills to develop teams to deliver successful projects
• The ability to “think out of the box” to arrive at a creative solution when required
• The ability to use discretion and make quick decisions when necessary
• The ability and desire to communicate both good and bad project news to superiors
• The skill to clearly communicate (both in written and verbal forms) with all stakeholders
• The ability to research topics or issues in preparation to meeting with senior Department staff
• The ability to prepare clear presentations with PowerPoint and well-written briefings
• The ability to ask questions when confronted with an unfamiliar design or project management situation
• Ability to use independent judgment and discretion in the handling of emergency situations
• Ability to handle required engineering and statistical calculations
• Ability to meet simultaneous deadlines effectively
• Ability to handle conflicting project demands and set priorities