Senior Engineer and Architect

JOB LOCATION

City of Aurora, Colorado

It is an exciting time to work for the City of Aurora, we're growing and looking for dedicated and collaborative individuals to join our team of talented and valued employees. Excellent organizations have a set of principles, or core values, that are used to implement their mission and vision. Those values represent the touchstone for the organization, guiding the decisions of the individuals and the organization. At the City of Aurora, we demonstrate our excellence by modeling the CORE 4 Values of: Integrity, Respect, Professionalism, and Customer Service, and we welcome all who share these values to apply.
 
Why Work for Aurora?

• Make a difference in the lives of real people every day
• Diverse community
• Competitive total compensation package
• Well-Funded General Employees Retirement Plan
• Light rail station minutes away
• On-site fitness center and overall employee well-being programs Internal educational programs to assist with career advancement
• Access to innovation workspaces

PRIMARY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Engineering the Future of Aurora

The City of Aurora seeks a Senior Engineer for the Facilities Project Delivery division within Public Works. This technical leadership role manages the complete lifecycle of municipal building projects, encompassing planning, design, capital improvements, and new construction.

The Core4 Mission

Daily operations align with the Core4 values to ensure a thriving community and a productive work environment:

• Integrity: Maintaining high ethical standards and honesty throughout the project lifecycle.
• Customer Service: Delivering excellence to citizens and internal city partners.
• Respect: Upholding an inclusive atmosphere where technical expertise is highly regarded.
• Professionalism: Commitment to technical mastery and the delivery of enduring infrastructure.

Impact and Scope

This position transitions conceptual designs into physical reality by overseeing architectural and construction contracts. Responsibilities include managing multi-million dollar budgets, navigating complex engineering reports, and mentoring staff. Success in this role ensures Aurora remains a premier destination to live, work, and play through high-quality, sustainable municipal facilities.

The hiring range for this role is $103,395 - $ 129,244 annually.

Salary to be commensurate with experience. 

Applications will be accepted until a qualified group of candidates has been identified. Please note that the City of Aurora will conduct ongoing application screenings on a first-come, first-served basis. As soon as we determine that we have a qualified pool of applicants, this position may close quickly and without notice.   

Qualified candidates will be contacted within 1 week of applying to schedule a virtual screening. 

Position overview

Aurora’s Public Works Department is responsible for the planning, design, construction and maintenance of the city’s transportation and facilities infrastructure. The Senior Engineer within the Public Works department for Facilities Project Delivery division will be responsible for a variety of engineering and technical tasks related to the design and construction projects for city municipal buildings.  This includes project management, design of capital improvements and new building construction.  Project management includes client consultation, project planning, design, scope and budget management, construction oversite and other duties as assigned.

PRIMARY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Apply expert engineering knowledge with the ability to make decisions and recommendations for complex technical or procedural projects and problems.
• Read, review, and understand complex engineering reports, construction drawings, and specifications in conformance with City standards and City codes.
• Review and approve design phase submissions for proper alignment of scope, quality, budget and schedule
• Interpret codes and standards and ensure compliance with design and government regulations.
• Develop standard criteria, update manuals and checklists, and make recommendations to codes and standards
• Organize and participate in the development of requests for qualifications (RFQ) and request for proposals (RFP): by assisting in responding to questions during selection process, evaluating RFQ and RFPs, leading pre-proposal meetings and participating in interviews; and by assisting in the recommendation of the award
• Coordinate with all City departments and all other stakeholders in the scheduling, development, and completion of Public Works- Facilities Project Delivery projects.
• Negotiate and monitor contracts including reviewing and approving pay application and invoices; negotiate and approve change orders
• Assist with providing professional/technical assistance and project updates to citizens, other departments, management, and City Council
• Lead by being a resource to others through coaching/ mentoring/ supervising/ etc.
• Monitor, evaluate and manage performance of professional and construction contract services (e.g.: architectural, engineering, estimating, scheduling, constructability/compliance review, construction management, etc.)
• Provide assistance in the identification of issues and resolution of disputes and claims, apply judgment on design and construction related problems and trouble shoots to expedite completion and closeout of projects
• Collaborate with the Purchasing Department to develop scopes of work, solicit bids, attend pre-bid meetings, award, and manage contractor work efforts for facility service needs, including future needs planning and project management.
• Manage project budget: deliver high quality projects on time and on or under budget to client's satisfaction
• Work with consulting engineers, contractors, and other agencies
• Coordinate with Public Works’ Facilities Operations Team
• Review and evaluate design plans and specifications developed by City staff and outside consultants
• Performs other related duties as assigned

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS & WORKING CONDITIONS

An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience that demonstrates required knowledge, skills, and abilities may be considered.

Education: 

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, architecture, or directly related field from ABET accredited program.
• Master’s degree preferred

Experience: 

• Minimum of 8 years of progressively responsible experience as an engineer/architect in building (vertical) construction.
• Minimum of 4 years of construction coordination.

Preferred Qualifications:

Knowledge:

• General proficiency in MS Office products
• Comprehensive knowledge of current engineering design and construction principles and practices applicable to public facilities projects; local, state and federal laws and regulations related to assigned function
• Building Information Modeling (BIM) experience is preferred

Skills: 

• Strong interpersonal, analytical and organizational skills.
• Skill in the use of field and office engineering instruments and equipment
• Demonstrate effective communication both verbally and in writing
• Multi-task; may manage multiple projects
• Skill in checking information for accuracy and completeness and correcting errors.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective professional relationships with City employees, officials and the public

Abilities: 

• Ability to work independently on complex projects, making informed decisions with minimal oversight while ensuring alignment with organizational goals and standards.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees, all levels of management including executive staff, citizens, and elected officials
• Handle sensitive situations with tact and diplomacy
• Communicate effectively both orally and in writing with the public, commissions, City Council, and city staff regarding development projects and issues
• Establish and fulfill goals and objectives
• Administer budgets
• Plan and schedule work unit operations
• Interpret codes and criteria
• Use computer design and optimization software
• Make decisions and solve complex technical problems
• Creatively solve problems, negotiate and handle stressful situations in a positive manner

Licenses and Certifications Required: 

• Colorado driver's license with a good driving history
• Professional Engineering License in the State of Colorado (or ability to obtain within 6 months of employment)

WORKING CONDITIONS

Essential Personnel:

When a local announcement of emergency or disaster is declared by the City, all City of Aurora employees may be required to work as essential personnel.

Physical Demands:

• Light physical work that involves moving no more than 10 pounds at a time with or without assistance
• Occasional lifting and carrying
• Frequent walking and standing for field work and meetings
• Clear vision to read and interpret reports and other written documents as well as produce design work
• Hand/eye coordination for operation of computer keyboard and engineering instruments
• Hand/foot/eye coordination to operate a motor vehicle
• Speech communication and hearing to maintain communication with employees and citizens

Work Environment:

• Works primarily indoors in a clean, comfortable environment with occasional outdoor work including exposure to varying weather conditions, noise and dust, and traffic.

Equipment Used:

• Uses standard office equipment including personal computer and common office software such as email, internet, Word, and Excel.
• Computer and engineering instruments; electronic components; motor vehicle
• This position may require the incumbent to use personal equipment (e.g. vehicle, cell phone, tools, etc.) during their employment

The city of Aurora will implement furlough days (unpaid days off) for most employees in 2026. The scheduled furlough dates are January 16, April 10, July 2, and December 24.

For Veterans preference:  Please show all of your employment history, including military service and related documentation (DD214) on the application.
           
The City of Aurora is an equal opportunity employer.  We are required by state and federal agencies to keep certain statistical records on applicants.  It will not be used in any way to discriminate against you because of your sex, race, age, sexual orientation, creed, national origin, disability or military status, gender identity, unless related to a bona fide occupational qualification as defined by the Colorado Civil Rights Commission and the Equal Opportunity Commission.
                                         
Despite the changes in Colorado law, the City of Aurora maintains a drug-free workplace.  A positive test of marijuana is grounds for disqualification and ineligibility for employment with the city for one year or termination once hired.
 

Drug Testing, Thorough Criminal Background Check, and Employment References:
As a condition of employment, all applicants selected for employment with the City of Aurora must undergo a thorough criminal background check. 

Applicants selected for safety-sensitive positions are required to complete and pass a drug screening as a condition of employment. Safety sensitive positions include Civil Service positions within Police and Fire Departments and positions where their job responsibilities have direct and substantial responsibility that would impact the health and safety of others.  

Employment references will be conducted on finalists for City of Aurora vacancies.