Principal Civil Engineer

For those who desire an energetic and supportive work environment in the heart of the Peninsula, the City of San Bruno is a progressive organization offering an exceptional career opportunity.  

The City of San Bruno is seeking one Principal Civil Engineer with a strong focus onLand Development (LD) and Traffic. Those with experience in Capital Improvements Program (CIP) are also encouraged to apply.  The LD/Traffic and CIP Divisions are within the Engineering Section of the Public Works Department.   

Under the supervision of the City Engineer, the Principal Civil Engineer will manage complex land development, traffic and CIP projects and will coordinate the activities of consultants and junior level staff in a variety of supporting disciplines.  The Principal Civil Engineer will be establishing Division processes and procedures and ideally have strong delegation and managerial capabilities.   

The Principal Civil Engineer of LD/Traffic will be responsible for overseeing private development, encroachment permits, Public Works Engineering plan review of building permits, and traffic engineering and coordinate with transportation planning.  This position will supervise junior staff including three engineers for land development and traffic.  The City currently has several transformative projects including Reimagining Tanforan, YouTube, Crestmoor
Development, and Engvall School Development.

Other duties will include supervising the review of private development and/or subdivision plans for conformance to standards and participating in the development of capital improvement plan and projects and may from time to time be responsible for delivering key CIP projects. 

The City’s CIP budget for fiscal year 2025-26 totals $137 million and consists of 118 projects, including the replacement of Fire Station 52, the construction of water tanks, water and sewer mains and pump stations, railroad grade separation, and transportation projects.  The community additionally passed a local measure, which provides for enhanced funding for pavement treatment and storm drain infrastructure.  The breadth and depth of projects within a medium sized community provide endless opportunities for professional growth. 

The ideal Principal Civil Engineer candidate will possess the following:   

• Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a degree in civil engineering or a closely related field 

• Possession of a master’s degree in civil engineering or public or business administration is desirable 

• Five (5) years of increasingly responsible experience performing program management and/or project coordination duties in engineering, two (2) years of which equivalent to a Senior Civil Engineer. 

• Possession of a valid California driver’s license or the ability to obtain one prior to employment. 

• Possession and maintenance of a valid registration as a Professional Engineer in the State of California, or possess Professional Engineer Registration in another state with the ability to obtain California registration within six (6) months 

• Municipal professional engineering and supervisory experience highly desirable 

• Experience in the development of standard operating procedures and policies 

The candidate shall have excellent communication skills with the ability to communicate technical information clearly and accurately, both orally and in writing.  Success will depend on being an inquisitive, competent, adaptable and articulate team player.  In addition, candidates will have a successful track record of the following: 

• Having achieved a satisfactory level of technical, functional, and/or professional skill or knowledge in CIP or land development
  related areas; keeping up with current trends in areas of expertise; leveraging expert knowledge to accomplish results.  

• Providing feedback, instruction, and guidance to help others excel in their current or future job responsibilities,
  and
  planning and supporting the development of individual skills and abilities. 

• Clearly and succinctly conveying information and ideas to individuals and groups; communicating in a focused and compelling way that captures and holds others’ attention. 

• Presenting ideas effectively to individuals or groups when given time to prepare; delivering presentations suited to the characteristics and needs of the audience. 

• Identifying and understanding problems and opportunities by gathering, analyzing, and interpreting quantitative and qualitative information; choosing the best course of action by establishing clear decision criteria, generating and evaluating alternatives, and making timely decisions; taking action that is consistent with available facts and constraints and optimizing probable consequences. 

• Developing and leveraging relationships within and across work groups to achieve results. 

• Demonstrating a poised, credible, and confident demeanor that reassures others and commands respect; conveying an image that is consistent with the organization’s vision and values. 

• Establishing an action plan for self and others to complete work efficiently and on time by setting priorities, establishing timelines, and leveraging resources. 

This recruitment is being conducted to fill one Principal Civil Engineer vacancy and may be used to fill future full-time vacancies as they occur during the active status of the employment list.  

Compensation

The annual salary range for this position is currently $153,726 to $188,641. These are represented positions.

The City is proud to offer a competitive total compensation package with the following highlights:

• Wellness-focused schedule and paid time off (PTO) program


• Comprehensive medical and dental plan with choice of HMO or PPO program for employee and eligible dependents


• Defined benefit retirement program through CalPERS, with benefit dependent membership status (Classic-2.7%@55 or New/PEPRA-2.0%@62). More information is available online at CalPERS


• Deferred Compensation Section 457b plan and City match program


• Home loan assistance program


• Tuition reimbursement program


• Later this year the standard work week will transition to four (4) nine (9) hour days for a full-time schedule of 36 hours per week with no impact on annual salary.

For a listing of employee benefits, please see the Mid-Management column in our benefits summary linked here.

How to Apply 

Applications must be submitted online at the City’s BambooHR page. Applications must be received by 5:00 pm on
May 13, 2026. Applications will be reviewed on a weekly basis for consideration to the position. If you are interested in applying, you are encouraged to apply as soon as possible before the position is closed.

 
What happens next? 

• We will review your application and all supplemental materials to select the best qualified applicants to continue in the process. Screening will include a review of minimum qualifications, application appraisal rating of education, training and experience and relevance of background qualifications related to the target job as well as supplemental questions if applicable. 

• Applicants selected to move forward in the process may be asked to participate in any combination of the following (at any phase of the selection process): a written examination, job related exercise, physical test or job simulation, phone interview, in-person
  or video interview(s), and/or web-based testing. 

• The final phase of the selection process is the probationary period, which in most cases is one year, depending on your classification. 

Reasonable Accommodations: The City of San Bruno is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) and provides equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, creed, age, physical or mental disability, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws in its employment actions, decisions, policies and practices.   

The City of San Bruno Human Resources Department will make reasonable efforts in the selection process to accommodate disabled applicants. Individuals with disabilities who would like to request an accommodation in the process must inform the Human Resources Department by the final filing date by emailing [email protected].