Engineering assistant Jobs in Austin, TX

Assistant Director - Engineering and Project Support

Hiring Department: Utilities and Energy Management

Position Open To: All Applicants

Weekly Scheduled Hours: 40

FLSA Status: Exempt from FLSA

Earliest Start Date: Immediately

Position Duration: Expected to Continue

Location: AUSTIN, TX

Who We Are

We are "the power behind UT". Utilities and Energy Management (UEM) provides reliable and cost-effective electricity, chilled water, steam, deionized water, compressed air, emergency power, and elevator services for The University of Texas at Austin. We have more than 170 employees in five divisions: Utilities Operations; Utilities Distribution; Power Systems, Controls, and Operating Technology; Finance and Administrative Services; and Engineering and Technical Services.

Who We Are Looking For

We are seeking candidates who share the following core values:

Safety: Commitment to the well-being of our fellow employees, ourselves, and the campus community.

Respect: Treating everyone with fairness and dignity.

Integrity: Transparency, honesty, trust and ethics in our work and our relationships.

Reliability: Delivery of consistent, dependable, and uninterrupted services.

Teamwork: Working together through cooperation, contribution, and the sharing of our knowledge.

Excellence: Setting the highest standards through innovation, collaboration, forward-thinking, and stewardship.

As a member of our team, you will be part of a globally recognized district energy system that serves a top-tier research university. We strive to provide a positive workplace culture that welcomes ideas, talent and perspectives and we look forward to hearing from you!

Learn more about Utilities and Energy Management.

Your skills will make a difference.

You'll be working for a university that is internationally recognized for our academic programs and research. Your work will make a difference in the lives of Campus Operations staff, thereby enhancing the student experience. If you're the type of person that wants to know your work has earning and impact, you'll like working in our department and for UT Austin. UT Austin provides an outstanding benefits package including but not limited to:

• Competitive health benefits (employee premiums covered at 100%, family premiums at 50%)
• Voluntary Vision, Dental, Life, and Disability insurance options
• Generous paid vacation, sick time, and holidays
• Teachers Retirement System of Texas, a defined benefit retirement plan, with employer matching funds
• Additional Voluntary Retirement Programs: Tax Sheltered Annuity 403(b) and a Deferred Compensation program 457(b)
• Flexible spending account options for medical and childcare expenses
• Robust free training access through LinkedIn Learning plus professional conference opportunities.
• Tuition assistance
• Expansive employee discount program including athletic tickets
• Free access to UT Austin's libraries and museums with staff ID card
• Free rides on all UT shuttle and Austin CapMetro buses with staff ID card
• For more details, please see: and

Must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis for any employee without sponsorship. 40 Hour Work Week Schedule; Monday-Friday, 08:00 AM 05:00 PM

Purpose

The Assistant Director will lead the Engineering & Project Oversight groups within UEM, supporting UEM operations, energy management, maintenance, and distribution groups. This role ensures alignment with UEM's goals of supplying safe, resilient, and efficient energy and water services to the campus community.

The Assistant Director will provide leadership and oversight for UEM's Engineering team. Provide engineering and utility information support services to UEM departmental teams in the planning, design, and execution of engineering programs and projects aligned with Utilities and Energy Management (UEM) mission and the University's strategic plan. Engineering will lead environmental compliance, coordinating with Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) and UEM staff to ensure utility operations comply with University, State, and Federal requirements.

Additionally, the Assistant Director will provide leadership and strategic direction for all UEM project support activities, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and operational priorities. The role involves working with multiple stakeholders to design and implement streamlined processes that enhance utilities generation, distribution, and infrastructure reliability, while championing the adoption of innovative tools and best practices to improve performance.

Responsibilities

Manage project oversight team for UEM:

• Provide leadership and strategic direction for all UEM project support activities, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and operational priorities.
• Establish and implement processes for tracking project milestones, performance metrics, and outcomes, ensuring adherence to UEM standards and objectives.
• Act as a liaison between project teams, UEM leadership, and campus stakeholders to ensure projects align with institutional goals and strategic initiatives.
• Advocate for UEM's needs and priorities in cross-functional and campus-wide projects, ensuring consistent representation and resource allocation.

Oversee UEM engineering team for UEM:

• Lead the planning, design, and execution of engineering projects to enhance utilities generation, distribution, and infrastructure reliability.
• Oversee feasibility studies, budgeting, and technical design, ensuring projects align with UEM's strategic objectives and operational priorities.
• Provide expert technical guidance on engineering initiatives, ensuring compliance with legal, procurement, and code requirements.
• Oversee engineering services contracts working with contract management teams to renew and amend contracts as needed to maintain services (UEM IDIQ PSP contracts).
• Oversee modeling of UEM utility distribution systems for the addition of new buildings and updates to UEM campus models.

Directs program to sustain project compliance with UEM design criteria, technical specifications, and UEM staff engagement on project teams through design and construction:

• Develop and maintain UEM technical specifications and design standards, working directly with UEM Divisions and Planning, Design, and Construction (PDC).
• Work with UEM engineering team to assure design criteria and technical specifications clearly communicate UEM requirements
• Assure UEM staff are assigned to Technical Review Team (TRT) review teams and Design & Construction Specification Reveiw (DCSR) teams
• Monitor campus projects for compliance
• Serves as UEM's knowledge expert for utility information data collection, geospatial technologies, and lifecycle modeling. Maintain knowledge and skills in the latest industry standards and integrate emerging technologies essential to the role. Leads the development of technical specifications and standards for UEM utility as-built documentation and geospatial assets related to campus and utility projects in collaboration with UEM and Campus Operations teams.

Manage environmental compliance programs lead by UEM:

• Clean Air Act Permitting and Reporting applicable to point sources owned and operated by UEM (EPA Title V permit's, Standard Permits, PBR's, etc)
• Serve as the primary point of contact with State and Federal regulatory agencies for environmental inspections and audits as well as investigation and responses to environmental incidents
• Identify and delegate compliance tasks required of UEM employees and contractors such as reporting, pollution controls, inspections, testing, and training

Support environmental compliance programs lead by EHS:

• Hazardous materials (Chemical Inventory, Asbestos, Lead, Other), Spill prevention and response, regulated and non-regulated waste, storm and wastewater, underground and aboveground storage tanks, and drinking water quality
• Serve as the primary point of contact with EHS
• Work with EHS and UEM team members to identify and delegate compliance tasks required of UEM employees and contractors such as reporting, pollution controls, inspections, testing, licensing, and training

Lead UEM's R&R stakeholder involvement:

• Advocate for R&R funds for UEM assets through governance documents and as projects are assessed
• Manage staff serving on R&R funding evaluation teams
• Ensure R&R programs for UEM assets are being funded and completed.

Other related functions: