Junior / Assistant / Associate Engineer

Salary : $77,001.60 - $126,318.40 Annually

Location : Carlsbad, CA

Job Type : Full-Time

Job Number : 121825

Department : Community Development

Opening Date : 01 / 01 / 2026

The Position

Carlsbad - The Community

The City of Carlsbad is ideally situated in north San Diego County where a great climate, beautiful beaches and lagoons, and abundant natural open space combine with world-class resorts, family attractions, well planned neighborhoods, excellent schools, and a charming village atmosphere to create the ideal California experience. Covering nearly 40 square miles, the City of Carlsbad is currently home to about 115,000 residents. The city sets the standard for high-quality local government services and is home to corporate headquarters in technology, life sciences and action sports, supported by a thriving tourism market and nearly 40 percent preserved open space. Thanks to an award-winning growth management plan, the city's infrastructure and services keep pace with development and promote an excellent quality of life.

Land Development Engineering : Land Development Engineering (LDE) is responsible for reviewing and approving grading plans, improvement plans, subdivision maps, implementing regional storm water regulations, issuing construction permits and administration of the floodplain. LDE works to ensure that new development in the City of Carlsbad complies with the high standards that Carlsbad residents have come to expect. The Job : The City of Carlsbad is currently seeking an engineering professional to fill the role of a Junior or Assistant or Associate Engineer within the Land Development Engineering division. This is an exciting opportunity to work within the Community Development Department, helping the city through its continued growth. This job structure includes employees who perform professional engineering work independently or under direction of a registered professional engineer on a variety of projects and on-going programs in support of the land development projects in the City of Carlsbad. Engineering professionals are individual contributors who may work independently or under the direction of a registered professional engineer or engineering supervisor and who use their underlying knowledge, skills and abilities in the fields of civil, construction, land-use, land surveying, utilities, and transportation / traffic engineering, along with skills and abilities in research, design, analysis, project management, program management and personnel management to perform their duties.

You belong in Carlsbad

The City of Carlsbad embraces and recognizes the vital relationship of an inclusive, engaged work environment and innovative excellence. An equitable and inclusive work climate comprises personal experiences, values, and views shaped from differences of culture and circumstance. Our organization appreciates belonging, creativity, recognition and retention of its employees and is committed to hiring and developing motivated, productive and talented employees who provide services and enhance our quality of life. We work to embrace open and equitable access to opportunities for learning and development as our responsibility and goal.

Salary : Associate Engineer : $49.90 - $60.73 hourly

Assistant Engineer : $42.57 - $51.79hourly

Junior Engineer : $37.02 - $45.04 hourly

Key Responsibilities

The following are examples of the types of job duties for land development engineers in the City of Carlsbad :

Attend or conduct construction meetings; make site visits.

Prepare periodic reports and updates.

Participate in the development of standard engineering specifications, criteria and policy and procedure statements on engineering matters; provide technical advice to field operations, other city departments and the public in the interpretation of city ordinances, policies, regulations and procedures.

Perform assignments to help formulate, update or revise city engineering standards and / or Municipal Code in related areas. Interpret and apply regulations from external agencies in related area.

Use online databases and hard copy files to perform research to find records, drawings maps, agreements, etc. to reference and incorporate in projects.

Maintain engineering-related records and systems required to meet city engineering standards, municipal code, and reporting / monitoring requirements of external agencies.

Serve as a liaison between the organization and regulatory agencies.

Prepare various staff reports and council resolutions.

Participate in the preparation of environmental impact reports, negative declaration and reports required by state and federal agencies.

Attend Council meetings or other agency meetings as required. Represent the city in the community and at professional meetings as required.

Make oral presentations on complex technical issues to City Council, other agencies or community groups.

Provide professional opinions and expert witness testimony as requested by the City Attorney office.

Stay current in the area of expertise. Conduct literature searches on areas of importance.

Supervise, train, and evaluate staff.

Review and process development projects for discretionary approval, applying engineering principles to assure project compliance with city engineering standards and the Carlsbad Municipal Code.

Review plans, maps, permits, legal descriptions, easements and specifications of development projects and encroachment permit applications.

Interpret, review, and analyze complex development projects for accuracy, suitability, completeness and compliance with city standards and procedures. Develop and submit conditions of approval.

Work with private developers and engineers to interpret city policies and ordinance requirements, review plans, and coordinate the work involved in processing privately sponsored residential, commercial, and industrial projects.

Review and approve technical studies for land development projects and transportation and operations planning.

Calculate fees and issue permits.

Assist customers at the public counter, answer inquires by the public and city staff.

Qualifications

Ability To :

• Perform technical engineering work of a complex nature with a minimum of supervision.
• Take initiative and be innovative within all aspects of the position.
• Establish and maintain cooperative relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
• Learn the organizational structure of the city and the roles and responsibilities of functions related to this position.
• Use computer software for the preparation of project related documents and for project management tasks. Experience in the following is highly desirable :

Microsoft Office Suite including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Microsoft Project, and Outlook

Please see the Knowledge Skills and Abilities matrix on the city's website () for more information on the requirements of a Junior / Assistant / Associate Engineer.

Experience & Education

Junior Engineer :

An equivalent combination of the education and experience listed below :

Assistant Engineer :

An equivalent combination of the education and experience listed below :

Minimum of two years of related work experience

A master's degree in engineering or a related field may be substituted for work experience

Associate Engineer :

An equivalent combination of the education and experience listed below :

Minimum of five years of related experience

Preferred :

A detailed list of our benefits can be found here :

Additional CalPERS information can be found here :

01

Initial in the box below that you acknowledge "see application" and "see resume" are not valid responses to the questions below.

02

What is your highest level of education?

03

If you have received a degree, please identify your area of study. If no degree, write "N / A".

04

Please indicate all (if any) certifications / licenses you possess :

05

If you marked "Other Specialty Certifications" for the previous question, please indicate which specialty certifications you possess; otherwise, type "N / A."

06

Have you worked with design plans, permits, and similar?

07

If you answered "Yes" to the question above, please briefly describe your experience. Otherwise write "NA".

08

Do you understand the principles, practices, and methods of land development engineering?

09

If you answered "Yes" to the question above, please briefly describe your experience. Otherwise write "NA".

10

Please briefly describe any permitting / engineering software that you have experience using. If none, indicate N / A.

11

Please rate your experience in Mircosoft Office Suite (Outlook, Excel, Word)

Required Question