Sanitary Engineer (Wastewater Engineer) - Environmental Services Department

Salary: $118,067.04 - $149,451.12 Annually
Location : San Jose - Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: 202601828
DEPART: Environmental Services
Opening Date: 10/15/2026
Closing Date: 11/5/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

Our diverse and inclusive workforce of more than 7,000 employees play a key role in the success of San Jos, the heart of the Silicon Valley. All City of San Jos employees work together as one team to make San Jos a vibrant, innovative, and desirable place to live and work. Visit to learn more about our One Team Leadership Values and Expectations, including quality and excellent customer service and here to learn more about San Jos.

The City of San Jos is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants for all job openings will be considered without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful under any federal, state or local laws. The City of San Jos is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at , 711 (TTY), or via email at
About the Department

The City of San Jos's Environmental Services Department (ESD) is an award-winning department with a mission to deliver world-class utility services and programs to improve our health, environment, and economy. The Department is a national leader in managing garbage and recycling services; watershed protection and pollution prevention; municipal drinking water and recycled water; sustainability initiatives; and the operation and infrastructure improvements of the San Jos-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility. Together, ESD employees positively impact every resident and business in San Jos.

Our department is an exceptional place to start or grow your career. We have a supportive leadership team, numerous professional growth opportunities, and an inclusive workplace culture that is welcoming of your talents!

To learn more about ESD, follow @sjenvironment on X, Facebook, and Instagram, and San Jos Environmental Services on LinkedIn.
About the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Division

The CIP division is responsible for planning and implementing long term capital improvement projects at the Regional Wastewater Facility (RWF).

The RWF is an advanced wastewater treatment plan that serves approximately 1.4 million residents over a 300 square mile service area. The RWF is one of the largest advanced treatment plants in the western U.S. Since 1956, it has protected public health and the environment by treating the South Bay's wastewater and releasing clean, treated water into the South San Francisco Bay. This process supports healthy ecosystems and aligns with ESD's mission of sustaining our communities and natural resources.

The ESD CIP division is currently comprised of 53 full-time positions that perform program administration, budget planning, project delivery, and process. engineering services. The division is also supported by a co-located team of consultant staff and staff from the Department of Public Works who provide program management and construction management services, respectively. This integrated team is responsible for delivering a 10-year capital improvement program estimated at $1.4 billion. RWF CIP is an exciting opportunity that stands among one of the largest construction programs in South Bay. The CIP Division is pioneering the design-build method for major wastewater projects, completing three large efforts and advancing two more using this collaborative, efficient delivery approach. About one-third of our team holds Associate DBIA or full DBIA certifications, reflecting our growing expertise. Our next milestone is the $240 million Aeration Project - the largest design-build project in CIP history.

Capital Improvement Program link: ;br> Position Duties
The Capital Improvement Program (CIP) is currently recruiting for multiple full-time Sanitary Engineer positions located at the San Jose/Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility (RWF).

The total annual salary range for the Sanitary Engineer position is $118,067.04 - $149,451.12. This amount includes an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing, non-pensionable pay. The actual salary will be determined based on the selected candidate's qualifications and experience.

The incumbent in this position will be supervised by an Associate or Senior Engineer. The Sanitary Engineer will provide engineering and technical assistance in the development and delivery of wastewater capital improvement projects. The Sanitary Engineer performs a variety of professional sanitary engineering assignments of moderate difficulty at the San Jos-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility.

Combine your expertise with the on-the-job experience you'll gain in CIP by working with multi-discipline engineering professionals, program management consultants, RWF operation and maintenance technicians, and San Jos Public Works staff. You will enjoy career development, new skills, mentoring, and the benefits of contributing to your community.

Typical duties may include but are not limited to:

• Coordinate and provide technical review of project submittals including feasibility studies, condition assessment reports, engineering calculations, conceptual design reports, 30-60-90-100% design documents, construction schedule, and construction estimates.
• Attend work meetings and record meeting minutes.
• File, store and organize consultant deliverables into project directories.
• Research and evaluate wastewater technology and equipment and make selection recommendations based on sound engineering analysis.
• Assist in the preparation of project bid packages (i.e. plans & specifications) and coordination of contractors' bid processes.
• Evaluate, prepare, and/or coordinate responses to Requests for Information (RFI) and bid protests in a timely manner.
• Preparing technical reports, documents, and memoranda.
• Review design guidelines and evaluate their relevance to new design projects.
• Schedule, organize, prepare, and distribute meeting agendas, minutes, and/or presentation materials for meetings.
• Provide technical support during construction phase (i.e. review, prepare and coordinate responses to design related submittals, design change memos (DCM), RFIs and Potential Change Orders (PCO).
• Negotiating, preparing, and managing consultant agreements and/or construction contracts.
• Review and keep track of consultant invoices and Monthly Progress Reports.
• Participating in commissioning, post-construction process testing, and lesson learned.
• Providing technical assistance to the RWF operations and maintenance teams.
• Leading technician and intern staff in conducting field studies.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:
Completion of a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in an engineering science or environmental engineering.
Experience:
One (1) year of professional sanitary or closely related engineering experience.
Acceptable Substitution:
Possession of a valid Engineer-in-Training Certificate or a valid Professional Engineer Certificate issued by the State of California, or Master's reciprocal states, may be substituted for the required education. A degree with specialty in sanitary or environmental engineering may be substituted for the required experience.

Other Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history. Desirable competencies for this position include:

Job Expertise: Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies and federal and state rules and regulations. Experience in design, bidding and/or construction of capital improvement program delivery. In addition:

• Knowledge of sanitary engineering principles and practices.
• Knowledge of wastewater treatment methods, processes and equipment, engineering mathematics and hydraulic principles.
• Knowledge of statistical software packages for data analysis, verification, and interpretation.
• Experience supporting the coordination of all phases of project delivery with contractors and consultants
• Ability to perform field inspections, engineering calculations, data analysis. Experience working with multiple stakeholders during design and delivery of capital improvement projects, including operations and maintenance staff, consultant staff, City planning and building code enforcement officials, etc.
• Experience with construction/document management systems.
• Experience with SharePoint, or other cloud-based collaboration systems.

Analytical Thinking: Approaches a problem or situation by using a logical, systematic, sequential approach.

Computer Skills: Experienced with common business computer applications including but not limited to: MS Outlook, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Access, and MS Excel, MS SharePoint, MS OneDrive.

Multi-Tasking: Can handle multiple projects and responsibilities simultaneously; has handled a wide variety of assignments in past and/or current position(s).

Planning: Acts to align own unit's goal with the strategic direction of the organization; Defines tasks and milestones to achieve objectives, while ensuring the optimal use of resources to meet those objectives.

Teamwork & Interpersonal Skills: Develops effective relationships with co-workers and supervisors by helping others accomplish tasks and using collaboration and conflict resolution skills.

Flexibility: Makes effective decisions and achieves desired results in the midst of major changes in responsibilities, work processes, timeframes, performance expectations, organizational culture, or work environment.

Communication Skills: Effectively conveys information and expresses thoughts and facts clearly, orally and in writing; demonstrates effective use of listening skills; displays openness to other people's ideas and thoughts.

Selection Process:
The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to all the job specific questions. Only those candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to proceed in the selection process. Additional phases of the selection process will consist of one or more interviews.

You must answer all job-specific questions in order to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration.

If you have questions about the duties of these positions, the selection or hiring processes, please contact Vaishali Vashistha at

Additional Information:

Employment Eligibility: Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will NOT sponsor, represent or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1-B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.

You must answer all job-specific questions to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applicants are expected to write their own essays/responses.

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third party job board application system.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email and we will research the status of your application.

AI and the Hiring Process

We recognize that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming part of daily life and can be a valuable tool for learning, research, and professional growth. We encourage candidates to use AI responsibly as a support in preparing application materials, live assessments, and interviews. However, we value authenticity, accuracy and truthfulness. Application responses and interview answers must reflect your own knowledge, skills, and experiences. While AI can supplement preparation, it cannot replace the originality and judgment we look for in our employees. This ensures fairness, transparency, and equity for all applicants in the hiring process.
The City of San Jose offers a wide range of core health benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Disability, and Savings Plans. Please visit the City's for detailed information on coverage, cost, and dependent coverage.

For information on the City's Retirement Plan(pension for full-time employees), please visit the Office of Retirement Services You will be able to view information based on different Sworn/Federated job classification.

In additional to the benefits above, there is an to explore further benefits of working for the City of San Jose like paid leave, educational reimbursements, and holiday pay are specific to the job classification and union membership.
01

We recognize that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming part of daily life and can be a valuable tool for learning, research, and professional growth. We encourage candidates to use AI responsibly as a support in preparing application materials, live assessments, and interviews. However, we value authenticity, accuracy and truthfulness. Application responses and interview answers must reflect the candidate's own knowledge, skills, and experiences. While AI can supplement preparation, it cannot replace the originality and judgment we look for in our employees. This ensures fairness, transparency, and equity for all applicants in the hiring process.

• Yes, I acknowledge that I have read and understand the above statement regarding the use of AI in the application and interview process.

02

What is the highest level of education you have completed?

• High School Diploma or the equivalent (GED)
• College (1 to 29 semester units/ 1 to 44 quarter units)
• College (30 to 59 semester units/ 45 to 89 quarter units)
• College (60 to 89 semester units/ 90 to 134 quarter units)
• College (90 to 119 semester units/ 135 to 179 quarter units)
• College (120 or more semester units/ 180 or more quarter units)
• Associate's Degree
• Bachelor's Degree
• Master's Degree
• Doctoral Degree
• Other
• None of the above

03

If you have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in related field, please state the field of study and the issuing accredited college or university.
04

How many years of professional sanitary or closely related engineering experience do you possess?

• One (1) year or more
• Less than one (1) year

05

An acceptable education substitution for the Sanitary Engineer position is possession of a valid Engineer-in-Training Certificate or valid Professional Engineer Certificate issued by the State of California, or Master's reciprocal states, may be substituted for the required education. If you possess either of these certifications, please provide the license number and attach a copy of the certification.
06

An acceptable experience substitution for the Sanitary Engineer position is a degree with specialty in sanitary or environmental engineering. Please describe your degree in relation to the areas listed above. Please list the college or university where you earned your degree.
07

Please tell us about your education, training, and professional experience that qualifies you for the Sanitary Engineer position. Please include any relevant experience working in the water and wastewater industry and in delivery of capital projects (e.g. design and/or construction). In your response, please include a description of the project(s) and your role(s) in its execution and the employer where you obtained the experience.
08

Please describe your experience in preparation or detailed review of engineering documentation, which can include but is not limited to plans and specifications, technical reports, construction cost estimates, construction submittals, and requests for information.
09

Please describe an experience in which you gathered information, reviewed it, and made a recommendation to inform a project decision. How did you arrive at your conclusion and recommendation? In your response, please include the methods you used to gather information (e.g., historical document review, field visits, staff interviews, etc.).
Required Question