Engineer, Guidelines and Standards

JOB SUMMARY

Quality Assurance and Standards oversees Capital Project delivery practices including the development and maintenance of City design and construction standards and guidelines, project and quality management processes; development, implementation and reporting of project and construction quality assurance and engineering standards; and the Quality Management System.
 

You are responsible to conduct research, consolidate and synthesize information for use by the City of Ottawa to support product approvals, standards, specification and guideline development and updates for construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of municipal infrastructure within the right-of-way (road, sidewalk, drainage, transportation, structural, water distribution and wastewater collection) . You act as the point of contact for suppliers, manufacturers, contractors and consultants promoting, enquiring or seeking material or product approval from the City for use in the construction of municipal infrastructure and the point of contact for explanation and clarification of published standards, specifications, approved product/material and suppliers’ listings.
 

You may also chair and participate on various internal committees and external work groups that review and update technical standards, specifications, design guidelines as well as those that recommend approval of products and materials for use in municipal infrastructure construction projects.

This position will focus primarily on supporting product approvals, standards, specification and guideline development and updates for construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of municipal facilities and parks.  As such, a minimum of 6 years of experience in the field of building and landscape architecture projects and/or water and wastewater facility projects, infrastructure design, construction and operation, including project management, specification development, contract administration, maintenance operations, committee participation and staff supervision is required, as is a thorough understanding of the related national, provincial and municipal engineering standards, legislation, regulations, codes and by-laws pertaining the work.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Completion of 4 year university degree in Engineering from a recognized university in Mechanical or Civil Engineering

Minimum of 6 years of experience in the field of Municipal Water and Sewer infrastructure design, construction and operation, including project management, specification development, contract administration, maintenance operations, committee participation and staff supervision

CERTIFICATIONS AND LICENCES

KNOWLEDGE

• General operation procedures for the water distribution system; regional services, trends, broad overview/big picture skills; water treatment and distribution processes and practices; current trends in water and sewer infrastructure design; customer service procedures
• Hydraulics as applied to distribution systems; hydrogen sulphide corrosion and prevention theory as applied to municipal sewer systems; corrosion prevention theory and practices as applied to the water distribution system
• Engineering planning, design, construction/rehabilitation of water purification plants, pumping stations, storage facilities, watermain and sewer systems, and related national, provincial and municipal engineering standards, inclusion legislation, regulations, codes and by-laws pertaining the work
• In-depth knowledge of the region’s water distribution infrastructure, urban watermain and regional contribution to area wide drainage systems, including design, operations and performance
• Best practices and quality assurance techniques to be applied to all development, updates of water distribution/sewer systems specifications, product and materials review and approvals
• Awareness of and membership in professional associations such as the American Water Works Association, Water Environment Federation, National Association of Corrosion Engineers and PEO to develop professional contacts and to remain current on industry trends and developments
• Principles of project management to plan, organize, and control the project budget
• Chairperson skills for committee activities that results in the development of new standards and the review/approval of new products
• Manual and electronic editing techniques to review and update specifications standards, design guidelines and other documentation prepared for internal and external use
• Computer applications pertaining to data base management, spreadsheet, word processing, e-mail and use of the Intranet and Internet
• Protocols for preparing reports, briefings and other communiqués
• Knowledge of applicable health and safety legislation, including the rights and duties of workers.

COMPETENCIES, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Work independently
• Lead a committee of diverse participants
• Effectively supervise staff directly or indirectly
• Write clearly with precision and conciseness
• Effectively communicate verbally with all organizational levels, consultants and customers at all levels
• Evaluate and approve new material and equipment through the review of technical literature, test results and discussions with internal and external contacts
• Read specification, drawings, plans of the distribution system
• Prepare tender proposals and contract documentation
• Plan, implement, control, complete and inspect project plans as assigned with minimal supervision
• Work well under pressure
• Set priorities and deal effectively with multiple demands and conflicting priorities
• Deal with difficult people including customers, suppliers, staff contractors and consultants
• Write advanced technical reports
• Chair multi-agency meetings
• Utilize computers and software associated with specification preparation and tracking
• Incorporate and apply new technologies for current use and to identify future opportunities for their application
• Develop and maintain productive relationships with diverse groups
• Ability to function and negotiate in highly charged situations
• Effective interpersonal relationships with other supervisors, managers, subordinates, water division, supply branch, consultants, construction associations, suppliers and other utility staff
• Diplomacy, discretion and tact
• Leadership capabilities and qualities
• Advance communication skills
• Independent, self motivated
• Adaptable and resourceful
• Visionary, creative, “Big picture/small picture thinker”
• Excellent organizational skills
• Attention to detail
• Effective communicator
• Team player
• Flexibility in dealing with all levels of government, developers, consultants/contractors and manufacturers
• Displays good judgement and initiative