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How to hire a city engineer

City engineer hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring city engineers in the United States:

  • In the United States, the median cost per hire a city engineer is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
  • On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new city engineer to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire a city engineer, step by step

To hire a city engineer, you should create an ideal candidate profile, determine a budget, and post and promote your job. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a city engineer:

Here's a step-by-step city engineer hiring guide:

  • Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
  • Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
  • Step 3: Make a budget
  • Step 4: Write a city engineer job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new city engineer
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a city engineer do?

A city engineer is a civil engineer employed by the city government. City engineers handle structural component fabrication programs for the applications of flight hardware. The engineers design bridges, design, and any other infrastructure projects. They make sure that they adhere to environmental and budgetary requirements. It is their job to oversee project execution requiring management skills. They are also expected to have skills in the planning, budgeting, presentation, and supervision of engineering projects.

Learn more about the specifics of what a city engineer does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    The city engineer hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    Hiring the perfect city engineer also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

    This list presents city engineer salaries for various positions.

    Type of City EngineerDescriptionHourly rate
    City EngineerCivil engineers design, build, supervise, operate, and maintain construction projects and systems in the public and private sector, including roads, buildings, airports, tunnels, dams, bridges, and systems for water supply and sewage treatment.$26-47
    Structural DesignerA Structural Designer designs, develops, and supervises the construction of new buildings and bridges, or extensions to existing properties or other structures. They review and update construction drawings as well as communicate project problems and flaws to managers.$22-40
    Structural Engineering InternshipA structural engineering intern is responsible for supporting the engineering team on construction and structural projects, identifying cost-reduction techniques, and drafting layouts that adhere to clients' specifications, business requirements, and budget limitations. Structural engineering interns join the engineers on area visits, inspecting site foundation, and calculating dimensions and material costing... Show more$15-32
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Civil Engineering
    • Project Management
    • Cost Estimates
    • Public Works
    • GIS
    • Capital Improvement Projects
    • Engineering Design
    • Capital Improvement Program
    • Infrastructure Projects
    • Engineering Services
    • Development Projects
    • Plan Review
    • Construction Management
    • Public Infrastructure
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Manage Jenkins security by providing specific access to authorize developers/testers using project base matrix authorization strategy.
    • Work in a variety of disciplines including structural, architectural, transportation and geotechnical engineering design and mapping and GIS development.
    • Develop maps and layouts for use by different town departments, update different databases of GIS.
    • Perform geotechnical instrumentation monitoring and data collection
    • Perform geotechnical instrumentation monitoring and data collection
    More city engineer duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your city engineer job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A city engineer salary can vary based on several factors:
    • Location. For example, city engineers' average salary in arkansas is 43% less than in california.
    • Seniority. Entry-level city engineers earn 43% less than senior-level city engineers.
    • Certifications. A city engineer with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
    • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a city engineer's salary.

    Average city engineer salary

    $74,435yearly

    $35.79 hourly rate

    Entry-level city engineer salary
    $56,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 14, 2025

    Average city engineer salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1California$107,506$52
    2Washington$80,891$39
    3Oregon$79,595$38
    4New York$77,907$37
    5Missouri$77,773$37
    6Oklahoma$75,146$36
    7Nevada$75,053$36
    8Connecticut$74,354$36
    9Arizona$73,502$35
    10Minnesota$72,687$35
    11Utah$71,509$34
    12Virginia$69,957$34
    13Texas$68,216$33
    14South Carolina$66,096$32
    15South Dakota$61,566$30
    16Michigan$59,177$28

    Average city engineer salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1Icma-rc$100,612$48.3736
    2Pacifi$93,344$44.885
    3City of Detroit$88,180$42.391
    4WTS International$80,849$38.87
    5City of Houston$80,828$38.86
    6City of Mesquite, TX$80,101$38.51
    7City of Reno$79,918$38.42
    8City of Corona$79,836$38.38
    9Hilton$78,203$37.609
    10City of Concord$77,782$37.402
    11PNM Resources$76,663$36.86
    12City of Maricopa$76,587$36.82
    13Minnesota Limited$76,032$36.55
    14American Public Works Association$75,706$36.40
    15City of Tomball$75,499$36.30
    16City of Austin$75,491$36.291
    17Great Bend, Kansas$75,279$36.19
    18City Of Pflugerville, Texas$74,945$36.03
    19City of O'Fallon$74,068$35.61
    20City of Prescott$74,009$35.582
  4. Writing a city engineer job description

    A job description for a city engineer role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a city engineer job description:

    City engineer job description example


    Oversees Storm Water program for the City's MS4 permit


    Designs and reviews construction of accessible sidewalk and curb ramps according to the Americans with Disabilities Act


    Provides technical support to street maintenance crews for sanitary and storm sewer repair


    Reviews miscellaneous documents and assists other departments


    Maintains all IDOT and MFT documentation


    Represents the city in responding to residents with concerns about infrastructure


    Additional Tasks and Responsibilities


    Informs media of road closures/changes.


    Assists with operations of the City Hall including maintenance and modifications.


    Serves as alternate Traffic Safety Committee, PPUATs, and other standing committees in the absence of the City Engineer


    Serves as City Engineer in their absence


    Other duties as assigned


    Minimum Training and Experience Required to Perform Essential Job Functions


    Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering or related field, three to five years civil engineering experience, P .E. required, or any combination of education and experience that provides equivalent knowledge, skills, and abilities.


    Physical and Mental Abilities Required to Perform Essential Job Functions
    Language Ability and Interpersonal Communication


    Ability to analyze data and information using established criteria, in order to determine consequences and to identify and select alternatives. Ability to compare, count, differentiate, measure, copy, record and transcribe data and information. Ability to classify, compute, tabulate, and categorize data.


    Ability to counsel, treat and mediate, and/or provide first line supervision. Ability to persuade, convince, and train others. Ability to advise and provide interpretation regarding the application of policies, procedures and standards to specific situations.


    Ability to utilize a variety of advisory and design data and information such as budgets, invoices, billing statements, revenue reports, requests for proposals, public works project specifications, bid documents, contracts, change orders, materials test rep01ts, technical studies, computer software operating manuals, meeting minutes/agenda, engineering texts and periodicals, design/materials standards, economic analysis, accounting methods, engineering manuals and non-routine correspondence.


    Ability to communicate orally and in writing with City officials, business representatives, developers, consultants, accountants, attorneys, City employees, regulat01y agency personnel and the general public.


    Mathematical Ability


    Ability to apply algebraic and trigonometric formulas. Ability to interpret inferential statistical reports and/or formulation and equation data.


    J udgment and Situational Reasoning Ability


    Ability to use functional reasoning in performing influence functions such as supervising, managing, leading, directing and controlling.


    Ability to exercise the judgment, decisiveness and creativity required in situations involving the evaluation of information against sensory and/or judgmental criteria, as opposed to criteria which are clearly measurable.


    Physical Requirements


    Ability to operate equipment and machinery requiring complex and rapid adjustments, such as computer terminal, calculator, telephone, photocopier, fax machine, drafting instruments and survey instruments.


    Ability to coordinate eyes, hands, feet and limbs in performing movements requiring skill and training, such as drawing.


    Ability to exert very moderate physical effort in sedentary to light work, typically involving some combination of stooping, crouching, lifting, carrying, pushing and pulling.


    Ability to recognize and identify degrees of similarities or differences between characteristics of colors, shapes, sounds and textures associated with job-related objects, materials and tasks.


    Environmental Adaptability


    Ability to work under generally safe and comfortable conditions where occasional exposure to construction site environmental factors such as temperature variations or extremes, toxic agents, noise, machinery, electrical currents and/or dust may cause discomfort and poses little risk of injury.


    The City of Pekin is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.


  5. Post your job

    There are various strategies that you can use to find the right city engineer for your business:

    • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
    • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
    • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
    • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your city engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit city engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    Your first interview with city engineer candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

    You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

    The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

  7. Send a job offer and onboard your new city engineer

    Once you've selected the best city engineer candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

    It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

    To prepare for the new city engineer first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

  8. Go through the hiring process checklist

    • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
    • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
    • Define job responsibilities and requirements
    • Establish budget and timeline
    • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
    • Write job description
    • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
    • Promote the job internally
    • Process applications through applicant tracking system
    • Review resumes and cover letters
    • Shortlist candidates for screening
    • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
    • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
    • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
    • Conduct background checks on top candidates
    • Check references of top candidates
    • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
    • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
    • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
    • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
    • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
    • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
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How much does it cost to hire a city engineer?

Recruiting city engineers involves both the one-time costs of hiring and the ongoing costs of adding a new employee to your team. Your spending during the hiring process will mostly be on things like promoting the job on job boards, reviewing and interviewing candidates, and onboarding the new hire. Ongoing costs will obviously involve the employee's salary, but also may include things like benefits.

You can expect to pay around $74,435 per year for a city engineer, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for city engineers in the US typically range between $26 and $47 an hour.

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