How to hire a municipal engineer

How to hire a municipal engineer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step municipal 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 municipal engineer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new municipal engineer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the municipal engineer you need to hire. Certain municipal engineer roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect municipal 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 shows salaries for various types of municipal engineers.

   Type of Municipal Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Municipal Engineer	Civil 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.	$25-44
   Structural Designer	A 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
   Civil Designer	A Civil Designer plans, scales, and drafts drawings and maps for roads, bridges, and other construction projects. They work with engineers and project managers in determining material, labor, and other costs of the assigned projects.	$19-38

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Autocad
   • Project Management
   • Conveyance
   • Site Development
   • Technical Reports
   • Plan Review
   • Cost Estimates
   • Engineering Design
   • Construction Administration
   • Asphalt
   • Construction Projects
   • Engineering Services
   • Construction Management
   • Pump Stations

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage Jenkins security by providing specific access to authorize developers/testers using project base matrix authorization strategy.
   • Perform geotechnical instrumentation monitoring and data collection
   • Perform geotechnical instrumentation monitoring and data collection

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your municipal engineer job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A municipal engineer can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, municipal engineers' average salary in arkansas is 32% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level municipal engineers 43% less than senior-level municipal engineers.
   • Certifications. A municipal engineer with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a municipal engineer's salary.

   Average municipal engineer salary

   $70,787yearly

   $34.03 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level municipal engineer salary

   $53,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

4. Writing a municipal engineer job description

   A municipal engineer job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a municipal engineer job description:

   Municipal engineer job description example

   Responsibilities

   • Review of subdivision plans and site plans submitted by developers for approval.
   • Administration of developer sponsored projects that are in construction to verify compliance with the approved plans.
   • Design of capital improvement projects.
   • Evaluation of public works issues in our municipalities.

   Qualifications

   • Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering.
   • 0-3 years of capital improvement, residential and/or commercial site design.
   • EIT preferred.
   • Proficient with AutoCAD Civil 3D Preferred.
   • Knowledge of the planning and zoning process.
   • Effective written and communication skills.
   • Self-starter who can work independently and with team members.

   What We Offer

   At Colliers Engineering & Design, our people are our most important resource. That's why we are committed to providing all our employees with a safe, comfortable work environment, potential for career advancement, and the ability to impact society through their projects as well as Company sponsored activities.

   This dedication begins with supporting a work life balance through a generous compensation package that includes: company paid medical, dental, and vision coverage; paid pregnancy disability leave; short- and long-term disability insurance; life insurance; a company-matched 401(k)/Roth; paid time off that includes parental and military leave; employee referral and professional license bonuses and a straight time policy that compensates exempt employees for billable hours worked in excess of 40 billable hours within a work week.

   We have also created an internal culture that provides the resources and technology needed to encourage personal and professional growth opportunities through reimbursement for education; a free in-house resource for hundreds of educational and self-enrichment courses; mentorship program; wellness program; Women's Organization and ongoing philanthropic opportunities.

   Apply today to learn how you can join our team of professionals, so we can help you Accelerate Your Success!

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right municipal 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.

   To find municipal engineer candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as dribbble, authentic jobs, working not working, coroflot.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting municipal engineers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 municipal engineer

   Once you've found the municipal engineer candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new municipal engineer. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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