Work Zone Design Engineer (TE Specialist)

State of Iowa
Ames, IA

Are you interested in ensuring safe, effective traffic control in construction zones? Do you have a passion for leading and setting standards and polices on complex projects? If yes, this could be a great opportunity for you. The Iowa DOT is a national leader in using data collection and analysis to improve driver and worker safety in work zones, and we want you to come be a part of our team!


We are looking for a Work Zone Design Engineer (TE Specialist)to join the Iowa Department of Transportation Design Bureau. You will be a key player in overseeing the design and application of traffic control measures for use during the construction of improvement projects on the primary and interstate systems in Iowa. Your leadership will help us ensure motorist and worker safety, traffic flow, and project success.


You will partner with multiple stakeholders to develop effective construction staging and traffic control strategies, conduct field reviews to evaluate performance in real-world conditions, and contribute your expertise to task forces and committees. This is a chance to take on meaningful responsibility, influence statewide practices, and grow within a highly valued engineering specialty.


Location: Ames, Iowa – Design Bureau


Shift Requirements: Days, Monday through Friday. Flexible work hours available. Some travel will be required.


Our most successful candidate will have a thorough understanding of the highway development process, highway design, construction zone traffic control design, and assessment, as well as the capability to research evolving practices in construction zone traffic control advances to aid the agency in deploying the most current and effective measures.


In this position, you will contribute to the agency by working on a wide variety of construction zone traffic control designs that support complex highway improvement projects that will require you to:

  • Advise engineers and designers on solutions to non-standard and highly complex challenges.
  • Advance innovation in safety analysis, investment optimization, technologies, and methods related to construction zone traffic control.
  • Work closely and effectively as part of our central highway design team, district design teams, and our consulting engineering partner teams to ensure that they are highly trained, adaptive, and efficient in the delivery of excellent transportation services that support our agency goals.


Additional Requirements:

  • Must have, or prior to appointment, must obtain an active Iowa professional engineering license through the Iowa Professional Licensing Bureau -Engineering and Land Surveying Examination Board.
  • Must possess and maintain a Class C Driver’s License.


The Iowa Department of Transportation is proud to be a partner with the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Through this partnership, DOT engineers are granted membership at a largely discounted price, as well as discounts for conferences and continuing education through the ASCE. We are excited to offer this benefit and to have you join this partnership with us! If you're interested in learning more about this benefit, please visithttps://www.asce.org/membership.


The Iowa Department of Transportation’s Mission is Making Lives Better Through Transportation. To accomplish our Mission, the person selected for this position will demonstrate actions and behaviors guided by the Iowa Department of Transportation’s five CORE values: Safety First, People Matter, Customer Focused, Servant Leadership, and Integrity Without Exception.


As a State of Iowa employee, you will be eligible for the following benefits:

  • Competitive pay and benefits package including health, dental, flexible spending, and life insurance
  • Insurance benefits start the first month following 30 days of employment, and costs can be reviewedhere.
  • Opportunities for professional growth and development.
  • Paid time off effective immediately - biweekly vacation, separate sick leave, accruals rollover on a yearly basis, and 9 paid holidays per year.
  • Iowa Public Employee Retirement System (IPERS) Retirement Package with employer match
  • Optional 401A plan with employer contributions.
  • Employee Discount Programs from a variety of vendors (vision, cellular, fitness, recreation, season passes, travel, counseling; legal, financial).


You have the freedom to flourish in Iowa – Apply now!


The Iowa Department of Transportation is an equal-opportunity employer. If you require a reasonable accommodation in completing any screening, interviewing, pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the selection process, please direct your request to the Affirmative Action & Equal Employment Opportunity (AA/EEO) Officer at:aa-eeo@iowadot.us.

Reasonable accommodation, such as an interpreter, translator, written materials, modified equipment/devices, ADA access, etc. This does not include scheduling needs.


The State of Iowa participates in E-Verify, a federal program that helps employers confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. Within the required timeframe, new hires will be verified through the E-Verify system to ensure authorization to work in the United States. The State of Iowa also complies with the federal Right to Work laws, which protect employees’ rights to work without being required to join a labor organization. For more information, please visitwww.e-verify.gov.


The State of Iowa participates in E-Verify,a federal program that helps employers confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. Within the required timeframe, new hires will be verified through the E-Verify system to ensure authorization to work in the United States. The State of Iowa also complies with the federal Right to Work laws, which protect employees’ rights to work without being required to join a labor organization. For more information, please visitwww.e-verify.gov.
Applicants must meet at least one of the following minimum requirements to qualify for positions in this job classification:

1) All of the following (a and b):
a. Licensure as a professional engineer; and
b. Two years of full-time professional work experience in transportation engineering or civil engineering.
2) All of the following (a, b, and c):
a. Licensure as a professional engineer; and
b. One year of full-time professional work experience in transportation engineering or civil engineering; and
c. Graduation from an accredited college or university with a master’s degree in chemical, civil, construction, environmental, materials, structural, or transportation engineering; engineering management; or a field closely related to transportation engineering.
3) Current, continuous experience in the state executive branch that includes one year of full-time work as a Transportation Engineer.

For additional information, please click on this link to view the job description.Prior to appointment, applicants must possess active licensure as a professional engineer by the Iowa Engineering & Land Surveying Examining Board.

At this time, we're not considering applicants who need any type of immigration sponsorship (additional work authorization or permanent work authorization) now or in the future to work in the United States. This includes, but IS NOT LIMITED TO: F1-OPT, F1-CPT, H-1B, TN, L-1, J-1, etc. For additional information on work authorization needs, please use the following links.

Nonimmigrant WorkersandGreen Card for Employment-Based Immigrants


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