Senior Civil/Marine Engineer - Washington State Ferries
State of Washington
Posted: February 23, 2026 (1 day ago)
This job was posted recently. Fresh listings typically have less competition.
Pierce County
Planning and Public Works
Location
Tacoma, Washington, 98409
Salary
$49.05 - $62.11
per hour
Type
Full-Time
More Engineering jobs →Closes
Base salary range: $147,649 - $221,900
Typical requirements: Executive-level leadership experience. Senior executive qualifications required.
Note: Actual salary includes locality pay (15-40%+ depending on location).
This job involves leading the development and management of state and federal grants for transportation projects, helping the county secure funding to maintain and improve roads and infrastructure.
You'll also contribute to planning documents like the six-year transportation program and safety plans for schools and accessibility.
A good fit would be someone experienced in engineering who enjoys working independently, collaborating with agencies, and analyzing costs to make smart decisions for public projects.

Why it's a great opportunity: In this role with the Program Development team, you will lead the development, administration, and management of State and Federal transportation grant projects.
This Civil Engineer 2 role is vital to the County’s ability to leverage limited local funds and secure outside funding to keep the county preserving, maintaining, and improving our critical transportation infrastructure.
You will also contribute to a team that develops a number of key planning and programming documents including the county’s 6-year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), the Safe Routes to School Plan, and ADA Transition plan.
You will collaborate with local, state, and federal agencies, as well as the Puget Sound Regional Council, working together to address transportation issues in our region and coordinate with various regional committees focused on transportation projects, programs, policies, and funding.
You will work on a wide range of priority projects and programs with a variety of other Divisions and Departments such as Finance, Parks, and Maintenance and Operations, among others.
You will be the team’s expert and lead on developing Benefit Cost Analysis (BCA) in alignment with the US Department of Transportation for a variety of priority capital transportation projects.
Your experience in grants, economic assessments, and BCA’s will be used for in-house expertise as well as coordination with consultants.
Learn more about our projects here:
Why it's a great department: PPW stewards a healthy and vibrant community by collaboratively planning and investing in our people, infrastructure, systems, and policies.
PPW’s team has more than 800 members that collaborate, innovate and inspire in performing essential services to the community.
The department is responsible for the County road and levee systems, sewer systems, airports, ferries, building permits, environmental review, sustainability, community planning, and code enforcement - just to name a few!
Learn more about Planning and Public Works here.
How to be successful in the role: Your success will come from effectively communicating with internal teams, specialty groups, and outside agencies with utmost customer service.
You will also work independently on highly complex products and make professional judgments and decisions on various data and costs to analyze current projects and prepare us for future success.
Other competencies that we’re looking for include:
Your future in this role: You will have access to professional development through robust online learning and other training opportunities throughout your career to ensure your success.
This position has multiple career growth and promotional opportunities in Pierce County to build on a great career while directly impacting the communities in Pierce County.
Core daily responsibilities:
A classification description with a more detailed list of essential functions can be found here.
As a condition of employment, the applicant will need to authorize and complete a background check. Information received from the background check is reviewed case-by-case and will not necessarily remove an applicant from consideration.
To be considered for this opportunity please:
This is a competitive selection process. Your application will be reviewed and evaluated for the quality and quantity of education/experience in the areas listed.
Applicants whose qualifications most closely correspond to the County's needs will be eligible for further consideration.
Notification of application status normally occurs 2 to 3 weeks after the closing date.
Short notice may be given to applicants to participate in further selection processes which may include assessments, phone screen, and interviews.
At Pierce County, diversity, equity, and inclusion means commitment, not a single step.
We strive to foster an inclusive environment that supports equitable access to opportunities throughout your career.
We want to recruit, develop, and maintain a talented workforce from various backgrounds, cultures, lifestyles, and perspectives, committed to our vision.
Employees of the County have local, direct, and visible impact in our diverse community. Will you join us in keeping Pierce County a place people are proud to call home?
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