Residence Requirements:

CANDIDATES MUST HAVE BEEN LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY FOR AT LEAST ONE MONTH IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE DATE OF THE WRITTEN TEST AND MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY AT THE TIME OF APPOINTMENT. There are two anticipated vacancies at the Erie County Department of Environment and Planning. 

Examples of Duties:

A Sanitary Engineer assists in the planning, supervision and coordination of engineering work required in the construction and operation of a regional sewer system; 

Makes engineering and economic studies of alternative methods of eliminating or alleviating sewage pollution and providing sewerage collection, transmission and treatment facilities;

Drafts reports concerning the engineering and fiscal aspects of sewerage systems for information and consideration of municipalities; meets with local groups to explain findings;

Assists in development and revision of master plans for sanitary sewerage and drainage;

Makes field reconnaissance to determine topography and/or geological conditions affecting sewerage planning; supervises field parties on such work; assists in water pollution surveys and stream gauging;

Prepares engineering drainage and hydraulic designs for sewer systems and treatment works; computes engineering data;

Assists in preparation of specifications, rules and regulations and in the review of plans and specifications submitted by others for action;

Assists in supervision of construction; supervises project engineers, inspectors and technicians;

Assists in the supervising of the operation and maintenance of sewers, treatment works and overflow treatment facilities;

Assists in the supervising of design of sewerage projects by either supervising an in-house staff or overseeing the work of consultants;

Assists in the preparation of grant applications and related documents for purposes of obtaining State or Federal funding;

Utilizes computer software such as word processing, spreadsheet and database applications.

Qualifications:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:  Candidates must meet one of the following requirements on or before the date of the written test:

Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered four (4) year college or university with a Bachelor's degree in Civil, Mechanical , Sanitary or Environmental Engineering or a closely related engineering specialty, and five (5) years of experience in civil, environmental, mechanical or sanitary engineering.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: Eligibility for a license as a Professional Engineer at the time of application and a license to practice as a Professional Engineer State of New York prior to appointment.

Notes:

1. Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university with a Master's degree in Civil, Mechanical, Sanitary or Environmental Engineering or closely related engineering specialty may be substituted for two (2) years of required experience.

2. Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting the full-time experience requirements.

3. Your degree and/or college credit must have been awarded by a regionally accredited college or university or one recognized by the New York State Education Department as following acceptable educational practices. A grade of "D" or better is necessary for a course to be credited as successfully completed. If your degree and/or college credit was awarded by an educational institution outside of the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to this Department for a list of acceptable companies providing this service; you must pay the required evaluation fee.

Notice to Candidates: Transcripts will now be accepted by the Department of Personnel ONLY at time of application.
All subsequent transcripts must be submitted at time of interview.

The New York State Department of Civil Service has not prepared a test guide for this examination. However,candidates may find information in the publication "How to take a written test" helpful in preparing for this test. This publication is available on line at: https://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/testguides.cfm

Subjects of Examination:

SUBJECTS OF EXAMINATION: A written test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and /or abilities in the following areas:

1. Preparing written material

These questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately, and to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly. For some questions, you will be given information in two or three sentences followed by four restatements of the information. You must then choose the best version. For other questions, you will be given paragraphs with their sentences out of order. You must then choose, from four suggestions, the best order for the sentences.

2. Principles and practices of sanitary engineering as related to wastewater collection, treatment and disposal

These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices of sanitary engineering involved in wastewater collection, treatment, and disposal processes, and may include such areas as the design, analysis, installation, upgrading, and maintenance of wastewater collection, treatment, and disposal systems; wastewater treatment plant operations, processes, equipment, and maintenance; and proper disposal of treated wastewater.

3. Understanding and interpreting construction plans, specifications, and estimates

These questions test for the ability to read, understand, and analyze construction plans and specifications; and for the ability to calculate material and cost estimates.

4. Construction terms, methods, and materials related to hydraulic facility installations

These questions test for knowledge of the principles, practices, methods, materials, and terminology involved in constructing and maintaining hydraulic facility installations such as water, sewer and stormwater systems. 

 NOTICE TO CANDIDATES:  It is recommended that candidates use a quiet, hand held, solar or battery powered calculator.  Devices with typewriter keyboards, "Spell Checkers", “Personal Digital Assistants", "Address Books", "Language Translators", "Dictionaries", or any similar devices are prohibited.  You may not bring books or other reference materials.

**IMPORTANT APPLICATION FEE - READ CAREFULLY**

A $20.00 filing fee is required for this exam. The required fee must accompany your application. Send or bring check or money order made payable to Erie County Personnel Department and write the examination number(s) on your check or money order. Do not send or bring cash, as the County cannot be responsible for cash payment. As no refund will be made, you are urged to compare your qualifications carefully with the requirements for admission and file only for those examinations for which you are clearly qualified.