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 is one present vacancy at the Erie County Department of Public Works - Division of Highways.  

Examples of Duties:

A Senior Highway Maintenance Engineer is responsible for one of the "A" Highway Maintenance Districts of the County Highway Division; 

Plans and organizes highway maintenance and repair projects, conducts inspection of roads and rights-of-way to evaluate their condition and determine repairs and maintenance needs;

Directs and reviews snow and ice removal performed by his staff, or under municipal contract, including spot checking the work;

Investigates and resolves complaints of residents and road users as they occur in the division;

Manages labor relations activities by receiving grievances, recommending disciplinary charges and meeting with employees and union representatives to discuss and resolve work related problems;

Determines project and work schedule priorities, adjusting time for emergencies, complaints or subordinate suggestions;

Plans and schedules the assignment of individual crews to meet the work schedules;

Inspects projects to determine progress, conformance to specifications and adequacy of safety measures;

Supervises preparation of equipment and materials specifications for approval by Deputy Commissioner-Highways;

Works in conjunction with permit engineer on larger projects and reports to him on permit application;

Reviews requests for all materials, parts and equipment requisitioned for the Highway Districts, and confers with suppliers regarding specifications;

Represents the Deputy Commissioner-Highways at meetings and conferences;

Assists Deputy Commissioner-Highways in planning anticipated construction and maintenance projects.

Qualifications:

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

A) Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered four (4) year college or university with a Bachelor's Degree in engineering or closely related field and six (6) years of experience in engineering or highway and/or bridge construction, at least two (2) years of which must have been in a supervisory capacity; or:

B) Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma and ten (10) years of experience in engineering or highway and/or bridge construction, at least two (2) years of which must have been in a supervisory capacity; or:

C) An equivalent combination of training and experience as defined by the limits of (A), and (B).

Notes:

1. *A supervisory position is defined as a position in which supervision was a major responsibility of the job. Occasional or partial supervision of work crew is not acceptable supervisory experience.

2. Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting 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: www.cs.ny.gov/testing/localtestguides.cfm

Subjects of Examination:

Subjects of Examination: A written test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and /or abilities in the following areas:

1. Administrative supervision

These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices involved in directing the activities of a large subordinate staff, including subordinate supervisors. Questions relate to the personal interactions between an upper level supervisor and his/her subordinate supervisors in the accomplishment of objectives. These questions cover such areas as assigning work to and coordinating the activities of several units, establishing and guiding staff development programs, evaluating the performance of subordinate supervisors, and maintaining relationships with other organizational sections.

2. Principles and practices of civil engineering

These questions test for knowledge of engineering concepts and their practical applications to the construction, operation and maintenance of public works projects, including roadways, bridges, buildings, water and sewage systems and similar types of infrastructure.

3. Engineering plans, specifications and estimates

These questions test for knowledge of and the ability to read and interpret construction drawings and technical specifications, and for the ability to calculate cost and quantity estimates from technical presentations and/or engineering and construction drawings. Knowledge of estimating techniques and the proper method of construction for specified projects will be required.

4. Methods and materials of construction

These questions test for knowledge of the proper procedures and materials used in the construction, maintenance and repair of various types of public works projects, including such typical construction work as excavations, roadways, embankments, and building and related structural improvements.

5. Construction and maintenance of highways, bridges, drainage systems and other related structures

These questions test for knowledge of the engineering concepts, practices, testing procedures, materials and computations used in the installation, repair and upkeep of roadways, overpasses, abutments, retaining walls, embankments, drainage structures and related appurtenances.

6. Principles of project management, including contracts, contract administration and construction economics

These questions test for knowledge of the concepts, terminology, proper procedures and computations used in the planning, scheduling and oversight of contractual agreements for public works projects, including economic and scheduling techniques such as cost/benefit analysis and the critical path method.

7. 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.

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES: Unless otherwise noted, candidates are permitted to use quiet, hand held, solar or battery powered calculators. 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.