Principal Engineer

Chesterfield County Utilities offers a leadership role for engineers who want a tangible impact on the community. This onsite position in Chesterfield, VA guides a team in planning, reviewing, and delivering utility projects tied to land development, including plan and permit reviews, cross-connection control, capital projects, master planning, and system modeling. The department serves more than 117,000 water customers and 100,000 wastewater customers, and prioritizes protecting the James River and Chesapeake Bay while maintaining fiscal responsibility.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation and benefits package, including the Virginia Retirement System.
• Work‑life balance with paid time off, flexible schedules, and opportunities for remote work where feasible.
• Professional development through career development plans, tuition reimbursement, and Learning and Performance Center programs.
• Advancement opportunities within the organization.

Responsibilities

• Represent the county on project teams to manage impacts to utilities systems from land development proposals, coordinating with Economic Development, Planning, Environmental Engineering, CDOT, and the Building Inspector’s Office.
• Evaluate water distribution and wastewater collection systems and recommend improvements using engineering analysis, field data, and standard practices.
• Prepare and review monthly reports, drawings, specifications, cost estimates, and contracts.
• Engage with the public and collaborate with other agencies, consulting firms, internal and external customers.
• Lead meetings and presentations with diverse groups regarding the design and construction of public water and wastewater systems.
• Supervise a team of senior engineers and senior engineering assistants, providing training and guidance to meet department goals and project timelines.
• Perform other work as required.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering or a related field; five years of engineering experience in water or wastewater systems; or an equivalent combination of training and experience.
• Professional Engineer (PE) designation with water modeling, project management, and supervisory experience strongly preferred.

Technologies

Microsoft Office applications.

Position details

• Shift: Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Work location: Utilities, Chesterfield, VA (onsite).

Who we are

The Chesterfield County Department of Utilities is a public water and wastewater utility that uses state of the art technology to deliver high quality service to its more than 117,000 water customers and 100,000 wastewater customers. The team is invested in making a difference in the community by meeting or exceeding water quality standards while protecting the James River and Chesapeake Bay, and maintains a fiscally responsible operation.