Project Specialist

Salary: Depends on Qualifications
Location : Houston, TX
Job Type: Regular Full-time
Job Number: 11288
Department: Engineering Department
Opening Date: 10/31/2023
Closing Date: 12/18/2023 11:59 PM Central
Max Number of Applicants: 165
Position Description
Position Overview:
The Project Manager leads projects in Harris County, ensuring goals and objectives are met by allocating resources, monitoring schedules, facilitating solutions, identifying, and mitigating risks, and promoting teamwork. They also ensure quality assurance, risk management, compliance, deconfliction, and permitting are executed during all phases. The Project Manager must communicate effectively with stakeholders.
Harris County has one of the best work-life balance schedules in industry, as well as some of the best benefits programs available. This includes exceptional health and life insurance, one of the best pension plans in the Country, the Public Service 'Student' Loan Forgiveness Program, as well as our Professional Licensure Training Program which offer sand Reimbursement Program.
Duties and Responsibilities:

• Deliver constructible plan sets within scope, schedule and budget using innovative methods in a collaborative
  
• environment. Identify and address risk to schedule and budget, engage management as necessary to resolve issues and mitigate risks before impacting project delivery.
  
• Assist the contractor to manage with internal and external resources to adequately staff the project including managing the project budget for the duration of the work.
  
• Ensure that quality assurance, risk management, regulation compliance and permitting is properly executed and work closely with leadership to track and report project status during all project phases from planning to design, to construction, to occupancy.
  
• Utilize the departments software to manage project scopes, costs, schedules, and documents.
  
• Communicate effectively with senior management, elected officials and their staff and other agencies. Meet with clients to take detailed ordering briefs and clarify specific requirements of each project.
  
• Assist with recovery effort following local disasters to ensure Harris County has safe infrastructure following the event.
  
• Performs other duties as assigned.
  
• Ability to adapt when emergency or short turnaround projects arise is needed.
  
• Strong communications skills are a minimum requirement.
  
• This position involves daily oversight of a wide range of projects for the Engineering Department and applicable resource management of those efforts.
  
• It also involves interface with organizations and individuals outside of Harris County.
  
• Not all duties are listed above; other duties may be assigned.

Harris County is an Equal Opportunity Employer
https://hrrm.harriscountytx.gov/Pages/EqualEmploymentOpportunityPlan.aspx
If you need special services or accommodations, please call (713) 274-5445 or email ADACoordinator@bmd.hctx.net.
This position is subject to a criminal history check. Only relevant convictions will be considered and, even when considered, may not automatically disqualify the candidate.
Requirements
Education:

• HS Diploma

Experience:

• A minimum of five (5) years of professional experience in project management or design of engineering/architectural projects in a professional team or resource group.

Licensure:

• A valid Class "C" Texas Driver's License.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Proficient in Microsoft Office Software.
  
• Ability to understand external client needs to align resources to accomplishing objectives.
  
• Ability to handle highly sensitive and confidential information at all times.
  
• Ability to work independently with limited supervision, relative autonomy, and general review.
  
• Ability to self-start; assume ownership in setting goals.
  
• Requires strong knowledge using office-related and design software.
  
• Utilize good time management skills and effectively prioritize and manage multiple tasks/initiatives.
  
• Requires detailed knowledge of project management principles.
  
• Excellent interpersonal and conflict resolution skills, and the ability to deal tactfully with a diverse group in a professional manner in a complex organization.
  
• Ability to exercise flexibility in accommodating shifting priorities, demands, and schedules.

NOTE: Qualifying education, experience, knowledge, and skills must be documented on your job application. You may attach a resume to the application as supporting documentation but ONLY information stated on the application will be used for consideration. "See Resume" will not be accepted for qualifications.
Preferences
Education:

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or related field; experience may not be substituted for education.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• ADA Compliance and Building Code knowledge.
  
• Ability to use AutoCAD

General Information
Position Type and Typical Hours of Work:

• Typical work routine is eight-hour days Monday through Friday but also subject to early morning, evening, weekend, emergency, and holiday work.
  
• 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Monday - Friday
  
• Subject to Early Mornings, Evenings, Weekends & Holidays as Needed

Work Environment:

• Work is both performed indoors in a normal office environment with acceptable lighting, temperature, air conditions and noise levels, as well as outdoors as dictated by client needs.
  
• Extensive use of a video display terminal (computer monitor).
  
• May be exposed to fluids, compounds or chemicals used in office environments and outdoor project areas.

Physical Demands:

• This position requires bending, stooping and lifting up to 25 lbs., frequent walking, standing, sitting, reaching, and ascending/descending stairs.
  
• Sitting for extended periods of time with frequent standing and walking and occasional ascending/descending stairs.
  
• Visits to indoor and outdoor off-site client locations.
  
• Occasional driving of a county-assigned vehicle with automatic controls.

Location:

• 1111 Fannin Street, 8th Floor, Houston, TX. 77002

Employment may be contingent on passing a drug screen and meeting other standards.
Due to a high volume of applications positions may close prior to the advertised closing date or at the discretion of the Hiring Department.
BENEFITS
Harris County offers a competitive benefits program, including comprehensive group health and related benefits plan as well as defined benefit retirement plan.
The following list of benefits is offered only to employees in regular (full-time) positions:

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Wellness
• Life Insurance
• Long-term disability
• Employee Assistance Program
• 10 days of vacation each year for the first five (5) years of service. Accrual rates increase based on years of service.
• 10 county holidays plus one (1) floating holiday
• Professional development opportunities
• Dependent Care Reimbursement Plan
• Healthcare Reimbursement Account
• 457 Deferred Compensation Plan

The following benefits are also available to regular (full-time) employment and may be available to part-time employees:

• Retirement pension (TCDRS)
  • Flexible schedules (varies by department)
    • Transportation Assistance (Metro RideSponsor Program)

In accordance with the Harris County Personnel Regulations, Group Health and related benefits are subject to amendment or discontinuance at any time. Commissioners Court reserves the right to make benefit modifications on the County's behalf as needed.
For plan details, visit the Harris County benefits website:
01
Which of the following best describes your highest level of education completed as it relates to this position?

• High School or GED diploma
• Associate Degree
• Bachelor's Degree
• Master's Degree or higher
• None of the above

02
If you selected a college degree in response to the previous question, which of the following best describes your major?

• Engineering
• Other Related Field
• Unrelated Field
• N/A; No Degree

03
Please describe your educational background including level of education completed, area of study and completed major and minor programs.
04
Which of the following best describes your verifiable professional experience in project management or design of engineering/architectural projects in a professional team or resource group?(To be considered, qualifying experience must be documented in your application's employment history)

• Less than five (5) years
• Five (5) years but less than six (6) years
• Six (6) years but less than seven (7) years
• Seven (7) years or more
• I do not have this experience

05
Please provide details about your verifiable professional experience in project management or design of engineering/architectural projects in a professional team or resource group.Do not use "Please see Resume" or "See Resume"(To be considered, qualifying experience must be documented in your application's employment history)Please include your (a) role(s), (b) types of organizations, (c) scope of duties and responsibilitiesIf you do not have this experience, please type "None" in the space provided.
06
Do you have ADA Compliance and Building Code knowledge?

• Yes
• No

07
Do you have knowledge and ability to use AutoCAD?

• Yes
• No

08
Which of the following describes your level of proficiency using a personal computer and common office software such as MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook). Please select your level of proficiency based on the following descriptions:Advanced:A person with this level of skills is able to produce very large, complex formal documents that require a table of contents, footnotes, endnotes, bookmarks, and other special elements; a wide range of graphic effects, and use advanced techniques for analyzing and manipulating data. Has full mastery of Macro commands and skills to tie the objects together into a cohesive system by using Macros and Visual Basic for Applications code. Makes interactive presentations by using hyperlinks and action buttons.Intermediate:A person with this level of skills is able to customize toolbars, import and insert graphs, embed Excel data, and elaborate reports. Understands the concepts of databases and is able to work with charts and to use the list management capabilities of Excel. Able to use complex query techniques, create efficient forms and reports, and create Macros to automate these forms. Makes interactive presentations by using hyperlinks and action buttons.Basic:A person with this level of skills is able to use basic formatting, editing, printing functions, and understands the document page setup. Has the ability to enter and correct data, modify a workbook, format a worksheet, and use printing functions. Understands the different database concepts and structures and is familiar with data validation and is able to create a simple presentation in PowerPoint, run it, and print it.Entry Level:A person with this level of skills has the ability to open, create, save and modify documents in Word, send and receive email in Outlook and create spreadsheets in Excel. Format documents for printing, comfortable using the printer menu to preview documents. Has ability to change the font, the margins, insert or delete pages and use the built-in spellchecker and grammar check.

• Advanced
• Intermediate
• Basic
• Entry Level
• Not proficient

09
This role requires a Valid Driver's License (Texas upon hire)Do you have a Valid Driver's License?

• Yes, I have a Valid Texas Driver's License
• Yes, I have a Valid Driver's License but understand I must obtain a Valid Texas Driver's License prior to start date
• No, I'm not interested

10
Are you a current/previous employee of the Harris County Engineering Department?Qualifying information must be documented in the Experience section of your application.

• Yes - Currently employed
• Yes - Formerly employed
• No - Never employed by HCED

Required Question