Description
THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES
The City of Los Angeles is a world-class city with a vibrant, diverse economy and an unparalleled quality of life. Los Angeles is the second largest city in the United States and has a multi-ethnic population of approximately 4 million. Los Angeles is one of the largest economies, financial entities, and trade centers in the country. It is a trend-setting global metropolis with a fascinating history and a rich cultural heritage. The city prides itself on its ethnic diversity, with an estimated 200 languages spoken. As one of the world’s great cities, Los Angeles will host the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, some of which will occur at the Convention Center.
THE CITY ORGANIZATION
Los Angeles is a charter city, governed by the Mayor and the City Council. The City Council serves full-time and has fifteen members elected by district. The other two elected officials of the City are the Controller and City Attorney. The City’s elected officials serve four-year terms. Volunteer Commissions consisting of prominent business and community leaders, appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council, oversee several City departments and bureaus.
The City has over 40 departments, bureaus, and offices for which funds are budgeted annually by the Mayor and City Council. In addition, the City has three proprietary (enterprise) departments (the Departments of Water and Power, Harbor, and Airports), governed by Commissions, which are financed solely by revenue generated from their operations.
As part of a historic new era, Karen Bass began her first four-year term as 43rd Mayor of the City of Los Angeles on December 11, 2022, as the first woman and second African American to be elected as the City’s chief executive.
THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS, BUREAU OF ENGINEERING
The Bureau of Engineering is under the broad umbrella of the Department of Public Works. Public Works is the City’s third largest department and is comprised of more than 5,000 employees who are responsible for the construction, renovation, and operation of City facilities and infrastructure, as well as the delivery of public safety and environmental programs. The Department of Public Works consists of the following:
Board of Public Works (Governing Body)
Bureau of Contract Administration
Bureau of Engineering
Bureau of Sanitation
Bureau of Street Lighting
Bureau of Street Services
In partnership with private consultants and contractors, the Bureau of Engineering designs and constructs public projects such as libraries, fire stations, police stations, animal facilities, streets, bridges, streetlights, water reclamation plants, sewers, and sidewalks. The Bureau of Engineering also oversees permitting of construction within the Public Right-of-Way.
The City Engineer, the head of the Bureau of Engineering (BOE), has responsibility for a total staff of more than 800 within the BOE, an annual salary budget exceeding $100 million, and a capital project portfolio of about 500 projects with a construction budget of about $5 billion, excluding the Convention Center Expansion and Modernization project. The top priority for the City Engineer is workforce development with a people first approach. The second priority, as a result of a large growth in the capital project portfolio in recent years, has been to utilize strong project management skills to rebalance our program schedules to match the resources available while reflecting City priorities and to create a more controlled project intake process in order to reliably deliver to our schedules in priority order.
THE POSITION FOR DEPUTY CITY ENGINEER FOR THE CONVENTION CENTER EXPANSION AND MODERNIZATION PROJECT
This Deputy City Engineer will lead the day-to-day Convention Center Expansion and Modernization Project (Project) as approved by City Council and the Board of Public Works, reporting to the City Engineer, in order to effectively deliver this very large, ~$2B construction value, design/build Project under a tight schedule. The Deputy will provide leadership to the Principal Civil Engineer and their staff who are the City delivery team for the Bureau of Engineering. This staff is approximately 40 people, a blended team of City employees and consultants.
The Deputy City Engineer will interface daily with the City’s development partner called AEG Plenary Conventions Los Angeles (APCLA), with the joint venture construction team called the PCL Webcor Joint Venture (PWJV), and with the architecture and design team for the PWJV, led by Populous. The Deputy City Engineer will be responsible for monitoring and reporting on all aspects of the Project at various public and private settings, and in briefings to City leaders and policy makers, including the Mayor, the City Administrative Officer, the Chief Legislative Analyst, the President of the City Council, the Board of Public Works, City Council Committees, full City Council, and oversight committees.
The Deputy City Engineer will be responsible for the relationships with all the City permitting agencies involved with the Project to assure timely action, with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power on their design and construction work necessary for the Project, and with all outside agencies having jurisdiction over the Project, which includes the California Department of Transportation and Los Angeles County Public Health.
The Deputy City Engineer will also be the primary point of contact for the Project with our client the Los Angeles Tourism Department on project scope and on the operations of the Convention Center during construction, and with LA 28 for coordination on Olympics related matters as relates to the design and construction.
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
The current salary range for the Deputy City Engineer at the Bureau of Engineering, Department of Public Works is $176,227 to $257,659 per year. This compensation is scheduled to be incrementally increased for a total of approximately 12% between 2026 and 2028. This position is also eligible for bonuses of up to 13.75% at the discretion of the City Engineer.
A highly competitive benefits package includes an independent retirement plan to which both the employee and the City contribute; a multi-option deferred compensation plan; generous vacation and sick leave; 13 paid holidays per year; a flexible benefits plan including multi-option health, dental, and vision coverage; and family and domestic partner leave. Reimbursement of relocation expenses may be considered.
How to apply
Interested candidates should apply by sending a comprehensive resume, cover letter of interest explaining most relevant expertise for this project, and three work-related references with contact information via email to elizabeth.m.torres@lacity.org. References will not be contacted until mutual interest is established. All completed submissions will be acknowledged via email. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Note: When emailing your application material, the subject line should be “Deputy City Engineer – LA Convention Center Expansion and Modernization Project”.
Submissions from interested candidates will be accepted until November 26, 2025 at 3 pm.
THE SELECTION PROCESS
Submissions will be screened against the criteria listed here. Upon submission of the application documents, applicants may be asked to provide additional information regarding size and scope of current responsibilities, major professional accomplishments, and other unique and qualifying experience.
The most qualified applicants will be invited to participate in a formal interview process with the City of Los Angeles. Questions and confidential inquiries may be referred to elizabeth.m.torres@lacity.org.
Executive
High level executive job opportunities requiring various degrees of managerial or administrative experience. Executives normally manage major functions in one of the City's many operating departments.
Requirements
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
Top candidates will thrive in a fast-paced and dynamic environment with a commitment to industry best practices. The top candidate will oversee one Division with approximately 40 full-time combined City and consultant staff led by a Division Manager, a Principal Civil Engineer. The successful candidate will be a results-driven professional with a verifiable career history in related projects.
Professional Experience Should Ideally Include, Though Not Be Limited To:
Significant experience leading large teams, composed of both internal employees and other external consultants.
Significant experience working on large, complex Design-Build projects.
Demonstrated leader in program and construction management for capital projects.
Demonstrated ability to meet construction milestone deadlines and deliver projects within budget.
Significant experience with vertical construction.
Significant experience with project management, construction management and with the negotiation of change orders and schedule changes on large projects.
Significant experience with developing, complying with and interpreting project agreements, detailed project schedules, technical requirements, and design intentions.
Significant experience collaborating with legal advisors.
Significant experience reporting and presenting to policy and oversight committees and translating their directions into action.
Significant experience collaborating with Authorities Having Jurisdiction for vertical construction, and with multiple client agencies.
The ideal candidate for this position of Deputy City Engineer will have a thorough working knowledge of engineering principles, project scope and budgetary planning, project agreement development and interpretation, budget and resource management, as well as design and construction management principles and practices for vertical construction in a design/build context. Top candidates will provide leadership that will help foster a collaborative culture as well as inspire, motivate, and empower staff to achieve established goals. Additionally, the successful candidate will be politically savvy and a collaborative leader capable of thriving in a fast-paced environment. Finally, the ideal candidate will be thoroughly knowledgeable of modern vertical design and construction approaches for safe and effective Project delivery.
DESIRED CHARACTERISTICS
Effective leadership skills and the ability to situationally adapt their leadership style when appropriate in order to achieve high morale and productivity.
A constant desire for process improvement and the skills to implement change effectively.
Excellent problem-solving skills, coupled with superior analytical skills.
Experience in directly advocating Project resolution options to executives and elected officials.
A broad interdisciplinary and technical background related to vertical design and construction, and to construction administration in a design/build context.
Involvement with professional organizations or similar groups to stay current on modern project delivery practices and standards.
Excellent skills in developing and maintaining client relationships and professional relationships.
Strong organizational management abilities to assist the Bureau of Engineering in achieving its commitment to deliver the Project on time and within budget.
Knowledge of or an interest in City administrative policies and procedures.
Knowledge of City, State and Federal regulations governing the Project.
Ability to work independently with initiative and a strong sense of responsibility for the Project.
QUALIFYING EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
Education – Graduation from a recognized and accredited four-year college or university with a Bachelor’s degree, preferably in Civil Engineering or a related field. A Master’s degree in Civil Engineering or a closely related field is welcomed.
Professional Engineer License – Registration/licensure with the California State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers as a Civil Engineer is required.
Experience – Two years with the City of Los Angeles at the level of Principal Civil Engineer.
Or:
For those not currently employed with the City of Los Angeles, two years of experience serving as administrative and technical head of a major building construction project or a closely related major engineering construction project.
