Water Utility Engineer - Planning & Development Review

JOB LOCATION

Aurora, Colorado 80016-2946

City of Aurora, Colorado

It is an exciting time to work for the City of Aurora, we're growing and looking for dedicated and collaborative individuals to join our team of talented and valued employees. Excellent organizations have a set of principles, or core values, that are used to implement their mission and vision. Those values represent the touchstone for the organization, guiding the decisions of the individuals and the organization. At the City of Aurora, we demonstrate our excellence by modeling the CORE 4 Values of:Integrity,Respect, Professionalism, andCustomer Service, and we welcome all who share these values to apply.

Why Work for Aurora?

• Make a difference in the lives of real people every day
• Diverse community
• Competitive total compensation package
• Well-Funded General Employees Retirement Plan
• Light rail station minutes away
• On-site fitness center and overall employee well-being programs Internal educational programs to assist with career advancement
• Access to innovation workspaces

PRIMARY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

The deadline to submit applications is November 22nd, 2026. Please note, The City of Aurora will conduct ongoing screenings of applications on a first come, first-serve basis; as soon as we determine to have a qualified pool of applicants, this position may close quickly and without notice. 

Overview of Department / Position:  

Aurora Water is responsible for providing life sustaining services to the residents, visitors, and businesses of Aurora. We plan, design, operate, and maintain the drinking water, sanitary sewer, and storm drainage systems throughout the City.  Our major infrastructure includes three potable water treatment facilities (totaling over 200 million gallons per day), a reclaimed water treatment facility, over three dozen pump stations, lift stations, and a source-of-supply system containing reservoirs, large diameter pipelines and tunnels. Aurora Water’s mission is to enhance and protect the quality of life for Aurora citizens by providing safe, dependable, and sustainable water, sewer, and stormwater services, today and in the future.  

The Utility Engineer will be responsible for the engineering and technical tasks primarily supporting Aurora Water's Planning and Development Review Teams. These responsibilities include review of residential, commercial and public works project plans, reports and other development related documents for compliance with Aurora Water Standards.  

A successful candidate for this position could be brought on at the Engineer I, or Engineer II level depending on the selected candidate's qualifications, skills, and experience.  

Salary to be commensurate with experience.   

Engineer I:

• Hiring Range: $73,547 - $91,933 annually
• Full Salary Range: $73,547 - $114,917 annually

Engineer II:

• Hiring Range: $80,901 - $101,126 annually
• Fully Salary Range: $80,901 - $126,408 annually

Engineer I Primary Duties & Responsibilities:  

• Review water, sanitary, and storm components in development applications and civil plans for compliance with City standards, manuals, and codes, participating in page‑turn review meetings with Supervisor. 

• Use established checklists to verify project completeness and compliance.  

• Apply introductory knowledge of Water, Sanitary, and Storm Specifications and the Erosion Control Manuals during plan reviews.  

• Respond to inquiries received through the Water Engineering inbox by conducting appropriate research and coordinating with Supervisor when needed.  

• Locate, review, and organize records required to respond to CORA requests.  

• Perform other duties as assigned. 

  Engineer II Primary Duties & Responsibilities:  

• Review water, sanitary, and storm components in development applications and civil plans for compliance with City standards, manuals, and codes, participating in page‑turn review meetings with Supervisor.  

• Use checklists to assess completeness and compliance of submitted projects.  

• Apply foundational knowledge of Water, Sanitary, and Storm Specifications and the Erosion Control Manuals during reviews.  

• Attend internal and external project meetings and represent the utility review function.  

• Conduct pre‑acceptance reviews of civil plan submittals to determine completeness and compliance based on published checklists. 

• Perform other duties as assigned. 

The listed primary duties and responsibilities are not a comprehensive list of expectations for the job. Duties and responsibilities may change at any time with or without notice.  

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS & WORKING CONDITIONS

An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience that demonstrates required knowledge, skills, and abilities may be considered.  

Education:  

• Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, or a directly related field from an ABET accredited program 

Experience:   

• Engineer I: No Experience Required.  

• Engineer II: Two (2) years of relevant experience performing engineering calculations.

Licenses and Certifications:  

• Engineer I: Certification as an Engineering Intern or Engineer In Training (EI or EIT) or the ability to obtain within 6 months of employment. 

• Engineer II: CurrentEngineering Intern or Engineer in Training (EI or EIT) Certification  

Preferred Qualifications:

• 2 years of professional level experience, preferably in projects related to water, sewer and storm drain projects. 

• Experience with applications required to perform job functions (MS Platform, SharePoint, MS Teams, Bluebeam, and AMANDA if applicable). 

Knowledge: 

• Knowledge of engineering drawings, calculations, specifications and project management, contract administration and procurement rules, department policies and procedures. 

• General proficiency in MS Office products. 

Skills:   

• Technical writing and reading skills 

• Strong analytical and interpersonal skills  

• Strong organizational skills  

• Strong communication and professional writing skills 

Abilities:   

• Ability to interact with outside agencies and jurisdictions 

• Ability to learn, document, and apply technical criteria 

• Ability to read, review, and write technical documentation 

• Ability to work independently and self-manage tasks, and work with a team 

• Ability to effectively communicate with supervisor, teammates, contractors, consultants, and/or developers 

WORKING CONDITIONS  

Essential Personnel:  

• When a local announcement of emergency or disaster is declared by the City, all City of Aurora employees may be required to work as essential personnel. 

Physical Demands: 

• Sedentary physical work requiring the ability to lift a maximum of 10 pounds  

• Occasional lifting, carrying, walking, and standing  

• Vision sufficient to read computer screens, printouts, and related documents  

• Dexterity to operate a computer system and other related equipment  

• Speech communication and hearing to maintain communication with employees and residents  

• Endurance sufficient to sit and work at a computer for long periods of time  

• Occasional hand/eye and hand/foot coordination for inspection of equipment and facilities  

• Rarely performs activities requiring a full range of body movement including bending, stooping, kneeling, pushing, pulling, climbing 

• Hearing/listening to identify issues 

Work Environment: 

• Primarily works in a clean, comfortable environment   

• The work environment may include occasional field visits to construction sites or Aurora Water facilities (reservoirs, pipelines, pump stations, tunnels, facilities, etc.) 

Equipment Used: 

• This position may require the incumbent to occasionally use personal equipment (e.g. vehicle, cell phone, tools, etc.) during their employment. 

The city of Aurora will implement furlough days (unpaid days off) for most employees in 2026. The scheduled furlough dates are January 16, April 10, July 2, and December 24.

For Veterans preference:  Please show all of your employment history, including military service and related documentation (DD214) on the application.
           
The City of Aurora is an equal opportunity employer.  We are required by state and federal agencies to keep certain statistical records on applicants.  It will not be used in any way to discriminate against you because of your sex, race, age, sexual orientation, creed, national origin, disability or military status, gender identity, unless related to a bona fide occupational qualification as defined by the Colorado Civil Rights Commission and the Equal Opportunity Commission.
                                         
Despite the changes in Colorado law, the City of Aurora maintains a drug-free workplace.  A positive test of marijuana is grounds for disqualification and ineligibility for employment with the city for one year or termination once hired.
 

Drug Testing, Thorough Criminal Background Check, and Employment References:
As a condition of employment, all applicants selected for employment with the City of Aurora must undergo a thorough criminal background check. 

Applicants selected for safety-sensitive positions are required to complete and pass a drug screening as a condition of employment. Safety sensitive positions include Civil Service positions within Police and Fire Departments and positions where their job responsibilities have direct and substantial responsibility that would impact the health and safety of others.  

Employment references will be conducted on finalists for City of Aurora vacancies.

Notice Regarding Colorado Identification Document Protections (HB26‑1283)
As part of the employment eligibility verification process, the city of Aurora may request government-issued identification documents as permitted by law. Original identification documents will be reviewed only as necessary for employment eligibility verification and will not be retained longer than permitted by law. Applicants will retain possession and control of their original identification documents except for any temporary retention permitted or required by law.