County benefits include: Vacation, ESST leave, personal time, 11 paid holidays, health insurance, $20,000 life insurance policy, Public Employee Retirement (PERA), $60/month cell phone allowance and a monthly VEBA/HSA contribution. Elective benefits include dental, vision, long-term disability, short-term disability, hospital, accident and critical care coverage. The county also offers medical/dependent care flex as well as three deferred compensation plans that are available if you choose. This position is eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

Preferred Education:

4 Year Degree

Cottonwood County is currently accepting applications for the position of a full-time Public Works Director/County Engineer. This position, under administrative direction, manages and directs the activities of the Public Works Department, including the functions of engineering, parks, equipment maintenance, construction, maintenance of highways, and solid waste. This position works in conjunction with various personnel to develop annual and long-range plans as well as operating and capital budgets. This position will serve as the principal communicator for the Cottonwood County Public Works Department. The position is the Engineer of Record for Cottonwood County.

REPRESENTATIVE DUTIES:

The Public Works Director/County Engineer supervises and evaluates assigned staff:

• Directs and supervises the activities and functions of the Public Works Department and its support staff. This includes but is not limited to hiring, transfer, suspension, layoff, recall, promotion, discharge, assignment and reward;

• Manages employee concerns; directs work assignments, and counsels/disciplines employees, when necessary;

• Provides on-going departmental employee training and development; ensures self and staff is obtaining appropriate continuing education;

• Directs activities of workers engaged in public works; trains staff in proper methods; informs on new policies; reviews work to ensure consistency;

• Prepares and approves evaluations of employees in the Public Works Department as scheduled.

Carries out specific duties associated with the position:

• Responsible for overall road infrastructure maintenance and development for the County; manages County construction projects within timelines and budget priorities; directs the design of construction projects; approves construction plans; prepares and submits annual report to County Board; prepares and approves funding applications; directs right-of-way acquisitions and dispositions;

• Prepares and administers the annual operating budgets for engineering, maintenance, parks, and solid waste management programs; meets and confers with various local political officials as well as state and federal representatives to ensure activity and program coordination; pursues and obtains additional funding for County projects dealing with safety and enhancements;

• Directs, plans, and approves bridge and highway maintenance and inspection; prepares and plans construction programming; prepares and approves permit applications;

• Implements County Board policy, documenting and reporting results and alternatives; prepares recommendations to the County Board for policy and long term planning decisions; provides assistance to the Board in all divisions as assigned;

• Provides direction to the various administrative functions of divisions; directs and approves contract administration; prepares, plans, and manages the department budget; monitors compliance with union contracts and personnel policies; provides input on the provisions of union contracts;

• Receives, reviews and prepares reports including; time sheets; personnel evaluations, permit applications, construction plans/programs, annual reports, contract proposals, construction design manuals, work orders, bid estimates, accident reports, ordinances and statutes, budgets, maintenance and structural reports.

Serves as the principle communicator for the Public Works Department:

• Oversees, investigates and addresses complaints, requests or inquiries from the general public pertaining to the departmental services or programs;

• Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with professionals in the public works and civil engineering fields; confers and exchanges information with such individuals as appropriate;

• Plans and directs development and communication of information designed to keep community informed of projects and services of the department;

• Coordinates information provided to the public, other governmental agencies and interested parties as appropriate; ensures information is accurate and complete; complies with appropriate laws, rules and regulations; makes presentations before various regional and local boards, commissions, civic and community groups to promote regional public works and infrastructure improvements;

• Coordinates with appropriate agencies, public and elected officials to meet the needs of the County as directed.

Performs work based on expected standards:

• Exercises teamwork with other county employees and management in carrying out the shared mission of serving the public;

• Follows workplace safety rules and notifies management of observed risks in a timely manner;

• Maintains the confidentiality of data that is protected by law.

KNOWLEDGE, ABILITY AND SKILLS:

• Knowledge of professional principles, practices, and procedures of civil engineering and project management;

• Federal, state, and local regulations and laws regarding the design, construction, and maintenance of highway, public drainage and other public works systems;

• Effective supervisory and leadership capabilities;

• Skills to utilize mathematical formulas; add and subtract; multiply and divide totals; determine percentages; perform complex calculations involving variables, formulas, square roots, and polynomials; perform statistical calculations which include frequency distributions, reliability, and validity of tests and interpret same, as may be appropriate;

• Ability to efficiently utilize time and resources available to complete tasks and meet strict deadlines and budgets; ability to multitask between diverse duties;

• Ability to manage workload assignments to direct staff and cooperate with third party partners to meet goals;

• Ability to read a variety of professional, technical and administrative documentation, directions, regulations, instructions, methods and procedures;

• Skills to produce reports with proper format, punctuation, spelling and grammar, using all parts of speech;

• Excellent interpersonal communication skills; ability to effectively communicate with people to convey or exchange professional information; ability to interact with people (i.e. staff, general public, and elected officials) beyond giving and/or receiving instructions; ability to effectively communicate with the public in an approachable, professional manner; ability to communicate effectively and efficiently in a variety of technical or professional languages including engineering and accounting terminology;

• Ability to handle unpredictable situations in public dealings in a manner which represents Cottonwood County and the Public Works Department in a positive fashion.

Minimum requirements for this position include a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering with a minimum five years of experience, including two years of supervisory experience in civil engineering or an equivalent combination of qualifying education and experience. Professional engineering registration as a civil engineer in the State of Minnesota is required. Possession of a valid State of Minnesota driver’s license is required.

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About Cottonwood County, MN

Cottonwood County, MN is currently looking to fill the position of Public Works Director/Engineer. Cottonwood County is located in Southwestern Minnesota. The county seat of Cottonwood County is Windom, MN. Cottonwood County has a population of approximately 11,500 people. Cottonwood County employs 95 full and part-time employees. The Public Works Department is responsible for maintaining 416 miles of County, State Aid, Township and City Roads.

Connections working at Cottonwood County, MN

https://careers.nrcma.org/jobs/22301990/public-works-director-engineer

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