General Description

Posting Type: This posting is ONLY open for Dakota County Government employees.

Department: Transportation

Hours: Full-time

Location: Western Service Center, Apple Valley

Union: None

Salary Range: 108 or 109

Posting Close Date: 4:30 pm on Thursday, November 5, 2026

What You'll Do

The Dakota County Transportation Department is currently seeking candidates to fill a Project Manager or Senior Project Manager position in the Project Management Engineering unit. Project Managers at Dakota County communicate and act as the project spokesperson to internal staff, external stakeholders, partner agencies, and the County Board on issues related to the project including design, right of way, environmental approvals, and public engagement. Incumbent must balance project needs, scope, time, cost, risk, and quality while maintaining a positive project environment to lead and manage diverse customer and stakeholder expectations. Incumbent represents County interests in plans and projects for Trunk Highway, transit and multi-modal planning and operations led by state, regional, and local agencies. Provides general work direction, assists in project planning, budget preparation, work plan development, and project monitoring throughout the entire project lifecycle. This is a promotion, lateral, or voluntary demotion opportunity and is ONLY open to current Dakota County Government employees. Internal applicants are being asked to complete supplemental questions; however, will not be scored based on the responses. If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be certified to the hiring department.

Minimum Qualifications

The minimum qualifications listed below are written at the Project Manager level. You must meet these minimum requirements in order to continue in the recruitment and selection process.

• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineer, Planning or a closely related field AND 1 year of Transportation project management work experience.
• OR Associates degree in Civil Engineering Technology or a closely related field and 3 years of Transportation project management work experience.
• OR An equivalent combination of education and direct Transportation project management work experience to equal or exceed 5 years.
• AND Valid driver's license.

PREFERRED EDUCATION BEYOND MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Direct work experience related to transportation project management, multi-modal, transportation planning, or transportation design.
• A degree in civil engineering with potential to obtain professional licensure. This position will be supervised by a Professional Engineer allowing for Engineer’s in Training to fulfill requirements to obtain professional licensure.
• An advanced degree in related fields is desirable.

Duties & Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities listed below are for the Project Manager position in both units. These do not include all possible tasks in this work and do not limit the assignment of related tasks in any position of this classification. To see the Senior Project Manager duties and responsibilities view the position description linked above.

1. Represents the County during the study phase, preliminary design or final design process for construction projects by reviewing proposed layouts, plans and specifications.
2. Manage consultant design progress and professional service expenditures and regularly reviews design elements and budget compliance.
3. Coordinate internal review of studies and plans by transportation functional areas, collate review comments and participate in the value engineering, cost estimating and cost adjustment process.
4. Negotiates and in timely manner processes requests for change orders or contract amendments for professional design services.
5. Coordinates with local, regional, State, and Federal agencies and utility companies to obtain required approvals, permits, and agreements.
6. Facilitates environmental studies and documentation in accordance with accepted NEPA and MEQB procedures and practices.
7. Communicates current project information to internal Transportation staff and to external stakeholders through a variety of forums. Conduct regular project meetings with Project teams.
8. Coordinate and lead Public Involvement Program for the project. Act as County spokesperson on design and right of way issues.
9. Participates in professional service contract selection process and coordinates the preparation and execution of contracts.
10. Coordinates the County's efforts in obtaining State/Federal funding for the project and provides status reports to administering authority on regular basis.

Essential Functions

1. Knowledge of transportation and engineering principles and practices and their application in the public sector.
2. Knowledge of Federal and State highway preliminary design and final design standards, rules, and environmental regulations and specifications.
3. Ability to analyze and interpret construction plans and specifications.
4. Ability to communicate and present ideas orally and in writing.
5. Ability to coordinate and address multiple priorities and issues.
6. Effective interpersonal skills with emphasis on communication of ideas and technical information to all levels of organization verbally and in writing.
7. Proven ability to complete projects under budget and within schedule.
8. Strong problem solving skills.
9. Considerable knowledge of multi-modal transportation elements including best practices for improving mobility and safety for all modes including bicycling, walking, driving, and transit.
10. Experience in preparation of written, visual, and graphic materials, and the presentation of materials to public groups, committees and general public.
11. Direct experience in effectively leading discussions and facilitating meetings.
12. Ability to lead and manage multiple tasks and priorities of varying complexity ranging from preparing agendas, creating materials for formal resolutions and/or board actions, and organizing meetings to manage daily elements of project grants or contracts with consultant and other governmental entities.
13. Strong knowledge of computer programs including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and a general understanding of land use mapping and transportation modeling programs.

Work Environment

Work is performed in a County office building. Some travel is required. Lifting requirement of up to 20 pounds on an occasional basis. Occasional outside work below 0F° and above 100°F. Equipment used may include, but is not limited to, laptop, printer, calculator, telephone, and copy machines.

Location & Schedule

This is a hybrid position that offers a mix of telework and in-person work at our Western Service Center in Apple Valley, MN. Work is performed Monday through Friday during regular business hours (8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)

Benefits

Comprehensive and affordable medical, dental, vision, and other benefits Excellent work-life balance Generous paid time off (accrual rate starts at four weeks per year) Eleven paid holidays each year Pension with a generous employer contribution Ability to work from home some of the time

Selection Process

You submit an online application that includes supplemental questions We assign you a score based on your qualifications Top scoring candidates are referred to the hiring manager for interview consideration We conduct background and reference checks before hiring