Deputy Bureau Chief of Highways (Engineering Manager I) - Public Works, Bureau of Highways at Howard County Government, MD

About the Department

Howard County:

Conveniently located in the heart of central Maryland between Baltimore and Washington, Howard County offers the charm of a historic past mixed with the excitement of a cosmopolitan community.

Howard County Government:

Howard County Government is a leader in innovation, best practices and sustainability. It is consistently ranked as one of the best places to live and work in the country. In 2025, Howard County Government received a record-breaking 83 Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo) – the most awards in the state of Maryland, and the fifth highest in the nation, as compared to more than 3000 counties. NACo Achievement Awards are the premier national honor to recognize innovative and transformative programs that provide new services for county residents, improve existing programs, upgrade working conditions, and enhance citizen participation and public policy making. 

What are we looking for?

We are looking for outstanding individuals to join our team and contribute to excellence in Howard County operations.

What you'll like most about working at Howard County Government:

• We are committed to workplace excellence in every area of County government.  
• We have a highly talented, diverse, and inclusive workplace. Your input will not only be heard, but it will be encouraged!  
• We offer competitive compensation and great benefits including medical, retirement, and wellness programs. 
• As a member of the Howard County Government team, you'll be helping drive our culture and directly impact what makes us an amazing place to work.

POSITION SUMMARY:

This position manages the technical, engineering, operational aspects of the Bureau of Highways as well as the support functions to include administrative, operating and capital budgeting, managing requirements contracts and purchasing for the Bureau. This individual performs the duties of the Bureau Chief during the Chief's absence.
 

CLASS DESCRIPTION:

Performs mid-management level and advanced engineering and/or architectural work under general supervision from an administrative or technical superior. Work involves managing the administrative, technical and budgetary affairs of a division or overseeing the activities of the Bureau of Facilities. Work includes preparing and maintaining an operating budget; projecting manpower needs, materials, and equipment; plans review, and resolving the most difficult engineering and/or architectural design problems.

Position Duties

Act on behalf and for the Bureau Chief of Highways in every facet of that job including highways operations and maintenance, planning, emergency response, budgeting and accounting.

Responsible for coordination of various roadway maintenance tasks along County roadways, and engineering supervision of the Bureau's daily operations.
 
Responsible for reviewing Road Construction Plans, Site Development Plans, and other engineering drawings. Also responsible to coordinate with other Bureaus within the Department of Public Works, other County and State Agencies/Departments as needed to resolve conflicts. 

Coordinates with all Divisions and Maintenance Shops within the Bureau on a regular basis to ensure maintenance tasks and Capital projects are completed on time. 

 Assist the Bureau Chief with the development of Capital and Operating Budgets for the Bureau. 

Works with Project Managers, Highways Zone Superintendents, and Supervisors to develop and track KPI’s for all maintenance activities within the Bureau. 

Assists with updating the Bureau’s Standard Operating Procedures, Bureau’s webpage. Also conducts research on new technologies and tools to improve the efficiency of Roadway maintenance tasks and operations. 

Manages special projects or tasks as needed. 

Coordinates the purchasing, accounting, and budgeting function for the Bureau.
 
 Manages the Bureau's emergency response and planning programs related to all emergency events.
 
 Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws. 
 
 Interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.
 
This position is considered emergency personnel, and, as such, the incumbent may be required to report for regular work shift during inclement weather, or then when an emergency situation arises.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Supervises a Senior Administrative Analyst who manages the administrative functions and three Operations Superintendents who manage the field maintenance operations. Responsible for the overall direction, coordination, and evaluation of these units. 

Minimum Qualifications

The individual should possess a thorough knowledge of civil engineering practices and principles, traffic engineering, hydrology, hydraulics, and administrative and budget management methods and techniques.

This position requires skill in interpreting and analyzing engineering designs, plans and specifications as well as being able to do complex design work to include detailed specifications.

Two years experience in supervising technical and support personnel.


While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; strenuous climbing, balancing; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; talk or hear; and taste or smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions; moving mechanical parts; high, precarious places; outside weather conditions; extreme cold; extreme heat; risk of electrical shock; and vibration. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.


Ability to read, analyze, and interpret common scientific and technical journals, financial reports, and legal documents. Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from customers, regulatory agencies, or members of the business community. Ability to write speeches and articles for publication that conform to prescribed style and format. Ability to effectively present information to top management, public groups, and/or boards of directors.

Ability to apply advanced mathematical concepts such as exponents, logarithms, quadratic equations, and permutations. Ability to apply mathematical operations to such tasks as frequency distribution, determination of test reliability and validity, analysis of variance, correlation techniques, sampling theory, and factor analysis.

Ability to define problems, collects data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

Other Qualifications

State of Maryland Registered Professional Engineer.

Class C Maryland Driver's License or equivalent issued by state of residence

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