Serves as the designated area engineer coordinating the engineering activities within a DNR Management Area. OR, as a registered professional engineer, serves as a division staff specialist for the planning, design, maintenance, and replacement of the DNR road system (including bridges, culverts, retaining walls, and other structures) and/or timber harvest systems.

Supervises the Area's engineering unit; assists in establishing job criteria and selection methods for filling vacant positions; interviews job candidates and hires employees; trains employees; interprets merit system rules, collective bargaining contract and Department policies, communicates work standards and priorities; evaluates employees' work performance; counsels employees and recommends necessary corrective action;  

Schedules the assignment of personnel and equipment to maintain the Area's forest roads; advises local unit personnel of equipment use and procedures to follow to ensure compliance with road program specifications and Forest Practices Act;  

Provides professional and technical expertise to the Area's right-of-way forester;  

As a division staff specialist, provides Area engineering units with program expertise in planning, design, and execution of forest road or harvest system engineering projects;  

Reviews share cost road studies, attends road agreement meetings with private companies and Federal land managers, and negotiates road values with all parties involved in acquiring access;  

Acts as the Area's engineering expert on special applications and difficult forest practices, surface mining, and recreation trail bridge problems;  

Makes written recommendations of requirements for engineering projects within local units;  

Testifies in court on department engineering issues;  

Develops, designs, and delivers training to engineering personnel in all aspects of forest engineering:  road layout, construction staking, road cost estimates, surveying techniques, bridge inspections, culvert sizing, computer usage, logging and road planning and road maintenance techniques;  

Supervises the Area's professional land surveyor in the accomplishment of survey needs including establishing priority list, maintaining survey and monument files, setting corner monuments, filing land corner records with county, advising local unit personnel on survey type needed, ensuring Area compliance with Department survey policy and standards;  

Performs and supervises the performance of drainage studies for stream crossing structures;  

Reviews, assesses the feasibility, and makes technical recommendations to field personnel on all proposed road construction locations, harvest unit designs and choice of harvesting systems;  

Assists district managers in establishing and implementing their short-term unit work plans; consolidates transportation plans for the Area;  

Evaluates available software and hardware for their application to forest engineering problems; researches new computer applications to improve engineering efficiency; trains field engineers and others in computer applications;  

Develops and evaluates development by others of new methods, materials or equipment used in forest road or harvest system engineering, construction, and maintenance;  

Prepares standard specifications and instructions for engineering requirements on forest road and harvesting system location, design, construction, and maintenance; 

Performs other duties as required. 

Knowledge of:  principles, practices, and methods of forest engineering; efficient use of construction equipment; arithmetic, geometry, calculus and engineering formulas; surveying and mapping; cost estimating; hydraulics and hydraulic structures, and pipelines; materials testing; methods of stream measurement, including stream flow, water purity and scouring action.   

Ability to:  accomplish highest order of engineering in office or field; organize, direct, and supervise professional and sub-professional engineers; exercise sound, independent engineering judgment in solution of forest engineering problems; understand, carry out, and issue written and oral instructions; deal tactfully with public and with governmental and industrial officials; traverse rough terrain in all kinds of weather. 

There may be instances where individual positions must have additional licenses or certification. It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure the appropriate licenses/certifications are obtained for each position. 

One year as a Natural Resource Engineer 3.  

OR 

Two years as a Natural Resource Engineer 2.  

OR 

A Bachelor's degree in Forest Engineering and three years' engineering experience equivalent to the Natural Resource Engineer 2 level in harvest system design, forest transportation system design, or forest road construction/maintenance contract administration.  The following substitutions may be made for the education and experience requirements in this option: 

Registration as an Engineer-in-Training will substitute for education;  

Designation as a licensed land surveyor in Washington will substitute for one year of the required experience;  

Registration as a professional engineer in the state of Washington or another state based on registration requirements equivalent to those in Washington will substitute for either the education or experience requirements;  

Registration as a professional engineer in the branch of logging engineering in the state of Washington or another state based on registration requirements equivalent to those in Washington will substitute for both the education and experience requirements.   

Note:  Candidates using the substitution options must possess a minimum of one year of the required experience subsequent to registration as a professional engineer.  

Note:  Some area positions may require registration as a land surveyor or professional engineer.   

Note:  Requirements for professional registration as an engineer in the state of Washington are eight years of professional experience (which may include up to four years of college-level engineering education) and successful completion of sixteen hours of professional licensing exams.  Applicants qualifying through the licensing equivalency option must achieve professional registration as an engineer in the state of Washington within six months of appointment to this class.