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officially "Environmental protection engineer III"  we are project managers, however they are telling us to ignore the $ side of things so i guess that makes us technical managers instead then

 
Operations & Maintenance Engineer

Before that, Senior Engineer

 
I wanted "chief engineer" just because it sounded so good, and I was acting chief for several months, but my funding agency changed the grant rules on me mid-stream (actually didn't change them but just started enforcing them) and I was no longer able to fill that job, because I wouldn't be working exclusively on projects funded by my grant. Government is frustratingly stupid sometimes.

 
The City of Los Angeles has on the order of a dozen varieties of "Engineering Associate," depending on the particular discipline of engineering being practiced. My title is Fire Protection Engineering Associate.

The career ladder is generally:

Engineering Associate I = temporary training position not to exceed 3 years

Engineering Associate II = journey level position, automatically promote to this level after 2 years if you have your EIT certificate. Without a PE, this is generally as high as you get.

Engineering Associate III = supervisor (hourly, still eligible for OT, minimal authority), requires a PE

Engineering Associate IV = "non-supervisory technical expert," usually requires a PE (at Department's discretion)

Engineer or Building Engineer I = first salary/exempt level of management, directly supervises Engineering Associates, requires a PE

Senior Engineer or Building Engineer II = middle management, directly supervises Engineers, requires a PE

Higher positions than this are usually only found in the Department of Public Works: Bureau of Engineering and in the Department of Building and Safety, typically:

Principal Engineer (BOE) or Assistant Deputy Superintendent of Building (DBS) = management position, requires PE, may require SE

Deputy City Engineer (BOE) or Deputy Superintendent of Building (DBS) = executive position equivalent to Assistant General Manager, requires PE, usually requires SE

City Engineer (BOE) or Superintendent of Building (DBS) = General Manager of a City Department. PE required; the DBS position explicitly requires an SE registration.

Only the Engineering Associate levels are eligible to earn overtime pay. EA I and II levels can reasonably anticipate adding 10% to 15% on top of their base pay. EA III and IV levels have the potential to add 25% to 50% or more to their base pay. In these cases, they will typically earn more than at least the first two levels of management that supervise them. The "Holy Grail" of financial opportunities is the Engineering Associate/Project Manager classifications, if/when those are authorized. As legitimate Engineering Associates, they're still eligible to earn OT. As project managers, their base pay at EA/PM1 is equivalent to Engineer or Building Engineer I, at EA/PM2 is slightly better than Senior Engineer or Building Engineer II, and at EA/PM3 exceeds even what a Principal Engineer will earn. Add OT to those salaries and you can end up with gross pay in excess of a quarter million per year, which puts you in line with the General Manager of some City Departments.
Complicated!  I think ours is:  Assistant Eng, Assoc Eng, Senior Eng, Principal Eng, Assistant City Eng, City Eng. 

 
Hired on as Engineer I, moved to Engineer II, and now am Assistant Director of Public Works.

I think once I get my PE (I apply this March) and maybe a bit more experience (not sure what requirements are) I will move to City Engineer.

Our City Engineer moved up to Director of Public Works so now that position is empty, but still handled by him... or us.

 
County Engineer.  

Should really be "Chief Cook, Bottle-washer, and trash-taker".

 
I'm now an Environmental Engineer II. Same pay as a "Sr. Engineer."

 

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