Department:
Start Here. Grow Here. Stay Here.
Launch Your Engineering Career with Sarasota County
Ready to turn your engineering degree into a rewarding career and earn your Professional Engineer (PE) license in Florida? Sarasota County's Professional Engineering Development Program (PEDP) offers a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience, build technical expertise, and develop the leadership skills needed for long-term success.
Through this four-year rotational program, you'll work alongside experienced professionals and contribute to meaningful projects that enhance the community while gaining exposure to multiple engineering disciplines, including:
• Capital Projects
• Stormwater
• Transportation
• Public Utilities
• Planning & Development Services
As a Technical Specialist in the PEDP, you'll receive structured mentorship, professional development, and practical experience designed to support your path to PE licensure and prepare you for future leadership opportunities.
Why Choose Sarasota County?
✔ Gain diverse, real-world engineering experience
✔ Receive mentorship from licensed engineering professionals
✔ Build a strong foundation for PE licensure
✔ Contribute to projects that make a lasting community impact
✔ Explore long-term career growth and leadership opportunities
✔ Enjoy competitive pay and comprehensive benefits
Build your experience. Earn your PE. Shape the future of Sarasota County.
Apply today and become part of something bigger - engineering a better tomorrow for Sarasota County!
About This Program
Essential functions may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Practical entry level engineering project and task assignments consistent with the Professional Engineering Development Program
- Perform detailed engineering studies, review plans, and design tasks associated with assigned duties.
- Support construction projects with field site visits and construction observations duties.
- Writing and editing technical reports and engineering studies.
- Preparing plans and specifications for related activities.
- Coordinating with management, engineers and technical staff to ensure that the projects' needs are met in a timely and effective manner.
- Meeting with co-workers, municipal officials, and contractors to review project needs and coordinate field conditions.
- Following the process for obtaining approvals from various agencies.
- Researching issues related to assigned duties.
- Producing presentation and design drawings.
- Participating in Advisory Committees and Development Review Committee (DRC) Meetings.
- Reviewing proposals and presenting results at a Professional Services Review Committee meeting.
About You
Minimum Qualifications:
- A Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in civil engineering or related engineering field.
- Engineer Intern (EI) certificate from the Florida Board of Professional.
- Engineers or the ability to obtain the EI certificate within the first eighteen (18) months of employment.
- Valid Florida Driver's License at the time of hire.
Preferred Qualification:
- Prior related engineering work experience, engineering internship or advanced degree.
About Everything Else
Program: The Engineer in Training (PEDP) is designed as a 4-year program.
Pay: $58,947.20/annually
Pay Merit Schedule:
- The 1st two (2) years a 3% increase is rewarded every six (6) months, dependent upon a successful performance review.
- For the remaining two (2) years, the pay schedule is moved to an annual merit increase, dependent upon a successful performance review.
- In addition to the merit increase, increases are also rewarded based upon meeting promotional milestones (to Senior Engineering in Training and then Professional Engineer) at the end of the 2nd and 4th year.
*All participants in the PEDP must successfully complete the program within 74 months or their employment with the County will be terminated unless they are able to secure another position at the County outside of the PEDP.
Our interview process could include phone interview(s), Microsoft Teams video interview(s), and/or in-person interview(s).
If you are selected to join our team, please click on this link to review the Required First Day Documents. You will need to present the following items on your first day:
1. I-9 Acceptable Documents to show your identity and authorization to work. Use this link to learn more and review the different document options: https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents
- If your position requires a Florida Driver’s License, this must be one of your documents. (Your Florida Driver’s License can serve as one of your documents listed in link above – List B Documents.)
2. U.S. Social Security Card (signed, physical card). This is a requirement of our Payroll Department and failure to provide this document could jeopardize timely compensation. (Your U.S. Social Security Card can serve as one of your documents listed in link above – List C Documents.)
Benefits:
- Enjoy great benefits including Health, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance, Short-Term and Long-Term Disability, Flexible Spending Accounts, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Florida Retirement System (FRS) and many, many more! Choose one of three great medical plans, including one with a $0 premium option, with completed preventative visits!
- For more information about employee benefits, please click this link or visit SCGov.net for additional information.
- Utilize our award-winning wellness program including free gyms at multiple Sarasota County Government locations.
- Enjoy 11 paid holidays, 3 personal days and 16 paid vacation days in the first year of full-time employment with increasing accrual rates with years of service. (That adds up to a possible 30 days off in your 1st year!)
A different blend of voices prompt better conversations, choices and results for everyone. Sarasota County – Many Voices, One Team.
We celebrate and value the experiences, backgrounds, perspectives, talents and strengths that make us different.
Our vision is to attract, develop, retain and engage a talented workforce broadly representative of the citizens and communities we serve. To further value creativity, innovation, collaboration and great customer service – internally and externally.
A job applicant with a disability who requires reasonable accommodation to participate in the application/selection process is requested to make known the need for an accommodation to Human Resources or appropriate county staff members. For assistance with the application, please call 941-861-5353.
Sarasota County prohibits discrimination in all services, programs or activities. View the complete policy at scgov.net (keywords: ADA Compliance).
Sarasota County Government is a Tobacco-Free/Drug-Free Workplace.
