Engineering, Architecture, & Planning
Principal Engineer, Construction Safety
$106,111 to $122,028 a year
Posted until October 13, 2026 · posted September 26, 2026
Requirements
License or certificate
Exam
Competitive title
A job title where you show you are right for it by passing a competitive exam: multiple-choice, practical, education and experience, or a mix. On our job pages this shows as "Civil service exam title".
From ≈ $51.01 an hour · $4,081 every 2 weeks, before taxes (40-hour weeks).
NYC minimum wage is $17/hr. This beats it by $34.01/hr, with health insurance and a pension on top.
What you'd have made
$4,067 If you'd started this job 2 weeks ago, at this pay, before taxes.
An hour of this job pays for about 17 subway rides ($3 fare).
Price anything in hours of this job
Overtime added $3,504 on average that year, and it isn't guaranteed. Base salary of active employees paid a yearly rate, fiscal year 2025 (July 2024 to June 2025). Source: NYC's payroll data
Check yourself
What they actually ask for.
A license or certificate is part of the requirements
(1) Four (4) years of full-time, satisfactory experience in civil engineering work; and
(2) A valid New York State Professional Engineer’s License. Current New York State registration as a Professional Engineer must be maintained for the duration of your employment.
A masters degree in civil engineering from an accredited college or university, accredited by regional, national, professional or specialized agencies recognized as accrediting bodies by the U.S. Secretary of Education and by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) may be substituted for one year of the civil engineering experience required in “1" above.
Special Note:
Read the rest of the requirements
In addition to above qualification requirements, to be eligible for placement in Assignment Levels II and III, individuals must have at least one year within the last three years of experience as a major contributor or a project leader on a complex project requiring additional and specific expertise in the disciplines needed to design or construct the project.
Quoted word for word from the official posting. The label above is ours, read from this text; if they disagree, this text wins.
The work
What the job is.
The NYC Department of Buildings is responsible for ensuring the safe and lawful use of buildings and properties by enforcing the NYC Construction Codes, Energy Code and Zoning Resolution. We facilitate compliant development with integrity, efficiency and professionalism.
Read the rest, from the posting
We are committed to becoming a premier municipal building organization, dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for all New Yorkers and making our city safer. We are committed to improving our performance and developing procedures that are streamlined, understandable and transparent.
The Construction Safety Engineering unit performs engineering work for enforcement for site safety, demolition, excavation, interior demolition, and scaffold safety projects.
This includes response to incidents, construction failure investigations, plan examination of high-risk construction projects, and technical (engineering) assistance to construction safety inspection units and District Attorneys' offices.
This position performs highly difficult and technically complex civil engineering work pertaining to construction safety.
Under direction of the Deputy Director, the selected candidate will: - Work independently in the Construction Safety Engineering unit to perform drawing & document review and field review of complex high risk construction projects throughout the 5 boroughs under the direction of the unit’s team leadership.
- Perform audit reviews of complex projects including support of excavation and foundations, interior demolition, and scaffolding document submissions.
- Meet with project consultants and owners representatives to review project status and compliance with the applicable construction codes including, but not limited to, the NYC Administrative and Building Codes.
- Issue Summonses to Registered Design Professionals and Special Inspectors as required for Construction Code compliance.
- Perform filed project drawing reviews for a wide variety of complex building projects and temporary construction equipment in paper and electronic formats.
- Respond to construction related incidents in coordination with responding inspection units.
- Perform forensic investigations and reviews of construction incidents including report and documentation.
As part of the investigation, the candidate will manage complex, high profile construction incidents.
- Support Assistant Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners, and Borough Commissioners on technical matters
- Represent the Department as an expert witness on technical and policy related matters in various legal proceedings.
- Participate in industry outreach meetings and presentations for industry awareness and feedback related to Engineering Services and Construction Safety Operations.
- Participate in code development and make recommendations for updating/ improving NYC regulatory oversight and Construction Codes.
- Assist in the development of unit resources and standards. Provide recommendations to the Director and Deputy Director.
- Coordinate with other federal, state and local regulatory agencies.
- Support and further the Agency’s commitment to improving operations and implementation of technology based solutions.
REMOTE WORK: This position may be eligible for remote work up to 2 days per week, pursuant to the Remote Work Pilot Program.
To Apply: Visit Jobs NYC (cityjobs.nyc.gov) to view and apply for available positions. Search by agency (Department of Buildings), keywords, or for the specific Job ID #.
NOTE: ONLY THOSE CANDIDATES UNDER CONSIDERATION WILL BE CONTACTED.
Skills they'd like
- Six years or more of full-time professional experience in Civil, Structural, and/or Geotechnical engineering.
- Ability to function effectively as part of a team as well as independently.
- Exceptional communication skills.
- Exceptional analytical and problem solving abilities.
- Ability to multi-task and handle multiple priorities.
All the skills they list
- Advanced Microsoft Office proficiency.
Before you apply
The fine print.
Where you have to live
NYC residency not required
New York City Residency is not required for this position
Sources
Straight from the city.
From the city's job data, which the city last updated September 28, 2026. You apply through the official posting.