Entry Level Computer Programmer Jobs in Sacramento, CA

Salary : $56,446.00 - $79,425.19 Annually
Location : Sacramento, CA
Job Type: Full-Time Career
Job Number: 016930-26-PW-3
Department: Public Works
Division: Landfill Operations
Opening Date: 06/02/2026
Closing Date: 6/16/2026 11:59 PM Pacific
THE POSITION
The Department of Public Works is seeking an Engineering Technician I for the Recycling and Solid Waste (RSW) Division. This position is part of a team of three Engineering Technicians that maintain the City's closed landfills. The Engineering Technician I will primarily be responsible for various fieldwork, including the collection of lab samples, monitoring, and maintenance activities, such as pipe maintenance. This position will also work with inspectors from CalRecycle, Sacramento County, the California Water Board, the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District, and other regulatory bodies. All gas wells, monitoring probes, and condensate traps require routine manual monitoring, maintenance, and cleaning by Landfill Operations to ensure system reliability and regulatory compliance. In addition, Landfill Operations is responsible for fire prevention and vegetation management across the entire 200-acre landfill area. This includes annual mowing, winter erosion repair, and seeding-nearly all performed in-house. Also, regulatory requirements have expanded significantly. New groundwater monitoring systems, increased storm water sampling obligations, and enhanced reporting requirements all add to the workload.
IDEAL CANDIDATE STATEMENT
The ideal candidate will have experience in field data collection, industrial equipment maintenance, and customer service.
DEFINITION
To perform para-professional office or field engineering work including drafting, traffic investigations, computations, data collection and analysis.
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS
This is the entry level classification in the office para-professional engineering series. Incumbents of the classification perform routine, basic engineering technical support duties and are considered in training. As experience is acquired, incumbents perform with increasing independence. Assignments are generally limited in scope and within a
procedural framework established by higher-level personnel. Assignments are observed and reviewed both during performance and upon completion, and changes in procedures or exceptions to rules are explained in detail as they arise. The classification is distinguished from Engineering Technician II by the greater complexity of assignments and level of independent decision-making required of the Engineering Technician II classification.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
TYPICAL DUTIES
- Prepare topographical plan and profile maps of property and pertinent features from survey notes and legal descriptions.
- Ink, trace and letter charts, graphs, maps, plans and other drawings.
- Prepare illustrative graphics such as charts, illustrations, graphs for reports, drawings for design manual, etc.
- Prepare drawings of various public works improvements, including right-of-way plats; check calculations used in designs and estimates.
- Measure distances to be used in the determination of locations of boundaries, easements, improvements, structures, and topographic features; maintain written record of measurements.
- Respond to public inquiries regarding engineering activities.
- Perform basic design tasks required in the drafting of plans and drawings such as horizontal and vertical layout for infrastructure facilities.
- Calculate construction quantities and cost estimates.
- Prepare easement and right-of-way descriptions from calculations and information provided.
- Verify location of utilities, easements, property lines, etc., on City engineering plans.
- Research and compile data from field verifications or office engineering records for inclusion in engineering reports and studies, or in response to public inquiry.
- Operate Ozalid blueprint, KROY and LeRoy lettering machines.
- Operate Computer Assisted Drafting software to create and modify engineering drawings, topographic maps, improvement plans and illustrative graphics.
- Assist in designing and writing computer software sub-programs using existing purchased software.
- Operate computer spreadsheet, database and word processing software to generate engineering reports.
- Prepare written reports and correspondence.
- Perform algebraic and trigonometric engineering calculations to determine distances, areas, volumes, grades, hydraulic flows, etc.
- Investigate traffic complaints and requests for traffic controls.
- Conduct traffic studies and surveys such as turning movement counts, speed and delay, and radar speed surveys.
- Recommend corrective traffic control to mitigate traffic problems.
- Maintain and update miscellaneous engineering records, files, maps, and logs.
- Issue and prepare permits such as driveway, revocable, encroachment, excavation, and street-lane closures.
- Generate engineering reports.
- Perform routine materials testing; soil, water and landfill gas testing.
- Other related duties may also be performed; not all duties are necessarily performed by each individual holding this classification.
QUALIFICATIONS
Knowledge of:
- Drafting terminology, methods, practices and techniques.
- Microcomputers, including word processing, spreadsheet and database software packages.
- Computer aided drafting.
- High school algebra, geometry and trigonometry.
Ability to:
- Prepare drawings and perform engineering drafting work by hand.
- Interpret maps, drawings and sketches.
- Understand and carry out oral and written instructions.
- Establish and maintain cooperative and effective relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
- Communicate effectively orally and in writing.
- Ability to communicate and interpret to the public existing infrastructure facilities and engineering activities.
- Read and interpret survey notes and property descriptions.
EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION
Any combination of education and experience that would provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:
One year of experience in related engineering drafting or surveying, and three (3) semester units in college-level mathematics.
OR
A certificate of completion from an accredited technical vocational school or community college in drafting or engineering, or a minimum of 20 semester units in college-level drafting and engineering related courses. Course work is to include a minimum of three (3) semester units in college-level mathematics.
All education requirements must be verifiable from records of satisfactory completion of courses.
PROOF OF EDUCATION
Should education be used to qualify for this position, then proof of education such as, but not limited to, university/college transcripts and degrees should be submitted with your application and will be required at the time of appointment. Unofficial documents and/or copies are acceptable.
An applicant with a college degree obtained outside the United States must have education records evaluated by a credential's evaluation service. Evaluation of education records will be due at time of appointment.
PROBATIONARY PERIOD:
Employees must complete twelve (12) months of probation at a satisfactory performance level prior to gaining permanent status.
THE SELECTION PROCEDURE
Please note, the City of Sacramento's preferred method of communication with applicants is via e-mail. As such, please ensure you verify the e-mail address on your application, and check your e-mail frequently, including your spam and junk folders. All e-mail notifications can also be accessed through the governmentjobs.com applicant inbox.
1. Application: (Pass/Fail) - All applicants must complete and submit online a City of Sacramento employment application by the final filing deadline;

• Employment applications must be submitted online; paper applications will not be accepted.
• Employment applications will be considered incomplete and will be disqualified:
  1. If applicants do not list current and/or past job-related experience in the duties area of the "Work Experience" section. Note: Qualifying experience is based on full-time experience (40 hours per week). Qualifying experience is calculated to the full-time equivalent (pro-rated if less than 40 hours/week).
  2. If "see resume" is noted in the "Work Experience" section; a resume will not substitute for the information required in the "Work Experience" section.
• Proof of education such as, but not limited to, university/college transcripts and degrees should be submitted online with your application. Proof of education will be required at time of appointment.
• Position/job titles will not be considered in determining eligibility for meeting the minimum qualifications for this position.
• If you're requesting Veteran's credit, a copy of your DD214 must be submitted online with your application or emailed to the Employment Office by the final filing deadline. Information regarding the use of Veteran's credit can be found in the Civil Service Board rules under rule
• Applicants are responsible for attaching a copy of their DD214 to each position for which they apply.

2. Training and Experience Exam: (Weighted 100%) - The questions located at the end of the application are the Training and Experience (T&E) Exam. Responses to the T&E questions will be rated and scored. This exam will evaluate the relevance, level, and progression of a candidate's education, training and experience. The exam score will determine your ranking on the eligible list for this job. When completing the T&E questions, please note:

• Responses to the T&E questions must be submitted online; paper questionnaires will not be accepted.
• A resume will not substitute for the information required in the T&E questions.

3. Eligibility: Candidates who pass the Training and Experience Test will be placed on the eligible list. The hiring department may contact candidates for interview at any time during the life of the one-year list. Candidate's eligibility expires one year from the date of notification of a passing score for the Engineering Technician I examination.
4. Screening Committee: (Pass/Fail)- All candidates that pass the examination and are in one of the top three ranks will have their application forwarded to the hiring department for review. The hiring department will select the most competitive applications for further consideration. Human Resources will only evaluate employment applications for the minimum qualifications, as stated on the job announcement, for applications selected by the hiring department.
5. Conditional Hire: Upon receipt of a conditional offer, the selected candidate must complete and pass Live Scan/fingerprinting. If applicable, candidates may also need to pass a pre-employment medical exam, controlled substance and/or alcohol test, and possess any required licensure or certification prior to receiving a start date from the Department. Failure to meet these prerequisites will be grounds for withdrawal of your conditional offer of employment.
QUESTIONS:
For questions concerning this job announcement and the application process:

• Please visit for a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to the application process.
• For technical support between 6 AM - 5 PM PT, contact Live Applicant Support at (855) 524-5627.
• Visit the City of Sacramento Human Resources Department website at ;
• Send an email to ; or
• Call the Human Resources Department at (916) 808-5726

Bilingual Pay
Did you know that the City offers bilingual pay? That's right, most labor agreements offer the option of providing employees with bilingual pay if the department deems it to be operationally necessary.
Pension Reform Act
The City of Sacramento is covered by the California Public Employees' Retirement System, and as such, must adhere to the California Public Employee's Pension Reform Act (PEPRA) of 2013. Please note that the provisions within this act may affect or impact an applicant's eligibility and/or selection for open vacancies at the City of Sacramento.
Equal Opportunity Employer
The City of Sacramento is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.
Additional Information
Civil Service Rules:
Union Contracts:
Salary Schedule:
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APPLICATION: I understand my application must meet the minimum qualifications for consideration of employment with the City of Sacramento. The experience I list in the duties area of the "Work Experience" section of the employment application will be used to determine if I meet the minimum qualifications as stated on the job announcement. A resume, responses to the supplemental questions requiring a narrative response, employment history listed elsewhere in the application or attachments will not substitute for the information required in the "Work Experience" section of the employment application. Position/job titles will not be considered in determining eligibility for meeting the minimum qualifications for this position. Note: Qualifying experience is based on full-time experience (40 hours per week). Qualifying experience is calculated to the full-time equivalent (pro-rated if less than 40 hours/week).Please refer to the City of Sacramento's Applicant Resources Page for Screening Instructions: https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/HR/employment

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