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General Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Job Summary Provides engineering expertise to support VA facility operations, capital improvement, and construction projects.Key Responsibilities * Perform engineering design reviews and technical ...

GENERAL ENGINEER

San Diego, CA · On-site +1

$121K - $158K/yr

You will serve as project engineer for the assigned ship program at SUPSHIP Bath, with an objective to achieve effective field activity technical support to the program. * You will maintain a good ...

You will serve as project engineer for the assigned ship program at SUPSHIP Bath, with an objective to achieve effective field activity technical support to the program. * You will maintain a good ...

$121K/yr

You will serve as a SUPERVISORY GENERAL ENGINEER in the STAFF CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT of MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR.Qualifications:I have one year of specialized experience equivalent to ...

$121K/yr

You will serve as a SUPERVISORY GENERAL ENGINEER in the STAFF CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT of MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR.Qualifications:I have one year of specialized experience equivalent to ...

Showing results 41-60

General Engineer information

See California salary details

$38.5K

$100.4K

$135.7K

How much do general engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 13, 2026, the average yearly pay for general engineer in California is $100,420.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $82,900.00 and $115,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the difference between General Engineer vs Civil Engineer?

AspectGeneral EngineerCivil Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's degree in engineering, often with diverse specializationBachelor's degree in civil engineering, often with PE licensure
Work EnvironmentVarious industries including defense, aerospace, and infrastructureConstruction sites, urban planning, infrastructure projects
Employer & Industry UsageGovernment agencies, defense contractors, manufacturingConstruction firms, government agencies, consulting firms

General Engineers have a broad scope, working across multiple engineering disciplines, while Civil Engineers focus specifically on infrastructure and construction projects. Both roles require similar foundational credentials, but their work environments and industry applications differ significantly.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a general engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a General Engineer, you need a solid background in engineering principles, mathematics, and problem-solving, usually supported by a bachelor's degree in engineering or a related field. Familiarity with CAD software, project management tools, and relevant industry standards or certifications (such as EIT or PE) is often required. Strong analytical thinking, teamwork, and effective communication skills help set outstanding engineers apart. These competencies ensure successful project execution, innovation, and collaboration across multidisciplinary teams.

What are some common challenges faced by general engineers when working on multidisciplinary projects?

General Engineers often collaborate with teams from various specialties such as mechanical, electrical, and civil engineering. A common challenge is effectively communicating technical requirements and expectations across disciplines to ensure project goals are met. Balancing multiple priorities and adapting to changing project scopes can also be demanding. Successful General Engineers use strong problem-solving and teamwork skills to bridge gaps and maintain project momentum.

What is a general engineer?

General Engineers are versatile professionals who apply principles of engineering, mathematics, and science to solve a wide range of technical problems. They often work across various disciplines, such as mechanical, electrical, or civil engineering, and may be involved in designing, developing, testing, and overseeing the production of different systems or products. Their broad skill set allows them to adapt to numerous industries, including manufacturing, government, construction, and technology. General Engineers typically collaborate with other engineers and professionals to ensure that projects meet technical specifications, safety standards, and regulatory requirements.
What are popular job titles related to General Engineer jobs in California? For General Engineer jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching General Engineer jobs in California look for? The top searched job categories for General Engineer jobs in California are:
What cities in California are hiring for General Engineer jobs? Cities in California with the most General Engineer job openings:
What are popular job titles related to General Engineer jobs in CA? For General Engineer jobs in CA, the most frequently searched job titles are:
Infographic showing various General Engineer job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 70% Full Time, and 30% Contract. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $100,420 per year, or $48.3 per hour.

Full-time

Posted 7 days ago


Job description

Duties
  • You will serve as project engineer for the assigned ship program at SUPSHIP Bath, with an objective to achieve effective field activity technical support to the program.
  • You will maintain a good overall perspective of the system to help interpret and explain motivations for requirements to his team members and thereby gain their acceptance and commitment to objectives.
  • You will maintain tight liaison with all technical areas of the program, including: analysis, design, manufacturing, and test.
  • You will conduct technical evaluations and investigations into design and engineering change proposals, waiver and deviation problems and procedures.
  • You will define, clarify, and document requirements; perform necessary analysis and tradeoff; recognize when interface impacts might occur and take early action to avoid problems.
  • You will maintain communications with the contractor's engineering and design departments, SUPSHIP Bath engineers, Ship Design Manager(s), and Technical Warrant Holders.
  • You will select and prepare process metrics and status reports that provide the necessary insights to ensure that the correct areas of processes are being analyzed.
  • You will monitor the engineering workload, establish priorities, help ensure timely completion of tasks, and provide advice and recommendations to the engineering manager.
  • You will prepare correspondence and management plans including technical reports, specification change notices, work instructions, contract modification requests, and scope documents as required to completed project assignments.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
  • Must be a US Citizen.
  • Must be determined suitable for federal employment.
  • Must participate in the direct deposit pay program.
  • New employees to the Department of the Navy will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov
  • Generally, current federal employees applying for GS jobs must serve at least one year at the next lower grade level. This requirement is called time-in-grade. Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
  • Within the Department of Defense (DoD), the appointment of retired military members within 180 days immediately following retirement date to a civilian position is subject to the provisions of 5 United States Code 3326.
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • You will be required to obtain and maintain an interim and/or final security clearance prior to entrance on duty. Failure to obtain and maintain the required level of clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal.
  • This position may require travel from normal duty station to CONUS and OCONUS and may include remote or isolated sites. You must be able to travel on military and commercial aircraft for extended periods of time.
Qualifications
Your resume must also demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the (GS-12) grade level or pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector as a professional engineer managing the design or evaluation technical challenges for the development and sustainment of naval shipboard systems and/or components.
Additional qualification information can be found from the following Office of Personnel Management website:
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=GS-PROF
AND
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/files/all-professional-engineering-positions-0800.pdf
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.
Education
Applicants must meet the following basic education requirements of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualifications Standards Manual:
Successful completion of a professional engineering degree. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree (or higher) in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET); or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position.
OR
Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT), or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration For more information about EI and EIT registration requirements, please visit the National Society of Professional Engineers website at: http://www.nspe.org
OR
Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico The FE examination is not administered by the U. S. Office of Personnel Management. For more information, please visit: http://www.nspe.org/Licensure/HowtoGetLicensed/index.html.
OR
Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and in engineering that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A (above). The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A (above)
OR
Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor's degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least one year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily, there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions.
Additional information
This position is covered by the Department of Defense Priority Placement Program.
Additional vacancies may be filled by this announcement.
A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if the selectee fails to meet the pre-employment requirements, including failure to report to any of the scheduled appointments.
During the application process you will have the ability to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions in the local commuting area. Depending on the hiring organization and the position being filled, job requirements (e.g., security clearance, travel, drug testing, financial disclosure filing, bargaining unit status, etc.) may vary. Other hiring managers filling similar positions may offer relocation expense reimbursement and/or may offer recruitment incentives for new employees, depending on funding availability and in accordance with policy. If you opt-in and are referred on a certificate, your resume will be available to other hiring managers for 180-days from the date the job announcement closes. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.
Federal annuitant information: The selection of an annuitant is subject to the Department of Defense and Department of the Navy policy on the employment of annuitants. Policy information may be found at: http://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/Documents/CivilianJobs/FedCivAnnuitants.pdf
PPP applicants will be placed at the FPL, if determined Well Qualified (WQ). To receive priority consideration, the FPL must be the same grade level or equivalent of the retained grade or the grade held immediately prior to separation.
ICTAP Applicants: To be considered well-qualified and exercise selection priority as an ICTAP candidate, displaced Federal employees must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a rating in the highly qualified category (score 85) or higher. ICTAP candidates must provide copies of all of the following documentation at the time of application: 1) agency notice; 2) most recent performance appraisal; and 3) most recent SF-50 or notification of personnel action that includes position, grade level, and duty location. Applicants who do not provide this documentation will not receive consideration as an ICTAP candidate. For more information about ICTAP eligibility please review the following link: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees/career-transition/
Military Spouse Preference applicants will be placed at the highest grade for which they have applied and are determined Best Qualified (BQ). A BQ military spouse possesses knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies comparable to others who meet the competitive referral criteria for the specific position.
Certain incentives (such as Recruitment, Relocation or Student Loan Repayment) may be authorized to eligible selectees.
A relocation incentive is generally a single payment intended to offset some of the relocation costs experienced by the selectee. A relocation incentive may be authorized.