DP4

DecisionPoint
http://proethica.org/ontology/cases#DecisionPoint

DP4

Does the unavailability of a domain-qualified PE candidate ethically justify Engineer A's acceptance of the county surveyor position on an interim basis, and if so, what conditions would be required to make such interim acceptance ethically permissible?

The county faces a scenario in which no domain-qualified PE (with surveying or highway engineering background) is available or willing to accept the county surveyor appointment, and Engineer A — the only available PE — has been offered the position. The question arises whether the absence of a qualified alternative changes the ethical calculus for Engineer A's acceptance, or whether Engineer A might ethically accept on a temporary or interim basis while the county seeks a domain-qualified candidate, subject to defined conditions.

Engineer A declines the county surveyor appointment regardless of whether a domain-qualified PE is available, maintaining that the unavailability of a qualified alternative does not alter the fundamental ethical prohibition against accepting a position whose duties fall outside his competence, and that public welfare is better served by a vacant position than by an incompetent appointee.

Engineer A accepts the position on a strictly interim basis, conditioned on: simultaneous active recruitment of a domain-qualified PE replacement, formal written disclosure of the competence gap to the commissioners, explicit limitation of Engineer A's role to purely administrative functions with all technical oversight delegated to qualified licensed surveyors under a defined supervisory structure, and a fixed sunset date for the interim arrangement — recognizing that even these conditions may not fully resolve the non-delegability problem.

Engineer A accepts the county surveyor position and treats the absence of a domain-qualified alternative as complete ethical justification for acceptance, proceeding without additional conditions, disclosures, or structural safeguards on the theory that public welfare requires any PE rather than no PE in the role.

Engineer A (Only Available PE in Context of No Qualified Alternative)