Civil Engineer

At Salas O’Brien we tell our clients that we’re engineered for impact. This passion for making a difference applies just as much to our team as it does to our projects. That’s why we’re committed to living our values every day: inspiring, achieving, and connecting as shared owners of our success with a focus on a sustainable future.

Building for the long-term means that all our team members can expect to work on amazing projects with a people-first approach to problem solving. It also means that each member of our team has truly limitless potential to build a unique, meaningful, and high-impact career—and they’ll receive great total rewards along the way.

This position will be hired under the Federal-FL business unit of Salas O’Brien. The Federal-FL business unit serves a variety of markets and employs engineers in the civil, mechanical, electrical, aerospace, industrial, environmental, and fire protection disciplines. We have performed work in most states in the continental US and multiple international locations.

Our main office is located in Merritt Island, Florida, immediately south of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Our office (formerly Nelson Engineering, a Salas O’Brien Company) has a significant aerospace heritage working with NASA, US Space Force, and numerous private space companies while providing an ever-expanding mix of engineering services to federal and local government agencies as well as commercial customers in a variety of industries.

Job Summary

Work tasks will be varied and require flexibility and versatility in the civil engineering field. Examples of type of work to be performed include civil site design; flat infrastructure design including utility (gravity and pressure systems) and roadway design; environmental assessments and permitting; and water resource management planning and design. Projects will include a variety of customer types (Federal, state, and local government and commercial clients) with projects located throughout the US and around the world.

Specific engineering tasks include but are not limited to developing design engineering documents (plans, specifications and calculations) for facility maintenance and repair projects and new construction. In support of the work, engineers will perform detailed cost analyses and material take-offs and perform construction management for ongoing construction efforts.

Work will be conducted mostly in the Space Coast Area of Florida (Brevard County) and Gulf Coast Area of Mississippi. Travel to other locations for projects may be required but will be limited.

Responsibilities

Work tasks will be varied and require flexibility and versatility in civil engineering design. Examples of the type of work to be performed include:

• Work collaboratively with a team of multi-discipline engineers to produce high quality, code-compliant design documents within an established schedule and budget.
• Perform site visits, review as-built documentation, codes, and regulations to understand existing site conditions and assess project needs, requirements, and limitations.
• Develop construction drawings, construction specifications, calculations, reports, cost estimates, and permit applications.
• Perform design including but not limited to the following technical areas:
  • Stormwater – design for grading and stormwater collection and conveyance systems, design and permitting of stormwater treatment systems, construction stormwater best management practices.
  • Utilities – water (potable and fire suppression distribution), sanitary sewer (force main, gravity flow, and lift stations), and natural gas system design; routing design of electrical and communication systems.
  • Pavement – structural and geometry design of asphalt, concrete, and unpaved roadways.
  • Sitework – design of site improvements and elements including pedestrian pavements, bollards, fencing, and similar.
  • Environmental – development of requirements for sampling and survey including hazardous materials (asbestos, PCB, RECRA metals) and biological impacts.
  • Associated general design elements – earthwork, minor structures and foundations.
• Develop requirements and coordinate with specialty subcontractors for geotechnical investigations, subsurface utility locates, topographic surveys, and hazardous material sampling / surveys.
• Manage internal and external customers through effective in person and written communication to keep customers, contractors, and project teams well informed of pertinent information in a timely manner.
• Facility condition assessments and capital asset management planning.
• Development of construction specification packages.
• Detailed cost analyses and material take-offs of a variety of building types, sites, and utility systems throughout the US and other countries.
• Construction management for ongoing construction efforts.

Qualifications and Experience

The listed qualifications and experience are provided as general minimums, except as otherwise noted. Alternative qualifications and experience may be considered.

• Educational Background: BS Civil Engineering degree from an ABET accredited program (required).
• Licensure: PE Certification (required). Any state
• Experience: Five (5) or more years of engineering design experience.
• Technical Skills:
  • Experience in some or all areas listed under “Responsibilities” section. Additional valued areas of experience include shoreline / marine engineering experience and construction management experience.
  • Experience user of some or all of the following civil engineering design software packages including WaterCAD, SewerCAD, ICPR, AutoCAD, Civil3D, or equivalent software.
  • Proficient in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and e-mail applications.
  • Effective interpersonal skills and strong communication (written and verbal).
  • Confident and ambitious problem solver.
  • Creative and innovative – Self-directed initiative.
  • Collaborative – work independently but readily seek guidance.
  • Adaptable – flexible and willing to work on various projects and tasks.
  • Dependable
  • Detail-oriented

Additional Eligibility Qualifications

Valid / Unrestricted driver’s license

Work Authorization / Security Clearance

• Must be a US Citizen for Security Clearance requirements.
• Ability to obtain a clearance from the Defense Security Service and other Federal Government Agencies (company sponsored)
• Most work is performed in an office environment.
• Field investigations and construction support require regular trips to operating facilities and active construction sites.

Location

This position may be filled through our Merritt Island, FL or Gulfport, MS (Stennis Space Center) offices based on candidate location. In either location, a hybrid work environment is anticipated with a balance of working from the office and from home. For more experienced candidates (8+ years), remote will be considered if you are not local to these locations.

Travel

Up to 25%. Willingness to travel to project locations.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Regularly spend long hours sitting and using office equipment and computers.
• Regularly move from sitting to standing positions effortlessly.
• Performing inspections and providing construction support may require climbing ladders and stairs and accessing spaces such as roofs, basements, crawl spaces, or utility tunnels.
• Industrial site investigations and field construction support may require extensive walking.

The pay range for this role is $125-135K; Actual compensation will be determined based on a number of factors including skills, experience, qualifications, and location.

This role is also eligible for performance-based bonuses and a comprehensive U.S. based benefits package, including:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off and company holidays
• Wellness programs and employee assistance resources

For more information, visit our full benefits overview here .

About Us

Founded in 1975, Salas O’Brien is an employee‑owned engineering and professional services firm focused on achieving impact for our clients, our team, and the world. We know that tomorrow’s requirements are today’s opportunities, and we are here to design lasting solutions for pressing challenges.

We work across a variety of industries providing integrated engineering and consulting services. Our specialized experience includes design for data centers, healthcare, science and technology, high-rise buildings, clean energy, education, and other building types as well as structural and building sciences, infrastructure asset management, advanced robotics, and more.

Our technical expertise is paired with an exceptional team of business development, human resources, finance and accounting, information technology, and marketing professionals, all of whom play a key role in bringing our commitments to life every day.

Equal Opportunity Employment Statement

Salas O’Brien provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state/provincial, or local laws. Salas O’Brien will accommodate the disability-related needs of applicants as required by law.