National Construction Engineering Inspection (CEI) Service Line Leader

National Construction Engineering Inspection (CEI) Service Line Leader

Construction Management/Inspection - Transportatio

All Locations

Columbia, SC

Tracking Code

27009

Position Type

Full-Time/Regular

Job Description

Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson is a dynamic, 100% employee-owned consulting firm with more than 2,800 professionals, providing a full range of multidisciplinary engineering, architecture, information technology, and related services to public agencies and private clients throughout the United States. JMT is currently ranked #45 on Engineering News-Record’s list of the Top 500 Design Firms.

Position Summary

JMT is seeking an energetic, entrepreneurial, and nationally recognized leader to serve as our National Construction Engineering Inspection (CEI) Service Line Leader. This high impact role will strengthen, connect, and grow JMT’s CEI capabilities across the firm, including construction managers, resident engineers, project engineers, inspectors, contract support specialists, schedulers, document control professionals, and technical support staff working in multiple offices and markets.

The National CEI Service Line Leader will be part of JMT’s Transportation Business Line, which primarily serves government and institutional clients. The successful candidate will provide companywide leadership across regions and markets, establish a shared strategic vision, promote consistent and safe project delivery, strengthen client and industry relationships, support major pursuits, and build the people, systems, and capabilities needed for long term growth.

This role is designed for a collaborative builder who combines strong technical and operational credibility with business leadership. The leader must understand the distinct demands of field based CEI delivery, including rapid mobilization, variable staffing, client specific procedures, construction contract administration, documentation, quality assurance, safety, schedule and claims awareness, and coordination with contractors, designers, owners, utilities, and other stakeholders.

This position is offered in various locations within JMT’s footprint; specific locations can be addressed with the hiring manager during the interview process.

JMT offers outstanding opportunities for career and professional growth. We are 100% employee-owned (ESOP) and offer outstanding health care coverage and other benefits, including:

• Affordable Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance
• Company paid Life and Disability Insurance
• Paid Time Off
• Paid Holidays
• Paid Caregiver Leave Program
• 401K Retirement Plan (Traditional and Roth options)

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

Service Line Leadership & Community Building

• Promote and lead knowledge sharing, technical expertise, consistent operating practices, and coordination across regional and state CEI teams.
• Develop communication networks, forums, and methods that connect CEI leaders and field professionals across offices, clients, and geographies.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, safety, knowledge sharing, and mutual support.
• Understand team capabilities, certifications, client approvals, and geographic availability, and help align the right talent to the right opportunities.
• Build alignment among regional CEI leaders while respecting client specific requirements, local relationships, and state DOT procedures.

Strategic Vision and Growth

• Develop, implement, and annually update a national CEI service line plan aligned with regional, market, and Transportation Business Line objectives.
• Establish clear annual priorities and measurable outcomes for growth, backlog, project delivery, quality, safety, talent development, retention, innovation, and cross-office collaboration.
• Advance an integrated CEI portfolio that may include construction management, resident engineering, inspection, construction contract administration, materials testing coordination, project controls, schedule and cost review, document control, constructability support, claims and change order support, and owner-representative services.
• Identify priority clients, geographies, contract vehicles, project types, and delivery methods for focused growth.
• Lead development of new or expanded CEI services, scalable delivery models, and integrated solutions for conventional bid-build, Design-Build, progressive Design-Build, CM/GC, and other alternative delivery programs.
• Support regional managers, office leaders, market leaders, and CEI leaders in business development and strategic pursuits by shaping win strategies, differentiators, teaming plans, staffing approaches, and pursuit investments.
• Contribute technical and strategic insight during capture planning, proposals, shortlist interviews, oral presentations, and negotiations.
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with state departments of transportation, toll authorities, transit agencies, local governments, airports, ports, and other public infrastructure owners.
• Coordinate with contractors, specialty subconsultants, disadvantaged business enterprise partners, and peer firms to develop effective pursuit and delivery partnerships.
• Serve as an executive sponsor, technical advisor, or recovery resource for complex, high profile, or at-risk CEI programs.

CEI Project Delivery, Quality, Safety & Risk

• Drive consistency in project startup, staffing, field mobilization, roles and responsibilities, communication protocols, quality planning, documentation, issue escalation, and closeout.
• Promote compliance with contract documents, owner procedures, approved quality plans, applicable manuals and specifications, and project specific reporting requirements.
• Champion a proactive safety culture for field staff working in active roadway, bridge, transit, rail, aviation, marine, and other construction environments.
• Advance effective practices for daily reporting, measurement and payment documentation, contractor submittals, requests for information, nonconformance tracking, change management, schedule review, claims avoidance, and records retention.
• Partner with legal, contracts, safety, quality, and project-management leaders to identify and mitigate professional, contractual, staffing, and field delivery risk.
• Monitor project and program performance, facilitate lessons learned, and support corrective action or recovery planning when delivery, quality, safety, client satisfaction, or financial performance is below expectations.

Operational and Financial Awareness

• Understand and monitor CEI performance indicators across regions and clients, including backlog, revenue, profitability, utilization, multiplier, staffing fill rates, turnover and retention, overtime, safety performance, quality findings, audit results, and client satisfaction.
• Use performance data to identify trends, share effective practices, and support timely staffing, investment, and corrective action decisions.
• Improve consistency in scope and fee development, labor classifications, escalation assumptions, overtime treatment, reimbursable expenses, subconsultant planning, and contract risk review.
• Work with regional and business line leaders to improve project delivery, profitability, cash flow, quality, and client outcomes.

Resource Management / Work-Sharing

• Lead a regular national resource planning cadence to identify staffing demand, available capacity, certification needs, relocation or travel needs, and hiring priorities.
• Coordinate work sharing and staff deployment across offices while accounting for client approvals, local knowledge, field presence, labor requirements, and continuity of service.
• Support rapid and reliable mobilization for new contracts, peak construction seasons, emergency assignments, and large infrastructure programs.
• Develop workforce forecasts and scalable staffing strategies that balance full time staff, strategic hires, subconsultants, and approved supplemental resources

Recruitment, Retention & Staff Development

• Develop and annually update a national CEI skills and credentials matrix that identifies staff experience, client approvals, certifications, geographic availability, and leadership readiness.
• Collaborate with recruiting and regional leadership on key hires, hard-to-fill positions, succession needs, and talent pipelines.
• Champion career paths and development plans for inspectors, senior inspectors, office engineers, resident engineers, construction managers, project managers, and regional CEI leaders.
• Provide coaching and mentorship to senior CEI leaders and create opportunities for staff to gain experience across clients, project types, geographies, and delivery methods.
• Promote retention through strong field leadership, timely recognition, meaningful development, transparent communication, and predictable workforce planning.
• Monitor and evaluate construction-management technologies and trends that improve safety, quality, documentation, productivity, and client service.
• Advance practical and secure use of mobile inspection, digital forms, electronic document management, dashboards, GIS, reality capture, drones, remote monitoring, data analytics, automation, and artificial intelligence.
• Promote consistent data standards and reporting methods that improve visibility into project status, staffing, quality, risk, and financial performance.
• Identify and champion innovative CEI solutions as differentiators for major pursuits and programs.

Brand Development

• Serve as a companywide CEI subject matter expert and visible industry leader, positioning JMT for recognition in construction management and inspection.
• Support selective publication, conference participation, client forums, awards, and technical society leadership that reinforce priority markets and business objectives.
• Coordinate with JMT creative services and regional leaders to communicate CEI capabilities, project outcomes, technical strengths, and client value.

Nonessential Functions and Responsibilities

• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Required Skills

• Executive level written, verbal, presentation, facilitation, and interviewing skills.
• Strong business acumen, strategic thinking, sound judgment, and attention to detail.
• Ability to lead through influence in a matrixed organization and across dispersed, field-based teams.
• Strong collaboration, relationship-building, negotiation, conflict resolution, and change-management skills.
• Ability to coach, mentor, motivate, and develop senior leaders.
• Client-focused, results oriented leadership with a strong commitment to safety, quality, ethics, and accountability.

Required Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, construction management, or a closely related field.
• 15+ years of progressively responsible CEI, construction management, transportation construction, or related infrastructure experience.
• Demonstrated success leading a CEI practice, major program, or multi-office organization across multiple clients, geographies, or markets.
• Substantial experience with state DOT or other public/owner CEI programs, including contract administration, field inspection, documentation, quality, safety, staffing, and client-specific procedures.
• Proven record of winning and successfully delivering CEI contracts for multiple public infrastructure clients.
• Experience developing and executing strategic and operational plans with measurable results.
• Experience with operations, financial management, scope and fee development, marketing, business development, and major pursuits.
• Established client and industry relationships and the ability to represent the firm credibly with senior agency and industry leaders.
• Experience leading hybrid and geographically dispersed teams, including large field based workforces.
• Ability and willingness to travel throughout the United States.

Qualifications Preferred

• Professional Engineer (PE) licensure in one or more states.
• Master’s degree in civil engineering, construction management, business administration, or related field.
• Construction-related credentials such as Certified Construction Manager (CCM), Project Management Professional (PMP), Design-Build Professional (DBIA), or equivalent state/client certifications.
• Experience with conventional and alternative delivery projects, including design-build, progressive design-build, or CM/GC.
• Experience with large, complex roadway, bridge, transit, rail, aviation, marine, or other public infrastructure construction programs.
• Knowledge of public procurement, consultant contracting, disadvantaged business enterprise participation, labor compliance, and client audit requirements.
• Experience deploying digital CEI or construction-management platforms, dashboards, and data-driven performance systems.
• Active leadership in relevant professional organizations such as CMAA, ACEC, DBIA, ASCE, or transportation construction associations.

Working Conditions

Work is performed in a combination of office, remote, client, and active construction site environments. The role may require walking over uneven terrain, climbing stairs or ladders, exposure to traffic, noise, dust, weather, and other construction conditions, and use of required personal protective equipment.

Travel is expected throughout the United States to support clients, pursuits, projects, staff, and the operations of JMT offices.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law.