Port Engineer

Position: Port Engineer

Department: Engineering

Reports to: COO

Pay Type: Salary (Exempt, Full-Time)

Application Deadline: June 10th, 2026

Please apply via MSPA Career Page: 

4a52-a58f-03fb71278daa&ccId=179537030_2&jobId=20705&lang=en_US&source=EN 

Summary: The Port Engineer serves as the Port of Gulfport’s engineering representative, ensuring that infrastructure projects, designs, and capital improvements advance the Port's strategic goals. Reporting to the COO, the Port Engineer manages project schedules and budgets, oversees contractor performance, and partners with the Operations Division to support the Port's daily operations and long-term infrastructure planning. This role is central to modernizing the Port's engineering practices, advancing asset management capabilities, and ensuring sound stewardship of public resources.

About the MSPA: We offer a supportive, fun, and collaborative work environment along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. We are committed to professional growth, offering development opportunities and tuition reimbursement after one year of employment. Our team members enjoy a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, and life insurance; participation in the Mississippi State PERS retirement system; and state holidays and state leave. At the Port of Gulfport, you will be part of a mission-driven organization where your work matters and your career can grow alongside a port that connects the world.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Represent the Port to ensure engineering plans and designs meet strategic goals and project needs through appropriately scoped, cost-effective, and efficient solutions.
• Support the implementation of the Port’s Strategic Master Plan.
• Provide Port and Marine Terminal engineering analysis to assist in the daily business decisions of the Port Authority.
• Oversee, manage, and direct the Engineering Firm of Record for assigned port projects/work orders. • Ensure projects remain on schedule and within project task/compliance guidelines. • Ensure contractors abide by all safety and security rules.
• Manage and oversee engineering and construction finances for pay, progress, and reporting. • Support MSPA efforts in grant applications and securing funding for capital improvements, as directed. • Manage projects and agreements regarding engineering activities and other efforts, as assigned.
• Provide engineering guidance to the Operations Division on internal projects and repairs as needed, supporting Operations-led approaches where they offer the most practical, cost-effective solution.
• Establish and maintain administrative guidelines, SOPs, and engineering processes; streamline workflows and transition records and plans to organized digital and cloud-based systems.
• Assess port infrastructure conditions and establish short-and long-term asset management plans; partner with Operations to implement an enterprise asset or facility maintenance system, building a sound foundation for future technology capabilities, such as GIS.
• Provide the Executive Director/Commission with monthly reports concerning schedules, irregularities, funds expended, accomplishments, and progress on specific projects.
• Assisting in preparing annual Operating, LBO, and Capital Expenditure Budgets.
• Successfully interface with federal, state, and local agencies regarding matters such as environmental protection, permitting, and compliance with rules and regulations.
• Maintain open, proactive, and timely communication with the COO regarding the status, progress, and challenges of all ongoing work and projects; demonstrates sound judgment in recognizing when issues, risks, delays, or decisions warrant prompt elevation to the COO.
• Stay current on engineering standards, licensure requirements, regulatory changes, and industry trends; serve as a knowledgeable resource to the COO and senior leadership by proactively sharing developments that may impact Port operations, projects, or strategy.
• Manage assigned engineering department staff.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the COO.

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive list. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time without notice. 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities :

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, project management software, and familiarity with engineering applications.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with the ability to right-size engineering solutions to project needs.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare clear reports and present technical information to non-technical audiences.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects and competing deadlines simultaneously while maintaining attention to detail.
• Ability to read, interpret, and evaluate engineering plans, specifications, and contracts.
• Ability to perform a constructability review.
• Knowledge of public procurement, contract administration, and construction management principles.
• Familiarity with federal, state, and local regulatory and permitting processes, particularly as they relate to port, marine, or transportation infrastructure.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build collaborative working relationships across departments, with contractors, tenants,and external agencies.
• Ability to work independently, exercise sound business judgment, and act in the best interests of the MSPA. Qualifications and Experience: 
• A Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited four-year college or university in Civil or Structural Engineering or other relevant engineering discipline.
• P.E. license preferred.
• Minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in work related to the above-described duties, with demonstrated experience in project management and oversight of consultants or contractors.
• Experience in port, marine, transportation, or public sector infrastructure preferred. • Experience working with federal, state, and local regulatory agencies preferred.

Physical Demands and Work Environment: 

The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs and ladders; balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, and crawl; talk and hear; taste or smell, and use hands to handle or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. The employee must be able to access vessels, terminals, construction sites, and other operational areas, including navigating uneven surfaces, elevated platforms, confined spaces, and active construction or industrial environments. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color and peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to outdoor weather conditions, including heat, humidity, cold, rain, and wind. The employee may also be exposed to moving mechanical parts, marine equipment, fumes or airborne particles, and loud noise. The noise level in the work environment ranges from moderate to loud, depending on the work location.