Geotechnical Professional Staff Geologist/Staff Engineer-Tacoma

Job Description

Job Description

Certerra is a growing national provider of testing, inspection, and certification services that support innovation in new product development, quality assurance, for project delivery, and engineered solutions for asset management. We are passionate about contributing to the sustainable development of the communities we serve. We are a national firm with a global reach serving national and international clients from 30+ offices located in 10 states and are ranked on ENR’s Top 500 list alongside the nation’s top firms. With a 60-year history, Certerra has a passion for high-end services, constant innovation, and investment in the development of world-class laboratory facilities, and interactive management technologies. Each member of our staff is committed to service, innovation, and the success of our clients.

Certerra is a nationally recognized provider of engineering, testing, inspection, and certification services supporting innovation, quality assurance, and resilient infrastructure. With over 1,800 professionals nationwide, we combine technical expertise with practical field knowledge to ensure the communities we serve are built to last.

Help Build Our South Puget Sound Geotechnical Team

Certerra is growing our Tacoma office and laboratory, strategically located to serve South Puget Sound and some of the region's largest and most technically challenging infrastructure, military, federal, transportation, and civil construction projects.

We're looking for an experienced geotechnical professional – geologist, engineering geologist, geological engineer, geotechnical engineer, or similarly qualified professional – to become a key member of this growing team.

Washington LG or PE licensure is highly desirable, but we also encourage highly qualified candidates who are eligible for or actively progressing toward professional licensure to apply.

Our South Puget Sound team supports a diverse and growing portfolio of work, including military and federal projects at Naval Base Kitsap and other regional installations, Sound Transit and transportation programs, major civil infrastructure, dams and water resources, commercial development, and other complex construction throughout Western Washington.

This is a hands-on technical role spanning both design-phase geotechnical investigations and construction-phase support, with a strong emphasis on evaluating and documenting actual soil and rock conditions encountered during construction.

We're looking for someone with approximately five or more years of relevant experience who is comfortable moving between the field and office, exercising professional judgment, working directly with construction teams, and turning field observations into clear technical documentation and recommendations.

Environmental experience is also highly desirable and provides an opportunity to help expand our capabilities in the South Puget Sound market.

Duties:

The successful candidate will work across geotechnical design, field investigation, and construction, with a significant portion of the role focused on construction-phase geotechnical services.

Typical responsibilities may include :

• Provide geotechnical and engineering geology support during major civil, military, federal, transportation, and infrastructure construction
• Observe, evaluate, and document soil and rock conditions encountered during excavation and construction
• Confirm field conditions relative to design assumptions, plans, specifications, and geotechnical recommendations
• Perform detailed soil and rock logging, mapping, and conditions documentation
• Observe and document foundation excavations, bearing conditions, slopes, excavations, and other geotechnically significant construction activities
• Observe and document rock and soil anchor systems, including drilling and installation
• Document drilling conditions, materials encountered, depths, groundwater, refusals, and other relevant subsurface conditions
• Identify and communicate differing or unexpected field conditions to engineers, contractors, owners, and project teams
• Support geotechnical instrumentation and monitoring activities, including settlement, groundwater, vibration, and other monitoring programs
• Plan and perform subsurface investigations, including drilling, test pits, sampling, and field exploration
• Review field and laboratory data and develop or support geotechnical recommendations
• Support foundation, earthwork, site development, and geologic hazard evaluations
• Prepare field memoranda, technical reports, recommendations, proposals, and other project documentation
• Provide technical direction and mentoring to geotechnical technicians and junior field personnel
• Support groundwater and environmental investigations based on experience
• Assist with project management, client coordination, budgets, schedules, and technical deliverables

This combination of design, construction, environmental, and monitoring work reflects the broader geotechnical professional role identified for Certerra Northwest, including subsurface investigations, geologic hazard assessments, foundation recommendations, earthwork evaluations, construction support, instrumentation and monitoring, groundwater evaluations, and environmental investigations.

Education/Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Geology, Engineering Geology, Geological Engineering, Civil Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, or a related field
• Approximately five or more years of relevant professional experience
• Washington Licensed Geologist (LG) or Professional Engineer (PE) preferred
• Demonstrated experience with both design-phase geotechnical investigations and construction-phase geotechnical support
• Strong soil and rock identification, logging, evaluation, and documentation skills
• Experience evaluating actual field conditions and communicating technically significant findings to project teams
• Experience with excavations, foundations, earthwork, drilling, anchors, or other heavy civil construction activities
• Ability to interpret geotechnical reports, construction plans, specifications, and other technical documents
• Strong technical writing and communication skills
• Ability to exercise sound professional judgment in active construction environments
• Ability to communicate effectively with engineers, contractors, owners, technicians, and other project stakeholders
• Ability to independently manage field assignments and technical responsibilities
• Valid driver's license and ability to travel to project sites throughout South Puget Sound and Western Washington
• Ability to meet access, background, and identity verification requirements associated with certain military and federal project sites

Preferred Qualifications:

Candidates with experience in one or more of the following areas are particularly encouraged to apply:

• Washington Licensed Geologist (LG) or Professional Engineer (PE)
• Candidates eligible for or actively pursuing Washington LG or PE licensure are also strongly encouraged to apply
• Engineering geology or geotechnical consulting
• Military and federal projects
• Heavy civil, dam, transportation, or major infrastructure construction
• Construction-phase geotechnical observation and conditions documentation
• Rock and soil anchor installation observation and documentation
• Instrumentation and monitoring
• Groundwater investigations
• Environmental site investigations, assessments, or environmental consulting
• Project management and client-facing responsibilities
• Mentoring or directing geotechnical field personnel

Certerra Northwest's current recruiting profile similarly identifies LG and PE credentials, environmental experience, and instrumentation and monitoring experience as desirable qualifications for its geotechnical professionals.

Be Part of What's Next in South Puget Sound

This is an opportunity to join a growing Tacoma operation at an exciting time.

You'll have the opportunity to work on major military and federal facilities, transportation programs, dams and water resources, and complex infrastructure projects throughout South Puget Sound and Western Washington, while helping grow Certerra's geotechnical capabilities in the region.

We're looking for someone who enjoys being where the work is happening—evaluating conditions, solving problems, documenting what is actually encountered in the field, and helping project teams make sound technical decisions during construction.

At the same time, you'll have opportunities to contribute to design-phase investigations, environmental work, project management, client development, and the continued growth of our Tacoma geotechnical team.

Bring your experience. Help us build the team. Be part of some of the most challenging projects in the region.

Puget Sound Everet Puyallup Washington Kent Renton Olympia Seattle Lakewood Edgewood

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. This Company is dedicated to both the letter and the spirit of the equal opportunity employment laws. All applicants and all employees will be evaluated based on their ability, competence, and performance of the essential functions of their positions. There will be no discrimination based on race, sex, national origin, religion, age 40 and over, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, or any other classification which may be protected by federal, state, or local laws. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, we specifically offer equal opportunity for all employees or job applicants who may have a physical or mental disability. Such people will be hired based on their ability to perform the essential functions of the job in question. Likewise, their work will be evaluated on their performance of these essential functions. We will offer reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities, to the extent that Company resources allow without undue hardship. As part of our equal employment policy, there will be no wage differentials based on gender, between men and women employed in the same establishment, on jobs that require equal skill, effort, and responsibility, and which are performed under similar working conditions.