Senior Project Engineer

Job Description

Job Description

POSITION PURPOSE

• The Senior Project Engineer leads complex or higher-risk projects, directs multidisciplinary technical work, and serves as a trusted client adviser.
• The role makes difficult judgments visible, reviewable, and actionable while building the technical and project-management capacity of the team.
• In plain English, When the site, schedule, and stakeholders get complicated, you create clarity and forward motion.

WHAT YOU WILL OWN

• Lead complex proposals, contracting inputs, work plans, investigation programs, design analyses, and construction support.
• Direct advanced shallow- and deep-foundation evaluations, liquefaction assessments, slope-stability analyses, and laboratory interpretation within demonstrated competency.
• Set the technical approach, identify critical failure modes, define review levels, and document key decisions and residual risk.
• Serve as primary client contact for significant assignments and translate technical tradeoffs into practical choices.
• Resolve changed conditions and construction issues through timely observation, analysis, consultation, and written direction within authority.
• Review and improve reports, calculations, proposals, and field practices produced by others.
• Manage portfolio-level workload, financial performance, forecasting, and scope control for assigned clients or programs.
• Mentor project leaders and create reusable tools, examples, or lessons learned that lift the whole practice.
• Managing your clients such that they are calling you for additional projects.
• Be active in associations and/or (internal and external) committees.

SKILL TARGETS

• Capability Target What good looks like
• Report writing: Shapes defensible narratives for complex, high consequence decisions.
• Proposal preparation: Positions differentiated approaches and prices uncertainty responsibly.
• Construction knowledge: Anticipates constructability issues and leads response to changed conditions.
• Shallow foundations: complex systems and balances performance, risk, and cost.
• Deep foundations: Leads system selection, analysis, load testing strategy, and field response.
• Liquefaction and slope stability: Directs advanced analyses and sensitivity or mitigation evaluations.
• Laboratory analyses: Designs and interprets targeted programs for complex material behavior.

HOW THE FOUNDATIONAL VALUES SHOW UP

• Team Member: share information, ask for help early, and make the team better.
• Support: remove obstacles and leave coworkers and clients stronger.
• Quality: check the work, show the basis, and make the deliverable usable.
• Client Advocacy: understand the client’s real decision and protect their interests.
• Accountable: own commitments, risks, corrections, and follow-through.
• Responsive: acknowledge quickly, communicate clearly, and close the loop.

QUALIFICATIONS AND READINESS

• 7 to 11 years experience
• California Registered Professional Civil Engineer License required; Geotechnical Engineer License preferred
• Professional Engineer license in applicable jurisdiction or jurisdictions and authority consistent with
• company policy.
• Substantial record of leading complex geotechnical projects, client relationships, and technical teams.
• Advanced capability in multiple geotechnical domains and sound recognition of when a specialist is
• required.
• Strong commercial judgment, coaching ability, and communication under pressure.
• Exercises independent judgment to evaluate field conditions, identify engineering deviations from project plans, and recommend technical solutions.

CLIMBING TO SENIOR ENGINEER

• The Senior Engineer level reflects practice-wide influence, recognized expertise, and durable client and team impact.
• Become a recognized technical authority in at least two relevant specialties while maintaining broad
• geotechnical judgment.
• Lead the firm’s most consequential technical reviews, risk decisions, or client pursuits with consistent
• outcomes.
• Create standards, tools, training, or market approaches that are adopted beyond your own projects.
• Build enduring client trust and a succession bench; the practice should be stronger because your

knowledge travels.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

This job is primarily in a professional office environment, but given the nature of our work, there will be

occasions when field time is necessary. Requires the ability to lift 20-pound samples or equipment