Civil Designer

Job Description

Job Description

Job Title: Civil Designer

Job Description

This Civil Designer role focuses on land development and stormwater projects, with a strong emphasis on site planning, grading, and drainage design. The position offers the opportunity to take on increasing responsibility, ideally for a professional who has earned, or is working toward, professional licensure. You will play a key role in designing projects for municipalities and agencies across Pennsylvania, contributing to technically challenging and impactful civil engineering work.

Responsibilities

• Analyze survey plans and reports, maps, and soil tests to develop comprehensive land development designs suitable for review and approval by city agencies, townships, counties, and state authorities in Pennsylvania.
• Prepare detailed site layout, subdivision, and grading plans that support effective land use, infrastructure placement, and long-term site functionality.
• Lead stormwater planning and technical design efforts, including the design of best management practices (BMPs) for underground infiltration basins, surface basins, underground detention basins, and retention basins or ponds.
• Perform pipe networking and hydraulic analysis to ensure efficient conveyance, capacity, and integration with overall site drainage systems.
• Conduct pre- and post-development peak flow comparisons and computations to demonstrate compliance with applicable stormwater regulations and performance criteria.
• Develop stormwater models using NRCS methods, including TR-55 methodology, as well as Rational Methods, to accurately predict runoff behavior and system performance.
• Prepare and submit permit applications to local, state, and federal agencies, ensuring that all designs conform to applicable building codes, ordinances, and regulatory requirements.
• Collaborate closely with architects, surveyors, contractors, and government officials to align project objectives, resolve technical issues, and keep projects moving forward efficiently.
• Maintain strong written communication, including clear and professional email correspondence, to document decisions, share updates, and coordinate with internal and external stakeholders.
• Apply advanced critical thinking and analytical skills to address complex structural, logistical, and regulatory challenges in land development and stormwater projects.
• Participate actively in a collaborative team environment, sharing knowledge, offering constructive input, and supporting colleagues to achieve high-quality project outcomes.
• Continuously learn and adapt to new situations, software tools, and technical standards to improve personal performance and contribute to the growth of the team.

Essential Skills

• 2+ years of civil engineering experience following graduation, with a focus on land development and stormwater projects.
• Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering or an equivalent civil engineering discipline.
• Demonstrated experience in land development, including site design, grading, and subdivision planning.
• Hands-on stormwater design experience, including planning and technical design of BMPs for infiltration, detention, and retention systems.
• Proficiency with AutoCAD and Civil 3D for preparing civil engineering drawings, site layouts, grading plans, and drainage plans.
• Ability to analyze survey data, maps, and soil test results and translate them into practical, code-compliant design solutions.
• Strong analytical skills for performing peak flow calculations, pipe network analysis, and stormwater modeling using NRCS TR-55 methodology and Rational Methods.
• Effective collaboration skills for working with architects, surveyors, contractors, and public agency representatives.
• Clear and professional verbal and written communication skills, including strong email correspondence.
• Motivation to improve performance, take on new challenges, and contribute positively to a team-oriented environment.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Professional Engineer (PE) license in civil engineering or active progress toward obtaining licensure is highly valued.
• Experience working on projects within the City of Philadelphia or surrounding jurisdictions is a plus.
• Site development and drainage design experience, including civil design for roads, utilities, and associated infrastructure.
• Familiarity with local, state, and federal permitting processes and regulatory frameworks related to land development and stormwater management.
• Ability to learn and adapt to new civil engineering software, tools, and design standards as needed.
• Strong problem-solving mindset with the ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines in a project-driven environment.

Work Environment

The role is based in an office environment with a close-knit team of approximately twenty civil engineering professionals working on projects across Philadelphia and the broader Pennsylvania region. You will work on-site five days per week, collaborating directly with colleagues and project partners in a setting that values clear communication, teamwork, and mutual support. The culture emphasizes learning, continuous improvement, and achieving great results by working together and complementing each other’s strengths. Standard office technology and civil engineering design software, including AutoCAD and Civil 3D, are used daily to support project delivery.

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Darby, PA.

The pay range for this position is $31.25 - $38.46/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

This is a fully onsite position in Darby,PA.

This position is anticipated to close on Aug 3, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email View email address on ziprecruiter.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.