Civil Lead Engineer, Renewables

About the role

Westwood Professional Services, Inc. is seeking an experienced and detail-oriented Civil Engineering Project Lead to join our renewable energy team. The Civil Engineering Project Lead will be responsible for the overall direction, coordination, implementation, execution, quality assurance/quality control, and completion of civil engineering design on renewable projects, with a specific focus on Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS).

Project Leadership

• Provide leadership, management, and mentorship for the design team.
• Planning, coordinating, and executing the engineering design for a specific service.
• Defining project tasks, schedules, and resource requirements.
• Assigning tasks to and directing other technical and non-technical staff.
• Establishing goals for project deliverables and maintaining QA/QC standards.
• Preparing budgets for assigned projects and reviewing invoicing promptly.
• Communicating contractual requirements to the design team, verifying their incorporation into the design, and coordinating change orders with the Project Manager.
• Collaborating with other disciplines to ensure project success.
• Providing ongoing communication with the Project Manager regarding the project.
• Serving as a liaison between other engineers and the assigned design team.
• Removing obstacles preventing the design team from achieving their goals.
• Supporting the Project Manager with planning, monitoring, and controlling the project scope, schedule, budget, reporting, and invoicing.
• Supporting the Project Manager with project close-out activities (e.g., lessons learned).

Quality

• Lead and provide quality assurance/quality control for assigned projects including:
• Providing Engineer of Record (EOR) oversight of design tasks and final EOR review.
• Reviewing plans and specifications for constructability and risk management.
• Reviewing work by other members of the design team.
• Maintaining awareness of and complying with Westwood design/CAD standards.
• Performing quality review of all work products for accuracy.
• Leading coordination with internal and external stakeholders to produce a well-coordinated and constructable design.
• Attending internal and external coordination meetings.
• Leading internal design team meetings.
• Collaborating closely with internal teams across multiple service groups.
• Keeping the Project Manager informed of work status, workload, problems, and progress related to your service.
• Supporting service leadership to maintain firm standards and consistency.

Business Development Support

• Assist with client management and business development tasks.
• Maintain strong relationships with existing clients and seek opportunities with potential future clients.
• Build solid client contacts and foster trusting relationships to encourage repeat business.
• Assist with proposal preparation.
• Identify additional scope and revenue opportunities related to the project and participate in business development activities.
• Assist Market Directors as needed with marketing efforts and the creation of marketing materials.
• Provide clients with accurate design deliverables that closely meet contract requirements.
• Respond to client requests promptly.
• Treat all stakeholders with professionalism and respect.

Staff Development

• Assist with mentoring Project Engineers, Staff Engineers, and Technicians by providing guidance, explaining professional responsibilities, and reviewing work products.
• Advise service leadership on optimizing design team satisfaction and performance.

Technical Expertise

• Act as a technical advisor while effectively delegating design tasks.
• Lead and perform the design of a complete project, system, component, or process.
• Researching, evaluating, and applying data.
• Preparing detailed engineering calculations.
• Preparing specifications and details.
• Preparing detailed construction drawings.
• Designing and producing deliverables using AutoCAD Civil 3D software.
• Leading and performing other project tasks such as:
• Conducting research and field assessments.
• Preparing permit applications.
• Writing technical reports.
• Creating technical presentations and exhibits.
• Preparing quantity take-offs and cost estimates.
• Providing construction support (e.g., responding to RFIs, performing field inspections).

Contacts / Direction

• Independently leads the design team with support from service leadership and the project management team.
• Receives general direction on key objectives.
• Receives guidance, when necessary, on unconventional or complex problems, direction on modified techniques, and new approaches on assignments with conflicting criteria.
• Responsible for personal and design team task management and adherence to deadlines, scope, and budget.
• Gains mentored experience from a licensed engineer in your area of specialty, project management, or business leadership.

Success Measures

• Completing projects accurately while adhering to the schedule, budget, and scope with minimal scope creep.
• Ensuring project teams are engaged, thriving, and producing high-quality products.
• Establishing strong relationships with clients, leading to repeat business.
• BUILDING TRUST WITH BOTH CLIENTS AND PROJECT TEAMS, FOSTERING AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE PEOPLE WANT TO COLLABORATE AND HAVE YOU INVOLVED IN THEIR PROJECTS.
• Serving as a technical advisor while effectively delegating design tasks to the appropriate members of the design team.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering from an ABET/EAC-accredited program.
• Professional Engineer (PE) licensure.

Required Technical Skills

• Advanced knowledge of engineering principles, communication (formal and informal), teamwork, and leadership.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to quality.
• Effective time and workload management skills, including planning, organizing, and prioritizing tasks.
• Working knowledge of project management principles.
• Experience preparing progress reports, managing project data, and communicating project requirements.
• Advanced knowledge of construction drawing and specification packages.
• Basic knowledge of construction practices and constructability.
• Experience with proposal writing and project estimating.
• Proficiency in AutoCAD.
• Proficiency in 3D modeling (AutoCAD Civil 3D).
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.).
• Commitment to lifelong learning and staying informed on contemporary issues.

Required Personal Skills

• Ability to maintain a high standard of professionalism in all workplace interactions.
• Ability to lead a design team, including resource management and task delegation.
• Strong oral and written communication skills, including the ability to:
• Communicate effectively with technical and non-technical audiences.
• Provide technical direction to a team.
• Show empathy and strong listening skills.
• Show assertiveness and a collaborative approach when resolving conflicts.
• Strong mentoring skills.
• Ability to foster a team culture aligned with organizational values.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively across multiple offices.
• Ability to follow firm policies, practices, and procedures diligently.

Preferred Additional Skills

• Advanced knowledge of construction practices and constructability.
• Advanced knowledge of project management activities.
• Working knowledge of scheduling and project control processes.
• Experience with renewable energy projects.