Senior Civil Engineer

Our Story & Mission

TerraFirma is redefining how the world moves earth for construction. Founded by former SpaceX engineers and backed by Kleiner Perkins and Bain Capital Ventures, TerraFirma automates construction to make it faster, cheaper, and safer.

Our team previously built the largest rocket in human history, launched the largest satellite constellation, and delivered global connectivity. We learned that infrastructure is everything. The biggest barrier to launching missions to Mars was not the rocket itself, but the slow, expensive, and complex construction of supporting infrastructure—buildings, roads, water, power, communications, and waste management.

Applying first‑principles engineering, we bring simplification, iteration, acceleration, and automation to construction, unlocking a new era of building. Accelerating infrastructure fuels progress across every domain and lays the groundwork for technologies that could enable settlement on Mars.

Job Overview

The traditional civil design process is broken. Engineers and architects work under constant time pressure, leading to avoidable mistakes, change orders, and costly revisions. We are looking for a Senior Civil Engineer who will own civil design decisions end‑to‑end, stamp and sign off on drawings, and find smarter, cheaper, better ways to build for our customers while ensuring our automated equipment can execute the designs.

Responsibilities

• Own civil engineering design decisions end‑to‑end for TerraFirma projects, including authority to stamp and sign drawings.
• Create and review site designs, grading plans, and civil drawings with a focus on getting it right the first time, minimizing change orders and revisions.
• Identify and drive value‑engineering opportunities for customers, proactively flagging cheaper materials, methods, or design changes that deliver the same or better outcome at lower cost.
• Serve as the technical authority translating civil design intent into execution plans that TerraFirma's automated and remote‑controlled equipment can carry out accurately and efficiently.
• Mentor and direct the work of junior civil engineers handling detailed modeling, cut/fill analysis, and day‑to‑day design execution.
• Work directly with customers and stakeholders to shape project scope, identify cost savings, and resolve design challenges before they become field problems.
• Push TerraFirma's broader approach to civil design forward, helping define how the company thinks about design quality, speed, and cost as we scale.
• Support permitting, compliance, and coordination with civil authorities on complex or high‑stakes projects.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering.
• Active PE license.
• 8+ years of civil engineering experience, including significant experience owning designs from concept through stamped final drawings.
• Deep, hands‑on experience with earthwork design, grading, and site civil engineering on real, executed construction projects.
• Proven track record of identifying value‑engineering opportunities that delivered real, measurable cost savings.

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Experience working directly with clients or customers on design decisions and cost trade‑offs, not just internal technical teams.
• Experience mentoring or leading other civil engineers.
• Familiarity with GPS/machine‑control grading systems, automated construction technology, or a strong interest in how automation changes traditional civil execution.
• Experience across multiple project types (commercial, industrial, government/defense) that broadens perspective on cost and design trade‑offs.
• Comfortable challenging established design norms and pushing back on “the way it’s always been done.”

Additional Requirements

• Comfortable working in a fast‑paced startup environment with evolving priorities.
• Must be willing to relocate to Austin, TX if not within commuting distance.
• Must be willing to work extended hours or travel to job sites when needed to support critical project deadlines.