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Highway Project Engineer Jobs in Colorado (NOW HIRING)

We believe construction services are more than project delivery, they're about safeguarding quality ... HDR is seeking a Highway Roadway Engineer in our Durango or Grand Junction offices to design ...

We believe construction services are more than project delivery, they're about safeguarding quality ... HDR is seeking a Highway Roadway Engineer in our Durango or Grand Junction offices to design ...

Project Engineer The Colorado Transportation team is a vibrant group, focused on delivering ... Develop and/or manage highway and roadway projects for CDOT or local governmental agencies. Your ...

Project Engineer The Colorado Transportation team is a vibrant group, focused on delivering ... Develop and/or manage highway and roadway projects for CDOT or local governmental agencies. Your ...

A Project Engineer will provide direct supervision; act as an advisor and be actively involved to ... Develop and/or manage highway and roadway projects for CDOT or local governmental agencies. Your ...

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Highway Project Engineer information

What is the difference between Highway Project Engineer vs Civil Engineer?

AspectHighway Project EngineerCivil Engineer
CredentialsBachelor's in Civil Engineering, PE license often preferredBachelor's in Civil Engineering, PE license often required
Work EnvironmentConstruction sites, project management, field supervisionDesign offices, construction sites, planning and analysis
Industry UsageSpecifically in highway and transportation projectsBroader, including bridges, buildings, water systems

Highway Project Engineers focus on managing and overseeing highway construction projects, ensuring timely completion and compliance. Civil Engineers have a broader scope, working on various infrastructure projects. While both roles require similar credentials and often work in construction environments, Highway Project Engineers specialize in transportation infrastructure, making their roles more project-specific compared to the versatile Civil Engineer.

Infographic showing various Highway Project Engineer job openings in Colorado as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 87% Full Time, 8% Part Time, and 5% Contract. Highlights an 86% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 10% Remote job distribution.

Supervisory Civil Engineer (Highway) (Construction Operations Engineer) - SME

Lakewood, CO โ€ข On-site, Remote

Federal Highway Administration
Public Administrationย โ€ขย 501 - 1,000 employees

$118K - $154K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 9 days ago


Key responsibilities

  • Supervise a staff of engineers and technicians engaged in construction project administration and oversight activities.

  • Review preliminary plans, specifications, and estimates for constructability and adequacy, and suggest improvements.

  • Review and approve change orders, directives, and work suspension/resumption orders, and initiate contract change agreements.


Job description

Summary
This position is located in the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Federal Lands Highway (FLH) Division and supports the Division as an expert in construction operations. Supervises a staff of engineers and technicians in administering contracts related to highway construction projects. The projects occur primarily on Federal Lands managed by other Federal agencies, such as the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service and include a multi-state area.
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Duties
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As a Construction Operations Engineer (COE) you will:
  • Participate in the development of business objectives and the implementing of quality initiatives to improve systems, processes, products, and services that increase customer focus. Share and promote partnering concepts.
  • Supervise a staff of professional engineers and technicians engaged in construction project administration and oversight activities.
  • Review preliminary plans, specifications, and estimates for constructability and adequacy and to detect details that may cause trouble during construction and suggest changes that will improve the product or provide better value.
  • Participate with staff in pre-construction conferences with Contractor representatives, cooperating agencies, and other interested parties.
  • Maintain frequent liaison with representatives of partner agencies, which generally are other State and/or Federal government agencies.
  • Review and approve change orders, directives, and suspension and resumption work orders. Initiate major or complex supplemental agreements and contract change orders.

The ideal candidate for this position is a seasoned mid-career engineer with experience independently and effectively managing highway construction projects by providing construction operations input from preliminary design stages through construction of the project, providing guidance and technical direction to lower level project staff, and representing the agency in project meetings.
Requirements
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Conditions of employment
  • You must be a U.S. citizen & meet specialized experience to qualify
  • Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date
  • Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.
  • Direct Hire Authority/SME will be used to fill this position

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:
  • your performance and conduct;
  • the needs and interests of the agency;
  • whether your continued employment would advance the organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
  • whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
  • SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
  • GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel. A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
  • PCS/RELOCATION/RECRUITMENT: Permanent Change of Station (PCS), Relocation, and Recruitment Incentive authorization varies by position/selection and a service agreement may be required.
  • BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: Applicants may be required to complete a background/security investigation and meet preliminary requirements prior to onboarding.
  • PROBATIONARY PERIOD: Applicants may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).
  • SUPERVISORY PROBATIONARY PERIOD: New supervisors must complete a 1-year probationary period (unless already completed).

Qualifications
To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet the specialized experience qualifications for the grade at which you are requesting consideration.
To qualify for the Grade 13, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-12, it must include:
  • Experience as project engineer in charge or equivalent administering large, complex highway projects, such as multi-million dollar projects that involve critical engineering constraints, strong public and political interest, environmental or other sensitivities, or critical time frames; AND
  • Experience leading the work of staff performing highway construction project/inspection activities; AND
  • Experience coordinating with partners and project stakeholders in order to resolve issues related to highway construction projects.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:
  • Civil Engineering - Knowledge of the concepts, principles, theories, and methods required to plan, design, construct, operate, and maintain facilities such as buildings, transportation systems, water and sanitary systems, and other public works systems.
  • Transportation Engineering - Knowledge of the concepts, principles, theories, and methods applicable to planning, designing, and constructing of transportation systems including traffic analysis, signal analysis, highway capacity, pavement design, bridge construction, planning of transportation projects, environmental analysis of transportation facilities, and transportation network analysis.
  • Communication - Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience. Makes clear and convincing presentations. Listens effectively; clarifies information as needed.

For all types of consideration, experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4
All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education
MANDATORY EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:
A. DEGREE: ENGINEERING To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics. OR
B. COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE College-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:
1. Professional registration or licensure Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT)1 , or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions.
2. Written Test Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
3. Specified academic courses Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A.
4. Related curriculum Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor's degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all inclusive). All applicants must meet the education requirements under A or B to qualify for applying to an engineering position. Transcripts are required for this position.
Additional information
The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Transportation and its Operating Administrations from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code ยง 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R ยง 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to the Department of Transportation by email at, FairChanceAct@dot.gov. To learn more, please visit our page at: The Fair Chance to Compete Act | US Department of Transportation
This is an open continuous announcement for six months with various cut-off dates. We will routinely review applications.
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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
Benefits
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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.