About the Company
California Gold Development Corp is a vertically integrated developer and owner focused on retail and commercial assets across California and the western United States. The team identifies, entitles, designs, builds, and manages high-performing single-tenant and shopping center projects for national brands.
We are a long-term owner-operator with disciplined investment, development, and property management. The company is value-driven, EOS aligned, and known for fast decisions, high trust, and accountable follow-through. The growth plan targets expanding from 500,000 SF owned and managed property today to 1,000,000 SF over the next decade.
Role Summary
This role serves as the internal leader of design and entitlement strategy across California Gold's development platform. The Civil Engineering Manager will oversee and coordinate civil, architectural, and consultant disciplines to compress timelines, reduce entitlement risk, and elevate the quality and functionality of site design across the portfolio.
This position is less focused on being a desk-based technical producer and more focused on leadership, communication, consultant oversight, and forward-facing representation of the company in public and municipal environments.
Success in this role means faster plan check cycles, improved consultant coordination, stronger relationships with municipalities, and well-executed retail layouts that balance engineering precision with customer experience and tenant requirements. Over time, this individual will help build and lead an internal design capability.
Key Performance Objectives
First 30 Days
โข Learn California Gold project types, tenants, internal standards and rhythms
โข Meet outside consultants including civil, architectural, structural, and MEP partners
โข Review recent entitlement efforts to identify friction points in communication and plan check response
First 60 Days
โข Lead consultant coordination calls and establish accountability rhythm
โข Produce or direct at least two preliminary retail site layouts for active projects
โข Engage directly with at least one municipality or AHJ to understand review expectations
First 90 Days
โข Serve as internal design lead on at least one active entitlement or pre-construction effort
โข Improve clarity and organization of plan check response packages
โข Document a repeatable consultant coordination process
First 12 Months
โข Operate as the primary internal leader across all design disciplines
โข Deliver measurable improvement in entitlement cycle time and plan check turnaround
โข Lay groundwork for hiring or mentoring internal civil production or drafting support
โข Represent the company in city meetings, public hearings, and tenant discussions
Key Responsibilities
Design Leadership and Consultant Oversight
โข Lead and coordinate outside civil engineers, architects, structural and MEP consultants
โข Set expectations around timeline, communication cadence, and design standards
โข Review drawings and provide practical, development-focused feedback
Entitlement and Municipal Engagement
โข Serve as primary liaison with planning departments and public works
โข Present projects in city or planning meetings as needed
โข Identify entitlement risk early and guide mitigation strategy
Preliminary Site Planning and Retail Layout
โข Create or guide conceptual retail site layouts
โข Evaluate circulation, parking, access, visibility, and tenant functionality
โข Provide rapid feasibility feedback prior to formal consultant engagement
Due Diligence and Land Development Coordination
โข Coordinate ALTA surveys, parcel maps, lot line adjustments, and related documentation
โข Lead early-stage zoning and utility research
โข Oversee consultant delivery of civil design packages
Internal Leadership and Team Development
โข Serve as future leader of an in-house design function
โข Mentor technical staff as team grows
โข Partner closely with construction leadership to align design and field execution
Must-Have Qualifications
โข 10+ years of experience in civil engineering, architecture, or development project leadership within retail or commercial real estate
โข Demonstrated experience leading or overseeing multi-disciplinary consultant teams
โข Strong communication skills in client-facing and municipal environments
โข Experience working with city planning departments and Authorities Having Jurisdiction
โข Working knowledge of AutoCAD or comparable tools sufficient for layout review and markup
โข Strong understanding of retail site planning fundamentals
Nice-to-Haves
โข Professional Engineer license preferred but not required
โข Architectural background with exposure to site coordination
โข Experience working directly for a real estate development firm
โข Experience in Nevada or Arizona jurisdictions
โข Familiarity with ALTA surveys and entitlement documentation
Cultural Non-Negotiables
โข Clear and confident communicator
โข High accountability and follow-through
โข Strong collaborator across disciplines
โข Detail-oriented while maintaining big-picture perspective
โข Grit, perseverance, and ownership mindset
Why California Gold Development
โข High-impact leadership role shaping internal design capability
โข Direct partnership with ownership and executive leadership
โข Opportunity to build and lead a growing design function
โข Vertically integrated model enabling fast decisions
โข Exposure to repeat national tenant programs
โข Clear growth runway as portfolio scales toward 1,000,000 SF