Job Summary
At Jacobs, weโre challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the worldโs most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, missionโcritical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cuttingโedge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good. Our Data Center & Hyperscale practice is experiencing record growth โ and civil engineering is at the center of it.
As a Senior Civil Engineer SME within our Advanced Manufacturing group, you will serve as the technical authority for civil site engineering across a national portfolio of hyperscale data center and advanced technology campus programs. This is not a projectโonly role โ you will set civil engineering standards, govern the quality of civil deliverables produced by project teams and Global Integrated Delivery (GID) partners, mentor the next generation of Jacobs civil engineers, and lead the permitting and regulatory strategy on programs that have no tolerance for schedule risk.
This role is open to candidates located anywhere near a Jacobs U.S. office. Jacobs will recruit the best available civil SME โ geography is a filter, not a barrier.
Civil Site Design & Technical Leadership
- Lead campusโscale mass grading and earthwork design for hyperscale programs of 50โ1,000+ acres, including cut and fill optimization, soil import and export strategy, phased grading sequencing that maintains continuous operation of inโservice facility phases, subgrade preparation specifications, and earthwork volume tracking.
- Design and govern stormwater management infrastructure for large imperviousโsurface campuses: storm sewer collection and hydraulic analysis, wet ponds, bioretention, underground detention, and discharge management consistent with postโdevelopment hydrology constraints and NPDES permit conditions.
- Lead site utility infrastructure design for hyperscale campuses โ domestic water service, sanitary sewer capacity and routing, natural gas for emergency generator systems, fire protection water supply, and cooling tower makeup water, including reclaimed water systems to support Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) targets.
- Design heavyโduty pavement systems for campus roads, diesel fuel delivery routes, cooling tower crane access pads, transformer pad access, and security perimeters โ accounting for extreme axle loads and repetitive heavy vehicle cycles unique to missionโcritical facility operations.
- Provide civil technical leadership for underground fuel storage systems (UST) supporting large generator plants: secondary containment design, leak detection integration, spill containment grading, and EPA and state UST regulatory compliance.
- Coordinate geotechnical investigation programs with subconsultants; interpret boring logs and laboratory test data; translate geotechnical findings into earthwork specifications, compaction criteria, and foundation coordination inputs for the structural engineering team.
- Develop and maintain Jacobs civil engineering design standards, grading and drainage specification templates, standard detail libraries, and stormwater BMP criteria for the data center practice โ ensuring consistency and quality across a national project portfolio.
- Provide technical governance for civil deliverables produced by project teams and GID partners: reviewing grading plans, utility plans, drainage reports, SWPPP documents, and IFC construction drawings for code compliance, permit condition adherence, and Jacobs quality standards.
- Mentor midโlevel and junior civil engineers across the practice โ developing technical depth, standards fluency, and project leadership capability.
Permitting, Entitlements & Regulatory Strategy
- Lead land use entitlement strategy for greenfield and adaptiveโreuse hyperscale campus sites โ rezoning applications, conditional use permits, site plan approvals, and variance requests โ working closely with owners, land use counsel, and local planning authorities to protect schedule and maximize development yield.
- Direct NPDES Construction General Permit compliance strategy for large disturbedโarea programs, including SWPPP development, BMP selection, QSP coordination, inspection program design, and regulatory agency response. Navigate stateโspecific regimes including Virginia VSMP, AZPDES, Texas CGP, and similar frameworks with scheduleโsensitive permit sequencing strategies.
- Lead Clean Water Act Section 404 and Section 401 permitting for sites with jurisdictional wetlands, waterways, or Waters of the U.S. โ including wetland delineation coordination, permit application strategy, mitigation planning, and agency negotiation to protect program schedule.
- Navigate floodplain permitting, LOMR/CLOMR applications, and endangered species Section 7 consultations for complex hyperscale site development programs in regulated markets.
- Develop earlyโrelease civil permit packages โ rough grading permits, land disturbance permits, and utility installation permits โ sequenced to support fastโtrack DesignโBuild and EPCM construction schedules while full entitlement packages are advanced in parallel.
- Serve as the civil SME interface with Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ), state regulatory agencies, utility providers, and local planning bodies throughout design, permitting, and construction administration phases.
What Youโll Need
- Civil PE License: Active Professional Engineer (Civil) license in at least one U.S. state; NCEES Record maintained; willingness to obtain reciprocal licensure in additional states as project needs require. PE signโoff authority is required at SME level โ this is a hard requirement.
- Experience: 15 or more years of civil engineering experience, including 8 or more years leading site civil design for largeโsite industrial, technology campus, or missionโcritical facility programs. Candidates with strong adjacentโsector depth (pharmaceutical campus, power facility, military installation) who can demonstrate the transferability of their largeโsite civil skills are encouraged to apply.
- Civilโฏ3D: Expert proficiency in AutoCAD Civilโฏ3D โ corridor modeling, grading surfaces, pipe network design, and plan/profile sheet production for large campus programs.
- Stormwater & Drainage: Deep working knowledge of stormwater management design including SWPPP development, postโconstruction BMP design (ponds, bioretention, underground detention), and hydraulic modeling. Experience navigating NPDES permitting and stateโlevel land disturbance regulatory programs.
- MultiโDiscipline Collaboration: Demonstrated experience coordinating civil site scope with structural, MEP, and electrical disciplines โ including utility routing conflict resolution, foundation clearance coordination, and underground ductbank integration in a multiโdiscipline delivery environment.
- Education: Bachelorโs degree in Civil Engineering from an accredited institution.
- Communication: Strong written and verbal communication skills; demonstrated ability to present to clients, AHJs, and multiโdiscipline project teams and to represent the civil engineering scope in pursuit presentations and proposal development.
Ideally, Youโll Also Have
- Master of Science in Engineering.
- Experience with Virginia VSMP, AZPDES, Texas Construction General Permit, or other complex multiโagency regulatory frameworks for large land disturbance programs.
- DesignโBuild or EPCM delivery experience โ having served as civil engineer of record or civil lead on a DB or EPCM contract, with experience developing earlyโrelease grading permit packages and integrating with GCโled construction teams.
- Direct experience on hyperscale or colocation data center campus programs at 50+ acres, including pad elevation strategy, phased grading, and campusโscale utility systems.
- CFM (Certified Floodplain Manager), ENVโฏSP (Environmental Professional), QISP or QSP designation supporting stormwater compliance program leadership.
- LEED AP or sustainabilityโrelated credential; familiarity with how site civil design contributes to LEED BD+C certification for large campus programs.
- Experience with Sectionโฏ404/401 and USACE permitting for jurisdictional wetlands or Waters of the U.S. on large development programs.
- Navisworks multiโdiscipline model coordination experience for underground utility conflict resolution.
- Bluebeam Revu proficiency for document review and markup workflows.
- Industry visibility through technical publications, ASCE presentations, or clientโfacing thought leadership in the data center or advanced technology market.
Benefits
Jacobs offers a competitive base salary range of $169,500 to $233,000 depending on experience and qualifications, plus a comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, and vision coverage, 401(k) with employer match, paid time off, and professional development support including PE reciprocity sponsorship and continuing education funding. We also provide unlimited U.S. Personalized Paid Time Off (PPTO) for fullโtime salaried/exempt employees, seven paid holidays, caregiver leave, and support for deferred compensation plans.
EEO Statement
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. Qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered for employment.