Project Development Engineer

Location: New Kensington, PA
Job Type: Full-Time
Work Arrangement: Onsite
Salary: $110,000/year

About the Organization

Our client is an established heavy civil and infrastructure construction organization with a strong presence in the Pennsylvania market. The company delivers complex infrastructure and construction projects and is expanding its capabilities in private infrastructure, buried utilities, broadband/fiber, site development, and other emerging infrastructure markets.

The organization combines construction expertise, engineering capabilities, project development, and field operations to deliver projects from early concept and planning through construction execution. This is an opportunity to join a growing team and play a key role in identifying, developing, and successfully transitioning new projects into construction.

Position Overview

The Project Development Engineer will serve as a primary technical and construction resource for project development and preconstruction activities, with a particular focus on private infrastructure and buried utility opportunities.

This position will work directly with owners, developers, engineers, designers, estimators, business development, and operations teams to define project scope, evaluate alternatives, assess risks, and develop practical construction strategies before projects begin.

The role serves as a critical connection between business development and construction operations, helping transform early project concepts into executable plans and supporting growth in buried utilities, broadband/fiber, site development, and other emerging infrastructure markets.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary technical and construction resource during project development and preconstruction activities.
• Work with owners, developers, engineers, and designers to define project scope and objectives.
• Evaluate project alternatives, feasibility, constraints, risks, and construction requirements.
• Develop high-level project execution strategies, including means, methods, sequencing, logistics, and route planning.
• Lead constructability reviews and project planning efforts.
• Provide technical guidance on buried utility infrastructure, including trenching, boring, plowing, conduit installation, utility conflicts, permitting, easements, and constructability.
• Develop conceptual budgets, preliminary schedules, assumptions, and planning documents.
• Identify and analyze risks involving constructability, utilities, permitting, right-of-way, easements, environmental requirements, schedule, contractual, insurance, and commercial considerations.
• Coordinate efforts between business development, estimating, engineering, and operations.
• Provide strategic direction to estimating personnel regarding budgets, pricing strategies, production assumptions, scope gaps, and project risks.
• Support proposals, client presentations, interviews, and pursuit activities.
• Communicate construction approaches, assumptions, risks, and execution strategies to clients and stakeholders.
• Facilitate project turnover and ensure operations teams understand project scope, assumptions, risks, commitments, budgets, schedules, and execution plans.
• Work closely with internal teams to improve project development effectiveness, backlog growth, and project profitability.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 8 years of progressively responsible construction experience.
• Experience in heavy civil, utility infrastructure, infrastructure, oil and gas, water, telecommunications, preconstruction, estimating, project management, operations, engineering, or related fields.
• Experience in the Pennsylvania, Ohio, or West Virginia markets is preferred.
• Strong experience developing construction execution strategies, project development plans, conceptual budgets, preliminary schedules, and proposal support materials.
• Experience with project planning, constructability reviews, design coordination, value engineering, scope development, and risk analysis.
• Strong understanding of heavy civil and buried utility construction means and methods.
• Knowledge of trenching, boring, plowing, conduit installation, utility coordination, earthwork, grading, and site development.
• Understanding of utility permitting, easement coordination, route planning, right-of-way considerations, environmental constraints, and utility conflict resolution.
• Ability to review plans, specifications, contract documents, geotechnical reports, utility information, permitting requirements, and other technical documentation.
• Demonstrated ability to influence project decisions and gain consensus among owners, developers, designers, consultants, estimators, engineers, operations teams, and senior stakeholders.

Software Experience

Experience with the following is preferred:

• Microsoft Office Suite
• HCSS HeavyBid
• HCSS HeavyJob
• Bluebeam
• Scheduling software
• Document management platforms
• Advanced Excel for budgeting and analysis

Preferred Experience

Experience supporting projects involving:

• Utility infrastructure
• Broadband / Fiber
• Oil & Gas
• Water infrastructure
• Industrial construction
• Transportation infrastructure
• Private site development
• Heavy civil construction

Role Structure

This position was created to strengthen the organization's project development and preconstruction capabilities within private infrastructure and buried utility markets.

The role is intended to bridge the gap between business development and operations, particularly where projects are still being developed and require practical construction input.

This position will function primarily as a project development and preconstruction resource, rather than as a dedicated estimator or traditional project manager.

Success in This Role

Success will be measured by:

• Project development effectiveness
• Risk identification and mitigation
• Client confidence
• Successful transition of projects to operations
• Backlog growth
• Project profitability
• Quality of construction execution strategies

Additional Requirements

Additional responsibilities may be assigned as needed.

Candidates must demonstrate strong communication, collaboration, leadership, analytical, and problem-solving skills and be comfortable working across business development, estimating, engineering, and construction operations.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The organization is particularly interested in candidates with titles such as:

Project Development Engineer | Preconstruction Engineer | Senior Project Engineer | Construction Engineer | Preconstruction Manager | Project Development Manager | Heavy Civil Engineer | Utility Project Manager | Estimator / Preconstruction Lead

Strong consideration will be given to candidates with experience in:

• Buried utility construction
• Broadband / Fiber
• Heavy civil construction
• Infrastructure development
• Private development
• Oil & Gas
• Water infrastructure
• Construction predevelopment and preconstruction
• Project feasibility and constructability
• Conceptual estimating and budgeting
• Pennsylvania, Ohio, or West Virginia markets

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