Civil Engineer (Highway) - Direct Hire

Federal Highway Administration; Bismarck (ND); On-site; USD 75,000 - 138,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Telework eligible

Job summary

The Civil Engineer (Highway) at Federal Highway Administration in North Dakota supports managing Federal highway programs, providing engineering stewardship and oversight for federal-aid infrastructure throughout the state.

This role interacts with State DOT officials and other agencies, requiring technical guidance, compliance with Federal laws, and promotion of new technologies and policies in project delivery.

Qualifications

• ABET-accredited engineering degree required.
• Professional registration or licensure (EI/EIT/PE) required or eligible.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a key technical advisor in meetings, hearings, field reviews with State DOT and other agencies regarding assigned program areas.
• Communicate and apply Federal laws, regulations, and FHWA policies to Federal aid projects.
• Monitor projects to ensure quality and proper use of Federal funds, assess State programs for effectiveness and compliance.
• Promote and implement new technology, standards, and policies on Federal aid projects and programs.

Education

ABET-accredited engineering degree

PE/EI/EIT licensure

Job description

• Department: Department of Transportation

The Civil Engineer (Highway) assists in managing and promoting assigned Federal highway programs within the State. Provides engineering stewardship and oversight at various junctures of project and program delivery of Federal aid infrastructure projects within the state.

Key Responsibilities

As a Civil Engineer (Highway), you will: Serve as a key technical advisor in meetings, telephone contacts, public hearings, field reviews, and visits with State DOT officials and other Federal, State, and local agencies regarding assigned program areas and assisting in the implementation of leadership initiatives. Communicates and apply Federal laws, regulations, and FHWA policies applicable to Federal aid projects within the State DOT project development process.

Monitor highway and other infrastructure improvements to determine if they are constructed to a desired quality and whether Federal aid construction funds are being expended in a manner consistent with applicable Federal laws and regulations. Participate in assessments of State programs for effectiveness and compliance. Provide to partners recommendations for performance and operational improvements and guidance on corrective actions.

Assists in promoting and implementing new technology, new standards, and new policies and initiatives on Federal aid projects and programs. Provides technical guidance and develops new approaches to solve emerging problems or to support evolving program activities, goals, and leadership initiatives. Provide review of projects in accordance with the Division's risk-based stewardship and oversight plan.

This may include review of plans, specifications, and estimates (PS&E) for appropriate application of design standards and criteria, conformance with policy and regulations, eligibility for Federal participation, traffic safety features, reasonableness of estimated unit prices, fulfillment of requirements from the transportation planning and NEPA process, and proper standard, special specifications and contract provisions.

Participate in and contribute to Division program management activity including development of stewardship and oversight plans, conducting risk assessments, development of strategic operations and business plans, promotion of the implementation of a performance-based planning and programming process to partner agencies, and identification and tracking of performance measures and the associated reporting process.

The ideal candidate is a mid-career engineer with experience monitoring Federally funded grant programs and/or delivering grant projects from initial scoping through construction support and maintenance; and experience conveying ideas and concepts in meetings and discussions, and in writing.

Requirements & 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: 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. 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.

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.

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.

Which agency is hiring for this position?

This position is with Federal Highway Administration, Department of Transportation.

What is the salary for this position?

The posted pay range is $74678 – $138370/yr.

Is this position remote or telework eligible?

This position is eligible for telework.

What is the application deadline?

Applications close on 2026-10-09.

What is the work schedule?

This is a Full Time position.

Who is eligible to apply?

This position is open under the 'Fed Transition' hiring path.