Junior Civil Engineer - Airfield Pavement

Ara; Madison (WI); Hybrid; USD 56,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

ARA is seeking entry-level civil engineers to join our Transportation Division, Aviation Directorate, focusing on airfield pavement engineering. You will work on pavement design, evaluation, testing, and management while developing specialized expertise.

Positions are hybrid with in-office attendance at least 3 days per week in Madison, WI, and travel to project sites; travel is anticipated at 10–20% with limited international opportunities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Civil Engineering from an ABET-accredited program, GPA at least 3.0/4.0.
• Ability and willingness to travel for field assignments and work at project sites.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Experience with programming languages, database development, AutoCAD, and/or GIS preferred.
• FE exam preferred.
• Candidates may be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility for access to classified information.

Responsibilities

• Develop technical expertise in pavement engineering through work on airfield pavement design, evaluation, and management.
• Support senior engineers and project managers in pavement design, testing, analysis, and engineering evaluations.
• Participate in pavement-related field testing, condition assessments, data collection, and evaluation.
• Travel for field assignments, approximately 10–20% annually; potential international travel.
• Analyze engineering data, interpret results, and develop recommendations.
• Prepare technical reports, figures, tables, and presentations communicating findings and recommendations.

Skills

Pavement engineering

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Problem solving

GIS

AutoCAD

Databases

Education

ABET-accredited Civil Engineering degree

GPA 3.0/4.0 or higher

FE exam preferred

Tools

AutoCAD

GIS

PAVER

FAARFIELD

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

Database systems

Job description

Job Category: Engineering Support Services

ARA is seeking entry-level civil engineers with an interest in airfield pavement engineering to join our Transportation Division, Aviation Directorate. This position provides an opportunity to work on airport pavement engineering projects while developing expertise in pavement design, evaluation, testing, and management.

Positions are available in our offices in Madison, WI, and Egg Harbor Township, NJ. This is a hybrid position requiring attendance in the assigned ARA office a minimum of 3 days per week, in addition to required project-related travel.

We are looking for motivated engineers who enjoy solving complex problems and want to develop specialized expertise in aviation infrastructure. Our engineers are actively involved in all aspects of research and consulting engineering, applying technical knowledge, engineering judgement, and innovation to develop high-quality solutions for our clients.

This position requires travel to project sites and may include on-site work at client offices. Candidates must meet eligibility requirements for badging and site access. Nationwide travel is anticipated approximately 10% to 20% of the time, depending on project needs, season, and workload. International travel may also be required on a limited basis.

Junior civil engineers are expected to:

• Develop technical expertise in pavement engineering through work on airfield pavement design, pavement evaluation, and pavement management projects.
• Support senior engineers and project managers in performing pavement design, testing, analysis, and engineering evaluations.
• Participate in pavement-related field testing, condition assessments, data collection, and evaluation.
• Travel for field assignments, anticipated to represent approximately 10%-20% of the position annually, depending on season and workload.
• Analyze engineering data, interpret results, and assist in developing recommendations.
• Utilize tools such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, GIS, AutoCAD, PAVER, FAARFIELD, and database systems for engineering analysis and reporting.
• Prepare technical reports, figures, tables, and presentations that clearly communicate engineering findings and recommendations.
• Perform field work in a professional manner with careful attention to accuracy, documentation, quality, and safety.
• Collaborate effectively with engineers, technicians, project managers, clients, and other members of multidisciplinary project teams.
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Civil Engineering from an ABET-accredited program, with a GPA of at least 3.0/4.0.
• Ability and willingness to travel for field assignments and work at project sites.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Experience with programming languages, database development, AutoCAD, and/or GIS preferred.
• Passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam preferred.
• Candidates selected may be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.

The anticipated salary range for this position is $56,000 to $64,000 per year, depending on education, experience, and location. Additional compensation may be available for extended work weeks associated with travel and field assignments. ARA also offers competitive benefits that address our employees’ needs now and in the future. Learn more about each of our benefits at https://www.ara.com/benefits/.

About ARA:

ARA is an employee-owned international research and engineering company recognized for providing technically superior solutions to complex and challenging problems in the physical sciences. The company, founded in Albuquerque, NM, in 1979, currently employs more than 2,200 professionals and continues to grow. ARA offices throughout the United States and Canada provide a broad range of technical expertise in civil technologies, computer software and simulation, defense technologies, systems analysis, environmental technologies, and testing and measurement. The corporation also provides sophisticated technical products for pavement analysis, environmental site characterization, and robotics.

At ARA, employees are our greatest assets. The corporation realizes that employee ownership spawns greater creativity and initiative along with higher performance and customer satisfaction levels. ARA gives its employees the tools, training, and opportunities to take more active roles as owners. The culture is challenging; innovation and experimentation are the norm. Employees are eligible for contributions which not only add to the company’s success, but also their own through the ESOP. The motto, “Engineering and Science for Fun and Profit” sums up the ARA experience.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
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