Lead Resident Engineer

Stantec; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision plans

Ten paid holidays

Vacation 10–20 days/yr

Tuition reimbursement

Professional membership fees

Job summary

Stantec is seeking a Lead Resident Engineer in the Chicago area to supervise a multi-year, >$1B USD water transmission system program. You will manage multiple construction contracts, monitor cost, schedule and quality, and ensure conformance with contract documents.

You will lead a team, review contractor payments, and coordinate with operations, maintenance and stakeholders while ensuring safety and compliance. A PE license in Illinois is preferred and 10+ years of experience is ideal.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or closely related field.
• Licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Illinois preferred.
• Experience with construction of water or wastewater projects, $100M in construction value or greater is preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience on multi-discipline construction projects, with extensive experience managing construction work and project staff is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Supervising Resident Engineers (REs) and other assigned personnel; filling in for REs as necessary.
• Ensuring that construction work is performed in accordance with contract documents, specifications and applicable codes and standards.
• Overseeing day-to-day construction management administrative and financial matters including record keeping, payments processing, change orders, reports.
• Ensuring safety protocols are followed.
• Overseeing review of Contractor’s payment applications and adjustments.
• Reviewing and evaluating potential items of extra work and cost estimates.
• Monitoring and reporting on Contractor performance and schedule compliance.
• Oversight of CM Field Office staff and mentoring.
• Liaising with program and design staff to resolve issues.
• Coordinating construction with operations, maintenance, police, other contractors and stakeholders.
• Ensuring non-conformances are resolved for contract closeout.
• Background check required.
• Knowledge of local, state, and federal building codes and safety.

Skills

MS Office Suite

Kahua/e-Builder

Strong communication

Negotiation

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Civil/Construction/Mechanical/Electrical Engineering

Licensed Professional Engineer in Illinois preferred

$100M+ water/wastewater project experience preferred

10 years multi-discipline construction project experience

Tools

Kahua

e-Builder

Job description

Communities everywhere share the need for clean water. And as they work to meet that need, they’re facing new, more complex challenges every day. Our water professionals collaborate to contribute innovative ideas, guided by scientific rigor and a vision for sustainable growth. Every day, we’re helping communities improve, reuse, and protect our world’s most precious resource.

Join our team to deliver transformational projects that will benefit future generations. Grow with us, H2O+U.

Lead Resident Engineer

The Lead Resident Engineer will supervise activities related to a multi-year, > $1 billion (USD) water transmission system program in the Chicagoland area by managing a portfolio of construction contracts for large water supply infrastructure projects. With help from several Resident Engineers, the Lead Resident Engineer will be responsible for administering multiple construction contracts, monitoring cost, schedule and quality of the Construction Contractor’s work, and establishing that construction work is completed in conformance with the requirements of the contract documents.

Your Key Responsibilities

• Supervising Resident Engineers (REs) and other assigned personnel; filling in for REs as necessary.
• Ensuring that construction work is performed in accordance with contract documents, specifications and applicable codes and standards.
• Overseeing the day-to-day activities related to construction management administrative and financial matters including record keeping, processing of periodic payments, drafting of field change orders, negotiation of change orders, general correspondence, and compiling and drafting of required reports.
• Ensuring that safety protocols are followed.
• Overseeing the process for review of Contractor’s payment applications, including recommending appropriate adjustments as necessary based on work completed.
• Reviewing and evaluating potential items of extra work and preparation of justifications and cost estimates.
• Monitoring and reporting on Contractor(s) performance, schedule compliance, overall responsiveness, and effectiveness.
• Oversight of CM Field Office staff, which may include sub-consultants, including timekeeping practices, training and development, mentoring, and rewarding exceptional performance.
• Acting as liaison to program and design staff for resolution of issues.
• Coordinating the construction work with facility operations, maintenance, police, other contractors and other stakeholders.
• Ensuring that non-conformances are satisfactorily resolved for close out of contracts.
• Experience on water/wastewater infrastructure projects in a Construction Management or Owner’s Representative role managing the observation of construction progress, site management, permitting requirements, code compliance and local regulations, conformance with plans and specifications, contractor practices, and QC/QA and performance of inspections, commissioning, close-out, and final acceptance.
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite products including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Familiarity with systems for organizing and managing construction-related communications, reports, photos, etc. (e.g., Kahua, e-Builder or other similar software).
• Excellent organization skills and capacity to handle multiple tasks and projects concurrently.
• Ability to quickly adapt to new priorities.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Strong work ethic, attention to detail, and commitment to exceptional client service.
• Demonstrated ability to build trust and positive business relationships.
• Effective problem-solving, facilitation, and negotiation skills.
• The position involves work associated with critical infrastructure and confidential information; therefore, a background check is required.
• Knowledge of local, state, and federal building codes, construction principles, techniques and procedures, occupational hazards, and safety precautions.
• Ability to be an independent thinker capable of solving problems within a team environment by analyzing technical issues, applying underlying principles, and delivering cost-effective solutions that provide value to clients.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or closely related field.
• Licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Illinois is preferred
• Experience with construction of water or wastewater projects, $100M in construction value or greater is preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience on multi-discipline construction projects, with extensive experience managing construction work and project staff is preferred.
• Preference given to candidates located in northeastern Illinois or northwest Indiana

Pay Transparency:

In compliance with pay transparency laws, pay ranges are provided for positions in locations where required. Please note, the final agreed upon compensation is based on individual education, qualifications, experience, and work location. At Stantec certain roles are bonus eligible. Actual compensation for part-time roles will be pro-rated based on the agreed number of working hours per week.

Benefits Summary:

Regular full-time and part-time employees (working at least 20 hours per week) have access to medical, dental, and vision plans, a wellness program, health saving accounts, flexible spending accounts, 401(k) plan, employee stock purchase program, life and accidental death & dismemberment (AD&D) insurance, short-term/long-term disability plans, emergency travel benefits, tuition reimbursement, professional membership fee coverage and paid family leave. Regular full-time and part-time employees will receive ten paid holidays in each calendar year. In addition, employees will be eligible to accrue vacation between 10 and 20 days per year and eligible for paid sick leave (and if more generous, in accordance with state and local law).

Primary Location:

United States | IL | Chicago

Other Locations:

United States | IL | Joliet

Organization:

BC-1734 Water-US North Central

Employee Status:

Regular

Business Justification:

New Position

Travel:

No

Schedule:

Full time

Job Posting:

27/07/2026 02:07:45

Req ID:

1006926

Stantec provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants for future and current employment and prohibit discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. We prohibit discrimination in decisions concerning recruitment, hiring, referral, promotion, compensation, fringe benefits, job training, terminations or any other condition of employment. Stantec is in compliance with laws and regulations and ensures equitable opportunities in all aspects of employment. At Stantec we are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to all. If you require reasonable adjustments to be made during the recruitment process then please inform a member of our Talent Acquisition team.