Principal Civil Engineer

Toole Design Group

Detroit (MI)

Hybrid

USD 140,000 - 161,000

Full time

14 days+
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Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
Life insurance
Disability insurance
Health savings account
Flexible spending account
16 days of PTO
8 holidays

Job summary

A leading engineering firm in Detroit seeks a Principal Civil Engineer to lead major transportation projects, oversee multidisciplinary teams, and enhance urban environments. The ideal candidate is experienced in civil engineering with a strong track record in project management. They will collaborate closely with clients and ensure quality deliverables while mentoring junior staff. This full-time role offers a competitive salary range and a commitment to employee well-being and community impact.

Qualifications

  • Proven experience managing diverse teams on highway or roadway projects.
  • 15+ years of engineering experience in construction administration.
  • Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and coordinating utility impacts.

Responsibilities

  • Lead and manage roadway and streetscape projects from concept to construction.
  • Coordinate client relationships and deliver projects on time and budget.
  • Participate in business development and stakeholder outreach.

Skills

Project management
Team leadership
Civil/roadway/hwy design
Communication skills
Problem-solving skills

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Civil Engineering
Professional Engineering license in MI

Tools

MicroStation (including OpenRoads)
AutoCAD (including Civil 3D)

Job description

Principal Civil Engineer

Toole Design Group in Detroit, MI is looking to hire an experienced and talented full‑time Principal Civil Engineer. Do you have proven experience successfully managing a diverse team to deliver highway or roadway projects from preliminary through final design, on time and on budget, while coordinating with clients, and inspiring and mentoring your team? Are you passionate about projects ranging from complex roadways and streetscapes in highly urban settings to signature trail projects that highlight and enhance the natural environment? If so, please consider joining our Michigan team from Detroit!

This Principal Civil Engineer position earns a competitive salary and great benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability, a health savings account (HSA), and a flexible spending account (FSA). All staff receive 8 holidays and earn at least 16 days of PTO over the course of the year. We practice what we preach and ensure that our employees also have access to transportation by providing them with financial incentives to bike, walk, or use transit for a better quality of life. Come work for a firm that is committed to the well‑being of its employees.

About Toole Design

Toole Design is the leading engineering, planning, and landscape architecture firm specializing in multimodal transportation in North America. Since our start in 2003 as a single office in Maryland, we have expanded throughout the United States. Our talented team of engineers, landscape architects, urban designers, and planners are committed to delivering quality work that meets the needs of all people, regardless of age, ability, race or gender. As an Engineering News‑Record top‑500 design firm, we have also been named a “best firm to work for” and have one of the lowest staff turnover rates in the industry. Every project our employees deliver directly and positively affects our communities. We are industry‑leading experts, and we work hard to encourage a collaborative and team‑oriented environment.

A Day in the Life of a Principal Civil Engineer

As a Principal Engineer, you are at the forefront of brainstorming creative solutions for challenging projects, and you enjoy ensuring deliverables are of the highest quality. You lead, manage, design, and implement roadway, streetscape, and active transportation projects that positively and directly affect our communities. You are adept at managing conversations between disciplines, managing client relationships, and delivering projects from concept to construction. You get to learn first‑hand from multimodal industry‑leading experts while growing as an engineering leader and manager in a company that prefers to promote from within. You will be at the table with clients and colleagues from a variety of disciplines, delivering project ideas from concept to construction. You share your knowledge on stakeholder and public outreach, developing feasibility studies and concept plans and preparing construction documents for innovative projects throughout the country. You participate in business development pursuits in your home region as well as across our Midwestern and North American offices. Your job can sometimes be challenging, but you get to work with a close‑knit team that is passionate about the work and the communities that you serve!

Compensation

We are targeting a range of $140,000‑$161,000 for this position. Candidates with exceptional qualifications or additional experience may fall into a higher pay range.

Qualifications of a Principal Civil Engineer
  • A Professional Engineering license in MI (other Midwest states a plus)
  • A bachelor's or master's degree in civil engineering
  • Proficiency in one or more of the following: MicroStation (including OpenRoads), AutoCAD (including Civil 3D)
Preferred Experience
  • At least 15 years of engineering experience developing construction documents and/or public agency construction administration
  • At least 5 years serving in a project and/or design management role
  • A broad knowledge base in civil engineering, with specific experience in roadway design, drainage design, geometric design, 3D modeling and design of accessible public spaces
  • A proven track record of past performance delivering multiple large/complex projects on time and on budget
  • Experience in preparing transportation and local agency permit documents
  • General experience leading multidisciplinary teams, coordinating utility and right‑of‑way impacts, street lighting, traffic signal, and landscape/hardscape layouts
  • Interest in multimodal and active transportation design
  • General knowledge of project performance metrics and strategies for monitoring them
  • Experience in business development including networking with colleagues and clients at public events, industry organizations (e.g. ACEC, ITE, ASHE, or ASCE), and agency organized events
You’ll Be Great Here If
  • You have experience in civil/roadway/highway design and are interested in moving into active transportation and Complete Streets design
  • You want to become an expert who is sought after by clients and teaming partners
  • You enjoy generating and evaluating engineering solutions that can be constructed and maintained
  • You have strong leadership skills and enjoy mentoring junior staff
  • You are passionate about sustainability and the opportunity to work on challenging multimodal projects that make communities more livable
  • You enjoy producing high‑quality work products and seeing your projects get built
  • You have strong communication skills, whether written, verbal, or graphical
  • You can build relationships, bring enthusiasm to exciting projects, and are detail oriented with strong problem‑solving skills
Work Schedule for a Principal Civil Engineer

This position will initially be remote with the plan to transition to a hybrid work schedule. A preference will be given to candidates with experience in the Ann Arbor and Detroit areas. There will be client/site visits and quarterly visits with Michigan team members. Toole Design will provide employees with the necessary equipment to work from home.

Ready to Join Our Team From Detroit?

We understand your time is valuable, so we have a quick and easy application process. If you feel that you would be right for this Principal Engineer position, please fill out our application by clicking on the link on this page.

About Equal Opportunity

At Toole Design, we have a collaborative culture where people of all backgrounds come together to share ideas and build better, more inclusive communities. We encourage everyone, including those from underrepresented communities—women, people of color, LGBTQIA+, immigrants, first‑generation college students/graduates, those with disabilities and people at all the intersections in between—to apply. Even if you don’t think your current skill set checks every box below, but this role seems to align with your strengths, we want to hear from you.

We’re proud that about half of our managers are women and are committed to achieving diversity in our leadership to better represent the communities where we work, as well. Toole Design is a woman‑owned business and an equal opportunity employer (EO/AA/VEV/Disabled employer).

Accommodations & Contact

Individuals may request accommodations or assistance with the application process by contacting 301‑927‑1900 and asking for Human Resources or emailing HR@tooledesign.com.

More Information

For more information about Toole Design, visit our website and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook.

Other Information

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Seniority Level

Director

Employment Type

Full‑time

Job Function

Engineering and Information Technology

Industries

Civil Engineering

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